


Harry Potter And His Twin Sister

by dramagirl007



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-02
Updated: 2014-06-19
Packaged: 2018-01-07 02:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 491,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1114472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dramagirl007/pseuds/dramagirl007
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a different Harry Potter story, in it Harry Potter isn't the only famous Potter in the Wizarding world. No, his twin sister is also famous, her name is Brenda Lilian Potter. This is mostly her story from the point she and Harry got their famous scars. There is some spanking of teens.<br/>Disclaimer. Thank you JK Rowling for creating Harry Potter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

We all know how Harry got his lightning bolt scar, Voldemort cast it and then was left for dead. The thing is though, Lily was saving two babies instead of one and when Voldemort cast the killing spell on Harry, he didn't automatically "die", he got really, really weak and he cast the killing spell on Brenda and that's when he "died". Hagrid found both the babies and drove off into the night on the flying motorcycle to number four private drive. The home of the Dursleys.  
" So which one are we leaving here Albus?" McGonagall asked.  
" I believe that the boy will benefit better here, you did say that they had a son his age did you not?" Dumbledore asked.  
" Yes I did, but these are the worst kind of muggles I've seen, I've been here all day" McGonagall stated.  
" They are the only family the Potters have left" Dumbledore said.  
" What about the girl? Surely you're not thinking of leaving them both here" McGonagall said.  
" No, no Brenda is going to live somewhere else, it is best to keep them separate, until they're ready" Dumbledore said.  
" Who is bringing them?" McGonagall asked.  
" Hagrid" Dumbledore said.  
" Do you think it's wise to give this much responsibility to him?" McGonagall asked.  
" My dear, I trust Hagrid with my life" Dumbledore said, Dumbledore looked up and saw the motorcycle and a very large person riding it, " speaking of the devil."  
The motorcycle came to a complete stop and the very large person stepped off the motorcycle.  
" Professor Dumbledore sir, Professor McGonagall" Hagrid said.  
" I trust there were no problems Hagrid?" Dumbledore asked.  
" No sir, house was almost destroyed but I got them out before Muggles went on snooping. They both fell asleep as we were flyin' over Bristol" Hagrid said.  
Dumbledore took baby Harry and McGonagall took baby Brenda.  
" Where did the motorcycle come from?" McGonagall asked.  
" Borrowed it from Sirius Black" Hagrid said.  
Dumbledore carried Harry up to the Dursley's front door with a note explaining everything and then her heard Hagrid sniffle  
" There, there Hagrid, it's not good bye after all" Dumbledore said.  
Hagrid nodded.  
" So what are we going to do with Brenda?" McGonagall asked as the baby stirred.  
" The Potters have some close friends, the Williamsons, and they have always wanted a baby girl but sadly the wife couldn't have kids, James told me himself, and they also know about magic, I trust that Brenda will be in good hands" Dumbledore said.  
" What about the blood wards?" McGonagall asked.  
Mrs. Williamson and Lily did a blood ritual when they were young, Lily's blood runs through Mrs. Williamson's veins" Dumbledore explained.  
The three apperated to the Williamson's house, their house was bigger than the Dursleys because they had more money. Dumbledore did the same thing to Brenda as he did to Harry, he carried her to the Williamson's front door and put her down with a note explaining everything. After that, the three of them apperated to their destinations, either home to the hut in Hagrid's case or Hogwarts in McGonagall and Dumbledore's case.

It's been 10 years since that horrible night. Brenda Lillian Williamson has shoulder length auburn red hair and hazel eyes. She has a scar on her forehead the shape of a star. She likes to read books, anything to escape reality for a while. Ever since that horrible night, her life has been miserable. She rarely got to see her parents when she was little. She was practically raised by her nanny who taught her how to read and do math at a very young age, Brenda was reading chapter books and could add three digit numbers at the age of three. By the time she was four she was able to clean her room and make her bed with no help. Her parents, when they did see her, never praised her, they always thought she could do better. When she was six, her parents died in a car crash and since neither parent had any relatives left, she was put into an orphanage. She never stayed in the same orphanage for very long, weird things kept happening around her. Like how she could talk to snakes, and things seem to blow up around her when she's angry. She would always get in trouble because she couldn't explain why these things would happen to her. She knew nobody liked her and she didn't have any friends so she spent her time reading a lot. She was really fed up getting in trouble all the time because weird things happened. She decided to run away from the orphanage she was currently at, she overheard that they were going to send her away again anyway.  
It has now been 4 months since she ran away. She ran away in March and it is now July. She was in her tent that she 'borrowed' from somebody's garage and she didn't like the color, it was a little girl's tent and it was pink, she really wasn't too fond of pink, but for right now it is her only shelter.  
One day an owl came into her tent when she was reading a book and it had a letter attached to it's leg.  
At first Brenda was frightened, it's not every day a strange owl comes into your home. When she realized it wasn't going to attack her, she saw that it was raising it's leg that had the letter on it.  
" What's this?" Brenda asked the owl.  
Brenda took the letter off and watched the owl fly away. Brenda looked at the letter and it said To Ms. Brenda Williamson on the streets in the little pink tent.  
" Ok that's a little creepy" Brenda thought but she read on.  
We are here to inform you that you have been excepted to Hogwarts a school for Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
Below are the things you will need for your year at Hogwarts.  
There was a long list of items.  
You will find these items in Diagon Alley, we will have our games keeper Hagrid help you out in an hour after you finished this letter  
That's where the letter ended and Brenda couldn't believe it, according to this letter that came from an owl, she was a witch. She read stories about witches, but they were just fiction. She wondered if it was a prank. She thought it would be neat to be a witch but she was old enough to know that witches weren't real. But she still had that childish dream that something good would happen to her.  
"Should I pretend this letter is real and pretend to wait for Hagrid?" Brenda asked herself.  
She decided she would, just to escape reality for a while. The letter said an hour after she read the letter.  
Brenda just sat there looking at the letter for 15 minutes reading it a few times and let everything sink in. She then started getting ready because she knew that Hagrid whoever he was, was going to get her and bring her to a place called Diagon Alley.  
When the clock showed a minute before the hour Brenda was getting excited and was wondering what was taking the games keeper so long, finally after it was exactly an hour and no games keeper her heart sank and then she heard a pop.  
" Knock, Knock" Hagrid said.  
That actually surprised Brenda, she thought it all to be a joke. She was scared but she thought her life couldn't sink any lower than it has. She got out of her tent and expecting to see a regular sized man, she saw what looked to be a hairy looking giant.  
" Are you Hagrid?"  
" Yes I am, Brenda, and I'm going to take you to Diagon Alley." Hagrid said with a smile.  
Brenda was amazed, she thought she was dreaming. "Is this for real?"  
"Yes." Hagrid said with a smile. "I am Hagrid, you are a witch and I am taking you to Diagon Alley."  
" YES" Brenda yelled. She couldn't believe her luck, this man just told her that it was real and that he really is taking her to the magical place called Diagon Alley.  
" You sound more enthusiastic than Harry did" Hagrid said with a little chuckle, " Of course at first he didn't believe me and got in an argument with his... family."  
" Who's Harry?" Brenda asked.  
Hagrid realized his mistake, " Oh... uh... another student who I took to Diagon Alley."  
" So you do this a lot?" Brenda asked.  
" Sometimes" Hagrid said, " So are you ready?"  
Brenda smiled and nodded.  
" Lets go then" Hagrid said.  
" I can't leave my tent, it has all my stuff in it, it might get stolen" Brenda said.  
" I can fix that" Hagrid said.  
With a wave of his umbrella, he made it so nobody could steal the tent or get in it.  
" That's cool" Brenda said with a smile, "Real magic."  
" Just don't tell anybody, I'm not supposed to use magic" Hagrid said.  
" Your secrets safe with me" Brenda said with a smile.  
The two walked and went on a bus and walked some more until they got to a rundown pub and Hagrid opened the door for Brenda.  
" After you my lady" Hagrid said.  
Brenda smiled, " Thank you."  
" The usual Hagrid?" The bar tender asked.  
" Not today, I'm on official Hogwarts business, taking young Brenda to get her school things." Hagrid said.  
" Bless my soul, it's Brenda Potter" The bar tender said.  
Everybody in the pub stared.  
" No, Brenda Williamson" Brenda said and blushed when she saw the whole pub looking at her.  
The bar tender looked at Hagrid who was shaking his head no and he got the idea.  
" My mistake Ms. Williamson" The bar tender said.  
" That's ok" Brenda said.  
Hagrid led Brenda over to the brick wall and hit the bricks in the right combination and the wall opened up.  
" Welcome Brenda, to Diagon Alley" Hagrid said with a smile.  
There were people all walking around and talking and such.  
Brenda was amazed at everything she saw while following Hagrid who led her to Gringotts the Wizard bank.  
Hagrid went up to one of the desks and whispered, " Brenda Potter would like to make a withdraw, I have her key, she doesn't know her last name, she goes by Williamson" Hagrid handed the goblin Brenda's key.  
Brenda didn't catch anything Hagrid was saying to the goblin. She was in aw at everything.  
" Brenda this way" Hagrid said after getting her attention.  
" Where are we going?" Brenda asked.  
" Getting you're money" Hagrid said.  
" I don't have any" Brenda said.  
" Your parents left you a bunch of it" Hagrid said.  
" Oh" was all Brenda could say, she didn't think her parents left her anything, she was told they donated everything they owned, leaving her nothing, not even the house.  
They got in a cart.  
" I really hate this part" Hagrid said as his face turned green even before they were rolling.  
They rolled for a while until the cart stopped and the goblin took the key and unlocked the door and again Brenda was in aw.  
" Wow and this is all mine?" Brenda asked.  
" Yes" Hagrid said still a little green.  
Hagrid explained the wizarding money to Brenda and helped her put some in her bag.  
" That should be enough for the year" Hagrid said.  
Brenda agreed.  
They went back up to the front with a bag full of money, Brenda couldn't wait to go shopping. She had a big grin on her face.  
After about three hours of shopping they had one thing left to get. A wand.  
" Three hours of shopping with this girl, she takes forever" Hagrid thought.  
" So did we get everything?" Hagrid asked.  
" Everything but a wand" Brenda said.  
" Is that all? Well then we just need to go to Ollivander's, no better wands anywhere else. You go inside, I have some business to take care of" Hagrid said.  
Brenda nodded and started walking towards Ollivander's.  
" Oh Brenda before I forget, can you give this note to Ollivander? It's really important that you do before he starts talking" Hagrid said.  
Brenda nodded with a confused look on why he gave all the store people notes before she could talk to them.  
Brenda tried reading the note but it was blank.  
" Must be magic" Brenda thought as she went inside.  
" Hello" Brenda called.  
A man appeared with white hair and Brenda handed him a note before he spoke.  
" I wondered when I would be seeing you Ms. Brenda Po- uh... Williamson... Seems like only yesterday your parents were in here getting their first wands.  
" My parents were witches and wizards?" Brenda asked, " Wonder why they never told me, probably too busy."  
Ollivander tried many wands on Brenda but none of them worked and then he found the last one.  
" I wonder" Ollivander said.  
He went up to her and said, " Try this one"  
He handed her a wand that was 10 inches in length, made of oak, and it had a mixed core of a phoenix feather and a mermaid scale.  
Brenda tried it and it was perfect but it made Ollivander shudder.  
"Curious indeed" Ollivander said.  
" What's curious" Brenda said.  
" I know every wand I ever sold Ms. Williamson, every one, it's curious that this wand chose you" Ollivander said.  
" Why?" Brenda asked.  
" Because this wand has two cores combined which is fantastic in itself, it has a Mermaid scale and phoenix feather. It's curious that the phoenix feather in this wand came from the bird that only had three feathers taken out for wands, it's curious that this wand chose you when one of it's brothers gave you that scar." Ollivander said.  
" You mean my star scar?" Brenda asked touching it.  
Olivander nodded.  
" Ok, so who owns that wand?" Brenda asked.  
" We don't speak of his name, he is very evil, I am sure all your questions will be answered at Hogwarts, you need not be frightened for the monster who did that is gone" Ollivander said.  
After Brenda was done paying for the wand, Hagrid knocked on the window holding a Snow White owl.  
" Happy Birthday Brenda" Hagrid said happily.  
" It's not my birthday" Brenda thought confused but had a happy smile, she liked the owl.  
She left the wand shop and went up to Hagrid and the owl.  
" Thank you Hagrid, but it's not my birthday" Brenda said, " My birthday was months ago."  
" Oh well then... happy late birthday" Hagrid said.  
Brenda smiled.  
" So what are you going to name her?" Hagrid asked.  
" I don't know... Angel" Brenda decided seeing a yellow ring on the owl's head that looked like a halo to Brenda.  
" Sounds like a good name" Hagrid said with a smile.

Hagrid took Brenda back to her "home" and handed her a ticket that said platform 9 3/4  
" Stick to that ticket Brenda" Hagrid said before he left with a pop. He was going to talk to Dumbledore about Brenda's living arrangements. A child should not be living in a tent.  
Two weeks later, Brenda was at the King's Cross Station and she was looking for platform 9 ¾. She was getting scared because she couldn't find her platform.  
After about five minutes of searching she was becoming frantic, because the train would leave at 11:00 and it was 10:50. Finally she heard somebody talking about muggles. She heard Hagrid say something about muggles during their trip to Diagon Alley. So she followed them. It looked like a black haired boy had the same idea as her.  
" Excuse me, Excuse me, can you tell me how to" Harry was lost for words  
" Get on the platform dearie?" Mrs. Weasley asked.  
Harry nodded.  
" It's really easy, all you have to do is walk straight through the wall between nine and ten. Best do it at a run if you're nervous" Mrs. Weasley said.  
Harry listened to the plump woman and walked straight through.  
" Wow" Brenda said walking up to the group of redheads.  
" Is he your friend?" The woman asked Brenda.  
" No, he just had the same idea I did" Brenda said.  
" Well you may go ahead of us as well" Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.  
" Are you sure?" Brenda asked nervously.  
" Yes" Mrs. Weasley said.  
So just walk straight through?" Brenda asked.  
Mrs. Weasley nodded.  
Brenda took a deep breath, closed her eyes and walked straight through and found platform 9 3/4.  
" Wow" Brenda said as she took her stuff off the cart and got on the train, " I'm going to Hogwarts."  
Brenda found an empty compartment and sat by herself. The boy who asked the woman first about the wall, poked his head in.  
" Mind if I sit down?" Harry asked shyly.  
" Not at all" Brenda said as she smiled.  
Harry sat down.  
" I'm Harry Potter" Harry said.  
" Brenda Williamson" Brenda said shaking his hand, " It's nice to meet you."  
" That's weird" Harry said.  
" What is?" Brenda asked confused, she didn't see anything weird about her name.  
" You've been the first person I've met in the wizarding world who wasn't aw struck by my name" Harry said explaining.  
" Really? Are you famous or something?" Brenda asked confused.  
" I think I am, but I don't remember doing anything, I think whatever I did, I did as a baby" Harry said.  
" That's strange" Brenda said.  
All of a sudden a red head poked his head in.  
" Can I sit with you guys? Everywhere else is full" Ron asked.  
" Yah sure" The two said together then looked at each other and laughed for saying the same thing at the same time.  
The red head smiled as he sat down  
" I'm Ron by the way, Ron Weasley" Ron said smiling.  
" I'm Brenda Williamson" Brenda said.  
" I'm Harry Potter" Harry said.  
Ron was in aw.  
" You are... do you have that... that scar? Ron asked a little embarrassed.  
Harry showed his scar and chuckled and Brenda was surprised, his scar was in the exact same place as her scar was, but his was a lightning bolt while hers was a star.  
The three began talking about stuff, mostly Ron because he knew the Wizarding world unlike Harry and Brenda. Harry bought the three of them a bunch of wizard candy from the trolley when it came around and then a girl named Hermione showed up looking for a toad that a boy named Neville lost. She saw that Ron was trying to do magic but it didn't work and then Hermione demonstrated by fixing Harry's glasses. Then she told the three to get into their robes since they would be arriving soon and then she left.  
After a while, they made it to Hogsmeade and got off the train and heard Hagrid calling for the first years.  
" Hi Hagrid" Both Harry and Brenda said at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed again, they kept saying the same thing.  
" Hello you two" Hagrid said smiling.  
The first years all got in boats that was taking them up to the castle which was to be their home for nine months. Everybody was in aw at how magnificent the castle looked. They were led up to the Great Hall but was stopped by a witch named Professor McGonnagall who told them that they will begin the feast shortly but before they must be settled into their houses of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. She talked some more about the houses and then left to get permission to bring in the first years.  
" It's true then, The Potters have returned" Malfoy said.  
A lot of the first years started talking about the Potters.  
Malfoy went up to Harry.  
" This is Crabbe and Goyle and I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy" Malfoy said with a sneer.  
Ron tried stifling a laugh but failed.  
" Think my names funny do you? No need to ask yours, red hair and a hand me down robe... you must be a Weasley" Malfoy said to Ron  
Malfoy turned back to Harry.  
" You best be careful, you don't want to hang out with the wrong sort, I can help you and your sister there" Malfoy said as he stuck out his hand for a shake.  
Harry looked down at the hand and then back at Malfoy and said, " I can make out the wrong sort for my self thanks and I do not have a sister."  
Malfoy didn't know what to say to that he was shocked that Harry Potter didn't take his hand, and he was shocked that Harry Potter said he didn't have a sister, he was sure the red headed girl was Brenda Potter and didn't have time for a comeback when McGonagall tapped him on the shoulder and told everybody that they were ready.  
Everybody followed McGonagall into the Great Hall and everybody was looking up at the ceiling that looked like the night sky. Brenda could hear Hermione telling somebody that it's not the real sky but magic that she read about in Hogwarts A History.  
Brenda rolled her eyes when she thought that Hermione would be snobby because she's smart.  
The first years stood in the middle of the Great Hall and waited until they were told what to do next. McGonagall told them what will happen and then the sorting hat started to say a rhyme and then the ceremony began with the sorting hat placement. There were a lot of Gryffindors Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and Slytherins and before the hat could be put on Malfoy's head, the hat screamed Slytherin.  
" Well that's a bad sign" Brenda whispered so only Harry and Ron could hear.  
Hermione got Gryffindor, so did Ron. It took a while for Harry to be placed also in Gryffindor and then it was Brenda's turn  
" Brenda Potter" McGonagall called.  
There were whispers about Brenda Potter and people were also looking at Harry  
Nobody moved.  
" Brenda Potter" McGonagall called again, " Oh I'm sorry... Brenda Williamson."  
Brenda went up to be sorted.  
Hmm, Brenda Williamson… Plenty of courage I see, and very smart, yes, yes, you have ambition, I see qualities from all four houses, but where to put you, you are as difficult as your brother… Oh I see, you do not have a brother… hmm, well, I feel the best place to put you is in… GRYFFINDOR. Brenda smiled when she got off the stool and headed over to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Ron, she was going to be with her two friends.  
After a while, the ceremony was over and the headmaster made a few announcements and then the feast began.  
Brenda was quiet throughout the whole meal, she was wondering why McGonagall messed up her last name, Potter and Williamson don't even look the same. The sorting hat thought she had a brother, she thought the sorting hat knew everything… Then she wondered why the bar tender said Brenda Potter.  
" This night is really confusing" Brenda thought.  
After the feast, the first years were led by the prefects to the Common Rooms and they learned the password which was Caput Draconus and learned where the rooms are and that all their stuff is up in their rooms.  
After a while professor McGonagall came up into the Common Room.  
" Mr. Potter, Ms. Williamson, I need to speak with you... alone" McGonagall said giving a few students the idea and they left.  
" Yes professor?" Brenda asked  
" You might want to sit down when I tell you this" McGonagall said.  
The two first years gave each other worried looks and they sat down.  
" Ok... Harry you know most of what I'm going to say, what I don't say you can fill her in" McGonagall said.  
" Ok" Harry said still confused.  
" Ok, here it goes, Ms. Williamson I know you're wondering why I called for Brenda Potter" McGonagall said.  
" Yes, why does everybody call me Brenda Potter?" Brenda asked.  
" Do you know Brenda that you were adopted?" McGonagall asked.  
Brenda's eyes were wide but she shook her head no.  
" It's true, you were adopted by the Williamsons" McGonagall said.  
" Then if I was adopted, then who are my real parents?" Brenda asked  
McGonnagall looked at both of the kids and said, " Lily and James Potter."

The two kids were quiet for a while and aw struck.  
" But that would mean that" Harry started looking at Brenda.  
" We... we're siblings" Brenda finished.  
" Yes" McGonagall said, " You both are famous in this world for your defeat in the most feared wizard. "  
" Who's that" Brenda asked.  
" We don't say his name" McGonagall said.  
" So is that why we both have scars on our foreheads? Because we defeated the most horrible wizard?" Brenda asked.  
" Yes" McGonagall said.  
" You have one too" Harry asked his new found sister.  
Brenda lifted up her bangs and showed a star shaped scar in the same place as his lightning bolt one.  
McGonagall continued talking, " On the night of your parents death and the fall of you know who, we had to separate you both for your own safety, so Harry, you went to the Dursleys and Brenda, you went to the Williamsons, so now you both know the truth, Brenda I have one question for you, what do you want to go by... William-"  
" Potter" Brenda interrupted, " I want to go by Brenda Potter. The Williamsons died when I was six, I was never good enough for them. I was sent to an orphanage, they left me out of their will. I want to go by Brenda Potter."  
" Very well then" McGonagall said, "I will let the rest of the staff know, I will let you two have some time alone, I know you have a lot of catching up to do."  
The professor left leaving the two first years by themselves looking at each other.  
" The guy who we defeated is Voldemort, nobody likes saying his name" Harry said.  
" Yah I guess not, I asked Ollivander about Voldemort when I was getting my wand, he said my wand is like Voldemort's, only three -  
" Phoenix feathers?" Harry asked.  
" Yes" Brenda said curious and took her wand out, " My wand is Oak, 10 inches with a phoenix feather and mermaid scale core."  
Harry took out his wand and said, " Mine also has a Phoenix feather" Holly, 11 inches with a phoenix feather core."  
Both their eyes were wide.  
" Maybe it's a twin thing" Brenda said.  
" Twin thing?" Harry asked.  
" Harry, we're twins, not identical like those Weasleys but twins as in born at the same time" Brenda said.  
" I haven't even thought about that" Harry said.  
Brenda started to chuckle, " Well we saw how Ron reacted when he met just you, lets see how he reacts when he meets both of us."  
Harry chuckled," I'll get him."  
Harry left and came back down with all the first year boys and Fred and George.  
" That's not just Ron" Brenda said lifting an eyebrow.  
" I know, they followed me" Harry said and chuckled a bit.  
" What's going on?" Ron asked confused.  
" Lets just say I found my long lost sister" Harry said.  
Everybody was in aw, the Weasley twins started cheering, not only did they get Harry Potter, but Gryffindor also got Brenda Potter, they got the set.  
For 30 minutes Harry and Brenda were signing autographs and the girls heard all the commotion and came down and figured it out. The autographs stopped when McGonagall told them to stop and for everybody to get to bed because they had school tomorrow.  
The next day Brenda was happy she figured out who and what she is and that she has a family even if it's only a twin brother.  
Brenda got out of bed and got dressed and went down to the Great Hall for breakfast and met Hermione down there.  
" Hi... Hermione Granger is it?" Brenda asked.  
" Yes, and you're Brenda Potter, there was a lot of talk about you last night" Hermione said.  
" Yes I know, last night I just found out who I was, it was pretty overwhelming... so what are you reading?" Brenda asked.  
" Hogwarts A History" Hermione said  
" I read that book a few days ago" Brenda said.  
" You like reading?" Hermione asked interested.  
" Yes, I've been reading for as long as I can remember. After I came back from Diagon Alley, I mostly read the books on Potions and the Defense Against the Dark Arts book, and the books written by Gildaroy Lockheart" Brenda said.  
" Yes he is dreamy" Hermione said with a smile.  
Brenda smiled and finished her breakfast, maybe Hermione wasn't so bad after all.  
The first class of the day was Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. She began teaching right away and told her students that she was an animagas and she proved it by turning into a cat. There were many oohs and aws and she told everybody to take notes written on the board. When Harry and Ron finally got to the class room it was quiet.  
" We made it... could you imagine the look on McGonagall's face if she caught us?" Ron asked Harry.  
Hermione and Brenda looked up at the two boys.  
" They're in trouble" Brenda thought to herself.  
All of a sudden the cat on the desk jumped down and transformed into Professor McGonagall. She went up to the two boys who were scared and amazed. Ron tried getting out of trouble.  
" That was bloody brilliant" Ron said.  
" Thank you Mr. Weasley for that compliment, Now maybe I should turn you and Mr. Potter into a pocket watch, that way at least one of you might be on time" McGonagall said in a harsh tone.  
" We got lost" Harry said.  
" Then perhaps a map, I trust you don't need one to find your seats" McGonagall said as she took her seat behind her desk and watched as the two boys took their seats.  
Finally the class was over, the first years all got out of the class room and Brenda went up to her brother and Ron  
" So what took you so long? You said you got lost, but I didn't even see you guys at breakfast" Brenda said.  
" We also slept late" Harry said.  
Brenda gave them a look.  
" Yah we had a party in the common room to celebrate you guys" Ron said.  
" But McGonagall told everybody to get to bed" Brenda said.  
" Fred and George made sure that McGonagall wasn't going to be back and that's when the party started" Ron said.  
Brenda chuckled and rolled her eyes, " So did you two learn your lesson?"  
" Yes, make sure you have an alarm clock after a party" Harry said  
" What's an alarm clock" Ron asked.  
" It's a muggle invention" Both Harry and Brenda said.  
" Fred and George do that too" Ron said.  
" Do what?" The twins asked.  
" That, saying the same thing at the same time" Ron said.  
Brenda and Harry looked at each other and smiled and the three of them went to lunch.  
After lunch their next class was Charms with Professor Flitwick.  
" Ok class today we are going to learn the floating spell, so everybody take out your wands and repeat after me...WINDGADRIUM LEVIOSA" Flitwick said.  
Everybody tried it on a feather. Ron was trying to say it but he was getting frustrated and Hermione was trying to help him out  
" No no no you're going to poke somebody's eye out with that thing, it's LeviOsa not LeviosA" Hermione said.  
" Well lets see you do it, go on lets see" Ron challenged.  
Hermione rolled her eyes and Brenda saw the whole thing and at the same time the girls said the spell.  
" WINDGADRIUM LEVIOSA" Both Hermione and Brenda said and everybody was watching them.  
" Well done ladies well done... 20 points for Gryffindor" Flitwick said.  
The girls smiled at each other.  
At Harry's table a boy named Seamus Finnegan tried the spell and all that happened to his feather was that it exploded.  
" I think we need another feather here professor" Harry said who was sadly sitting next to Seamus Finnegan.  
After a few more hours the class was dismissed and it was time for dinner.  
" So what do we have tomorrow?" Harry asked.  
" Potions and flying lessons" Brenda said with eagerness.  
" Potions? That's with Professor Snape, Fred and George told me all about him, he's the head of the Slytherin house, he likes to favor them and he really doesn't like Gryffindors" Ron said.  
The two Potters groaned.  
" Percy told me that he's after Quirrel's job... Defense against the Dark Arts" Harry said.  
" Yah George told me that too" Ron said.  
" Well, we'll just have to stay on Snape's good side then won't we?" Brenda suggested.  
That night Brenda read her potions book all the way to the end.  
" This is so interesting" Brenda thought to herself, she didn't want to stop reading.  
The next day she was excited about potions, this is something she was looking forward of doing, brewing potions, she was excited when she read of all the different kinds of potions. She hurried down to the Great Hall and waited for her brother, Hermione and Ron to get down and they all had breakfast together.  
" Why are you in such a rush Brenda?" Ron asked.  
" Potions, I've been wanting to do potions since I found out I'm a witch" Brenda said.  
" Wow we must be different, I've been dreading potions" Harry said.  
" No you're just afraid of Snape" Brenda said.  
" Can you blame him? You've seen what Snape looks like" Ron said.  
" Looks can be deceiving" Brenda said.  
" We'll see" Ron said.  
" So where's Hermione, I haven't seen her since Charms" Brenda said.  
" I think Ron made her upset, he was making fun of her on the way here yesterday" Harry said.  
" Ron she was only trying to help" Brenda scolded.  
" She was being a know it all... Kind of like you" Ron said before he could stop himself.  
Brenda's eyes went wide and her mouth fell and Harry glared at Ron  
" I don't have to listen to this... I'll see you guys in Potions" Brenda said as she left the table and headed towards Potions.  
Finally it was time for Potions and everybody was talking when they were in the class room, until the professor entered.  
" I do not want any wand waving in this class" Snape said with his robes billowing behind him.  
The Potters were the only ones taking notes.  
" Some of you might not think this is magic at all. I don't believe you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with it's shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death... some of you might think it wise to... NOT PAY ATTENTION." Snape said.  
The Potters looked up from their notes.  
" Ah the Potters, our new celebrities... Tell me Mr. Potter what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Snape asked.  
Hermione raised her hand and Brenda just sat there thinking of the answer in her head.  
" I don't know sir" Harry whispered.  
Snape sneered and said, " Lets try again, Mr. Potter where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"  
Hermione's hand shot straight up.  
" I don't know sir" Harry said  
" Ok lets try one more time, Mr. Potter what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?  
Hermione's hand shot straight up again.  
" Put your hand down you silly girl" Snape commanded Hermione.  
Hermione slowly put her hand down.  
" Well Mr. Potter?" Snape asked.  
" I don't know sir" Harry whispered.  
" Pitty, clearly fame isn't everything is it?" Snape asked then he turned to Brenda, " Ms. Potter what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"  
Brenda smiled glad to be called on, "Sir, if you mix those two ingredients together you get a very powerful sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death."  
Snape looked surprised the girl knew the answer.  
"And where would I look if you told me to find you a bezoar? I would look inside the belly of a goat for the stone. And Monkshood and Wolfsbane are the same plant which also goes by the name of aconite." Brenda said. " Um... with no disrespect professor, Harry and I were just taking notes of everything you were saying since you came in the class room, you can check my parchment if you wish"  
Snape checked her parchment and he knew there was no way that he could deduct points from Gryffindor, the Potters were doing what they were supposed to be doing. Snape glared at Brenda and then looked at the class, " Very well, I want you all to take notes for the rest of the hour while I lecture on the importance of potion making."

After potions class, it was time for lunch. The first years who were in potions class kept talking about how Brenda Potter stood up to Snape.  
" I really didn't do that much, he asked a few questions and I answered them" Brenda said but she was smiling.  
" I think Snape wanted you to mess up like I did" Harry said still feeling angry.  
" Sorry about that Harry" Brenda said, " I didn't want you to feel like you didn't know anything."  
" I didn't know anything, it's not your fault" Harry said, " I'm glad you stood up to him and answered the questions right."  
Brenda smiled.  
They all sat down for lunch and the mail came and Ron got a newspaper.  
" Hey can I borrow this." Harry asked taking the paper.  
Ron nodded yes.  
" Thanks" Harry said as he opened the paper and something caught his eye. A headline said Gringgotts Break-in. Harry read it and his eyes went wide and Brenda saw.  
" Harry, what's wrong?" Brenda asked.  
" Listen to this... on July 31, the Gringgotts bank has been robbed, luckily the vault 713 has been cleaned out that very same day... That was the vault Hagrid and I went to" Harry said.  
Harry looked at the other three who had confused looks  
" Oh my God... that robbery happened on my birthday... nothing goes good on my birthday" Harry was angry.  
Brenda almost spit out her pumpkin juice, " When was your birthday?"  
" July 31" Harry said, " Why?"  
" Because we're twins, same birth date... I didn't know when it was, Hagrid got me an owl" Brenda said surprised.  
" He got me an owl also, I named her Hedwig" Harry said.  
" I named mine Angel" Brenda said.  
There was talking down further at the Gryffiondor table about Neville having a rememberal.  
" Oh cool, Neville got a rememberal, hopefully that will help him with his forgetfulness" Ron said.  
" Don't be mean Ron" Brenda scolded.  
" I'm not" Ron said.  
" How do those things work anyway?" Harry asked.  
" Well from what I heard, the smoke turns red when you forgot something" Ron said.  
" Ok so what if you can't remember what you forgot?" Harry asked.  
" I don't know, I just heard it from Hermione, she's over there" Ron said pointing.  
The Potters looked and Brenda rolled her eyes.  
" What? I said from where I heard" Ron said.  
They went back to there lunch all excited to fly.  
After lunch the first years went to the Quidditch pitch to have their very first flying lesson with Madam Hooch.  
Everybody was excited and they were talking before Madam Hooch got there.  
" Good afternoon students... Well what are you waiting for? Stand by your brooms and yell Up... With feeling" Madam Hooch said  
All the first years shouted "UP".  
Only a few people got their brooms up with the first try, one of them was Harry. Brenda got her broom up with the second try, Hermione's broom wasn't listening and when Ron got his up, he got smacked in the face and Harry and Brenda chuckled. Once everybody had their brooms in their hand, Madam Hooch told them to straddle their brooms and levitate off the ground and come back down.  
" This is really boring, we should be able to fly. Not just levitating a few feet off the ground" Malfoy said to his friends Crabbe and Goyle  
Hermione heard Malfoy and said to Brenda"what an idiot, doesn't he know that we must learn the basics so we don't get hurt or kill ourselves?"  
The first years levitated up and down a few times and then one time Neville's broom wouldn't listen when he wanted down and his broom began to go crazy and it was out of control. The Gryffindors were panicking and the Slytherins were laughing. A few first years tried helping and tried getting him down by magic but the broom was too fast, Madam Hooch tried also but she couldn't get him down off that crazy broom either. After a while Neville fell off the broom and landed on his wrist and there was a loud CRACK and the Gryffindors gasped. Madam Hooch ran over to Neville and helped him up and looked at his wrist and it was indeed broken.  
" You need to go see Madam Promfrey... If I see any of you on your brooms you'll be out of this school before you can say the word Quidditch  
" Poor Neville" Brenda whispered.  
There was a lot of talking and then Malfoy found something round and found that it was Neville's rememberal.  
" If the fat guy gave this thing a squeeze... maybe then he would have remembered to fall on his fat ass" Malfoy said to the Slytherins who began to chuckle.  
The Gryffindors saw that Malfoy had Neville's rememberal and Harry stepped up.  
" Give it here Malfoy" Harry said angry.  
" No... I don't think I will, I think I'll leave it someplace where he won't find it... how about the roof." Malfoy said and he got on his broom and flew to the sky, " What's the matter Potter, too high for your reach?"  
" I got to do it" Harry said.  
" Harry no way, you heard what Hooch said, you don't even know how to fly yet" Hermione said.  
Harry wasn't listening and flew up to Malfoy, " Give it here Malfoy or I'll knock you off your broom"  
" I don't think so" Malfoy said and he began to fly and Harry was chasing him.  
" He's not going to get him in time" Brenda said. Brenda mounted her broom.  
" Brenda no, don't be like Harry" Hermione pleaded.  
" I have to help him out Hermione." Brenda said and then she took off after her brother and the stupid Malfoy. Brenda zoomed pass Harry  
" Wow... Brenda?" Harry was shocked.  
Brenda went after Malfoy and got the Rememberal out of Malfoy's hands just like a Chaser would get the Quaffle out of the opponents hands  
" Hey, where'd you come from Potter?" Malfoy yelled and went faster on his broom and was gaining up on Brenda.  
Brenda tried turning around to get back to her classmates but Malfoy was blocking her.  
" You're not getting pass me unless you hand me the rememberal" Malfoy said stubbornly.  
Brenda glared at Malfoy and then looked to see where her brother was.  
" HARRY CATCH!" Brenda yelled and she threw the rememberal at Harry and it went over his head, Harry raced and caught the rememberal and headed back down to the ground.  
" NO! Stop ruining my fun" Malfoy said  
" You have a weird way of thinking if you thought that was fun, Malfoy" Brenda said as she descended to the ground and Malfoy grudgingly following.  
When the three of them got on the ground, they were scared because in front of them was Professor McGonnagall.  
" Busted" Ron said under his breath.  
"Harry Potter, Brenda Potter, Draco Malfoy!" McGonagall said in a worried voice, " What in the world were you all doing up there? You are first years not third years, you could have broken bones, you could have died up there, What do you have to say for yourselves?"  
The three started talking all at once  
" Silence... I don't even want to hear it...Potters follow me, Malfoy, Professor Snape is coming to deal with you" McGonnagall said.  
The two Potters looked at each other and followed McGonagall.  
" Don't even say it Hermione" Harry said as he walked by.  
" I wasn't saying anything" Hermione said.  
McGonagall led the two Potters to Professor Quirrle's room where he was teaching a class.  
" Professor Quirrle, excuse me for interrupting but can I please see Mr. Wood for a moment?" McGonagall asked.  
Quirrle nodded yes and Wood came out of the classroom.  
" Yes Professor?" Wood asked.  
" Wood, I have found you a Seeker and a Chaser" McGonagall said happily.  
" WHAT?" Both Potters asked.  
" Positions for Quidditch, we needed two positions filled and congratulations you two, you will be playing Quidditch, Wood will show you the balls and tell you how to play" McGonagall said.  
" What about class?" Wood asked  
" I'll explain everything to Quirrle" McGonagall said as she left.  
" Ok well you two I bet have a lot of questions" Wood said.  
" Yes, first one... What's Quidditch?" Brenda asked.  
" You never heard of Quidditch?" Wood was surprised.  
" We both grew up in muggle homes" Harry said.  
" Wow both Harry and Brenda Potter not knowing what Quidditch is... ok it's really quite simple, come on I'll show you" Wood said.  
Wood led the two Potters into the Quidditch storage room and took out the trunk with the balls.  
" Ok there are 7 players to a Quidditch team, three chasers, two beaters, a seeker and a keeper. There are three kinds of balls, the Quaffle that you try to score with, the bludgers and the Golden Snitch. Brenda you are a Chaser, you try to score with the Quaffle" Wood said.  
" Ok so it's kind of like a muggle game of hockey." Brenda said.  
" Kind of" Wood said, " Harry your job is tougher, you need to find the golden Snitch which is this little gold ball."  
He handed the ball to Harry, " I like this ball" Harry said.  
" Right now you do, but this little ball flies and is damn hard to see, you Harry have to catch it, if you catch it Harry, the game is over. Harry if you catch it... we win" Wood said.  
" Cool, so these must be the bludgers, what do they do?" Brenda asked.  
" Watch... Harry you might want to hold this" Wood said as he handed Harry a bat. Then Wood unstrapped the bludgers and it went flying up, " Get ready to hit it."  
The bludger came back and Harry hit it with the bat and it went flying again and then it came back and Wood wrestled it to the ground and got it back in the trunk with the strap.  
" That's a bludger, they try to hit the players and if you do get hit, it hurts a lot but Madam Promfey can always heal you, nobody has died... yet" Wood said.  
" So who are the beaters that have to protect us from them?" Brenda asked  
" Fred and George Weasley" Wood said.  
The Potters looked scared.  
" Don't worry, they're really good at their position, they take it seriously" Wood said.  
The Potters' faces relaxed.

That night at the Gryffindor table, the first years kept talking about how the Potters bested Malfoy like that  
Neville came up to Brenda and Harry.  
" Hey Neville, how's your wrist?" Harry asked.  
" It will be better in a day or two" Neville said a little shyly.  
" That's good" Brenda said.  
" Hey, thank you for getting my rememberal from Malfoy, I'm sorry that you got in trouble for it, I hope McGonagall didn't go too hard on you" Neville said.  
" Yah unlike what Snape did to Malfoy, the whole time he was yelling at him and he dragged Malfoy by the ear" Ron said with a grin  
Brenda and Harry smiled.  
" Serves him right for what he did" Brenda said.  
" I wouldn't be talking, you flew also" Hermione said.  
" I know, only because we were trying to get Neville's rememberal back" Brenda said.  
" McGonagall saw the whole thing" Hermione said giving Brenda a pointed look.  
" We figured that, or else she probably wouldn't have made us... part of the Quidditch team" Harry said.  
It was quiet at the Gryffindor table.  
" You're part of the Quidditch team?" Ron asks shocked.  
" Yah, both Brenda and I are" Harry said, " I'm a Seeker and Brenda's a Chaser."  
" So you didn't get punished?" Neville asked.  
" No" Brenda said.  
" So a lesson hasn't been learned" Hermione said disappointed.  
" Don't be so disappointed Hermione, we learned a lesson... right Harry" Brenda was giving Harry a look.  
" Yah we learned a lesson, we were just really lucky that she was desperate for a full team" Harry said.  
" You guys must be the youngest house players in" Ron started.  
" A Century" Brenda said, " I read about it in Hogwarts a History, usually you don't start playing Quidditch until your third year."  
" That is so cool" Seamus said.  
Malfoy came up to the Gryffindor table  
" Hi Potter and Potter, are you two enjoying your very last meal here at Hogwarts? Or are you McGonagall's house elves for seven years?" Malfoy asked.  
" Maybe if we be quiet, then that Slytherin stench will go away" Brenda said.  
" How dare you say that Potter" Malfoy said.  
" What do you want?" Harry asked, " If you want to know what happened to us... ask the captain of the Quidditch team and ask him who the new Chaser and Seeker is."  
Brenda turned around in her seat just to see the look on Malfoy's face but she wound up talking anyway, " I'm the new Chaser and Harry's the new Seeker."  
Malfoy's mouth was open out of shock and he was thinking" NO FAIR, I HAVE DETENTION FOR A MONTH AND THEY GET TO PLAY QUIDDITCH? NO FAIR!" Malfoy said, " I'm still not through with the two of you yet, we are going to have a wizarding duel, two on two, if you don't except then you are too chicken."  
The Potters looked at each other and glared at Malfoy.  
" Don't do it, he's only trying to bug you" Hermione said.  
" Stay out of this Granger, this is between me and the Potters" Malfoy said.  
" You better not except you two, I'm a Prefect and you will get in trouble, Malfoy leave this table, you don't belong here and five points from Slytherin for even saying something like that" Percy said.  
Malfoy's jaw dropped and he glared at Percy... Malfoy looked angry and he stormed off to his table and the Gryffindors continued with their meal and conversations.  
" It's a good thing your brother stopped the argument Ron, you both could have gotten in a lot of trouble" Hermione scolded.  
" Yah but Harry and Brenda could take on Malfoy and his partner easily" Ron said.  
After dinner Harry and Brenda were heading to their common room and Malfoy stopped them.  
" Out of our way Malfoy" Harry said.  
" Are you too chicken to duel me and Crabbe?" Malfoy asked.  
" Do you need a prefect to protect you" Crabbe asked.  
Brenda looked at her brother again and he looked back.  
" Fine we except your duel... where and what time" Brenda asked.  
" Excellent... Trophy room tonight at the Witching hour... Midnight" Malfoy said.  
" Done" Harry said.  
" Malfoy you do realize there is no such thing as the Witching hour right? I mean you're a wizard you should know that by now, the witching hour is something muggles made up in the 17th century" Brenda said.  
" I didn't ask you to give me a History of Magic lesson Potter" Malfoy said and then the two Slytherins walked off  
" They're both thick heads" Brenda said.  
" Brenda do you even know what a wizarding duel is?" Harry asked.  
" I'm sure it can't be that hard to figure out" Brenda said.  
Ron came up to them.  
" I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Malfoy, you're still going through with this? This is something I have to see, can I come too?" Ron asked.  
" Only if you can tell us what a wizarding duel is and how you do it" Harry said.  
Ron smiled and he told them what they had to do.  
That night before midnight Harry and Brenda reviewed all of their spells that they learned in class.  
" Ok so what's the one that blocks the attack and hits your opponent" Harry asked.  
" EXPELLIARMUS" Brenda said.  
" Oh yah, thanks" Harry said.  
" You guys it's 9:00" Ron said.  
" Thanks for the time Ron" Harry said  
" We should get some sleep so we're refreshed at midnight" Brenda said.  
The boys nodded and they headed to their dorms to get some rest.  
At 11:50 they got up and snuck down to the common room.  
" Are you two ready?" Brenda asked.  
" Yah lets go" Ron said.  
" Where are you going?" Hermione asked.  
" Hermione, what are you still doing up?" Brenda asked.  
" I had a feeling you guys would sneak out at this time because it is the Witching hour" Hermione said.  
Brenda rolled her eyes.  
" I don't want you guys to get in trouble and that is exactly what you are going to get into" Hermione said.  
" Hermione if you're scared about our safety, then just come with us" Brenda said.  
" No" Hermione said stubbornly.  
" Fine" Ron said with a shrug and the three walked out of the common room.  
" You guys get back here" Hermione commanded.  
"Hermione we have something to do, now you can come with us or go back in the common room, your choice" Harry said.  
" I'm going back" Hermione said.  
" Fine" Harry said.  
Hermione turned around to go back but the fat lady wasn't in the picture.  
" Looks like you're coming with us then" Brenda said with a smirk.  
The four of them went into the Trophy room and waited. They figured out they were tricked when it was fifteen minutes after midnight and they heard Filch's voice.  
" I know you're here somewhere" Filch said.  
" What are we going to do?" Ron asked in a panicked whisper.  
" Lightly run" Brenda said  
They began to run lightly and went into a room and heard Filch coming closer, they ran to another door and it was locked  
" What are we going to do what are we going to do" Ron asked in a panic.  
Brenda shoved Ron out of the way before Hermione could which gave Hermione the chance to say, " ALOHOMORA"  
The door opened and they all rushed inside and listened for Filch but he never came.  
" So where are we?" Ron asked.  
Hermione and Brenda looked at each other and said, " We're on the third floor."  
" You know the forbidden one?" Brenda asked.  
Harry turned around, " And for good reason."  
Harry's eyes went wide and everybody turned around and screamed as the dog started growling and barking. Everybody ran out the door and locked it again and didn't stop running until they got back in the common room.  
" Did you see those teeth, they were like swords, each and every one of them, why would they keep a beast like that in a school?" Ron asked.  
" Honestly Ron didn't you see what it was standing on?" Hermione asked.  
" NO, I was too busy looking at it's sword like teeth" Ron said.  
" It was standing on a trapdoor, it must be guarding something" Brenda said.  
" What could it be guarding?" Harry asked.  
" Well, go up to him and ask next time" Hermione said.  
" No thanks" Harry said.  
" Well then, I'm going to bed before you three get us all killed or worse... expelled" Hermione glared and went up to the dorm.  
" I feel sorry for you Brenda, you have to sleep in the same room as her" Ron said.  
" She's not that bad Ron, I'll see you guys tomorrow, night" Brenda said as she headed upstairs.  
" Night" the boys said

The next morning Hermione was angry at the three.  
" Saw that coming" Brenda thought and sighed.  
They went down to the Great Hall and ignored Malfoy who looked dumfounded that they were still at Hogwarts, he thought he had the perfect plan to get rid of them.  
" So what do you think is under the trapped door?" Brenda asked while pouring herself some pumpkin juice.  
" I don't know, all I do know is that it's only a few inches long, I think whatever it is, it's the thing that Hagrid got when I was in Diagon Alley." Harry said then took a bite of his cereal.  
The three of them began thinking and then got bored of the topic.  
A few weeks later during breakfast.  
" Oh mails here" Ron said smiling.  
All the owls swooped down to drop the mail to the owners and when two packages six owls to a package came through the window, everybody looked up, the packages were long and thin and they were coming down to the Gryffindor table and landed in front of Harry and Brenda and also a note to both of them.  
Harry was about to open the package but his sister stopped him.  
" Harry it is polite to open the card or note first" Brenda said in a motherly tone.  
" Sheesh you sound like my mother" Ron said.  
Brenda rolled her eyes and opened the letter.  
Dear Brenda Potter, Congratulations on making the team, even though the way you made it I didn't like, anyway, Wood and I agreed that in order for you to be on the team, you need a decent broom, so I purchased this Nimbus 2000 for you... think of it as a belated birthday present, don't open it up at the table, wait until you get to the common room. You and your brother will begin Quidditch practice at 7:00  
Professor McGonagall  
PS. I'm excited to see how fast this thing can fly.  
Harry and Brenda looked at their packages and then looked at each other and smiled excitedly and then looked at McGonagall and nodded their thanks and she nodded back and smiled a you're welcome.  
" Lets open them up already" Ron said.  
" In the Common room" The Potters said at the same time.  
All the Gryffindors were excited, they wanted to know what were inside the packages and so they all walked to go back to the Common room but they were stopped by Draco Malfoy.  
" What do you have there?" Malfoy said.  
" None of your business Malfoy" Brenda said.  
Malfoy took the package away and felt it and gave it back to Brenda with a shove.  
" It's a broomstick... first years aren't aloud to have broomsticks, check your acceptance letter" Malfoy said.  
" Check with Professor McGonagall, she gave the ok since we're on the Quidditch team" Brenda said.  
" So what kind of broom is it" Fred asked.  
" A Nimbus 2000" The Potters said at the same time.  
There were gasps.  
" Now get out of our way Malfoy" Harry said.  
Malfoy didn't move.  
Fred and George went up to Malfoy and lifted him by the armpits to the other side and they ran up the stairs and then there was a loud noise and a scream coming from Malfoy.  
"All right" the Weasley twins said at the same time.  
" What did you do?" Brenda asked and she was laughing.  
" We put a muggle contraption in Malfoy's pocket" George said.  
" I believe muggles call them... firecrackers" Fred said.  
That got the muggleborns and the Potter's laughing.  
" How dare you do that to me Weasley" Malfoy hissed after he composed himself.  
" That first year doesn't know a good joke if it explodes in his pocket" George said.  
" Yah it's no wonder he has only two friends" Fred said.  
The Weasley twins started laughing.  
" Will you two stop being so immature?" Percy asked his brothers.  
" Aw, you're no fun Perc" George said.  
" Wait until mother hears about this" Percy said.  
" Percy they were only having a bit of fun" Ron said.  
" Those things aren't dangerous, they just hurt for a bit" Harry said, " My cousin Dudley did that to me every fourth of July when we were younger... when I couldn't run as fast."  
" Still they should know better than to do childish things like that" Percy said, " Now lets go to the common room to see your broom sticks."  
The Gryffindors all went to the common room and the Potters opened up there packages and everybody was in aw.  
" It's the newest model yet" Seamus said.  
" It looks so fast" Dean said.  
" Ok we have now seen the brooms now lets get to our classes before we all get detentions and have to spend it with Filch or Snape" Percy said.  
There were groans from a lot of people but they did as they were told and the Potter twins put there brooms under their beds and hurried to class. During class they weren't paying attention, Brenda was daydreaming about flying and Harry was daydreaming at beating Malfoy at a flying race and they both couldn't wait until 7:00 to start practice. Finally at 6:45 Brenda got really excited and they hurried off to the Quidditch Pitch.  
" Good you both are here, ok since it's too dark for you to practice with the Snitch Harry, you're going to practice with a flying Golf Ball, and Brenda, you are going to practice getting the Quaffle and aiming and scoring goals, Harry those golf balls have a spell on them that activate once you are ready and when you catch one golf ball it falls to the ground and another one will take it's place, Brenda I'm going to pretend that I'm on the opposing team, all I want you to do tonight is aim and score, no need for blocking... ok." Wood said.  
" Sounds good" The twins said.  
" Great" Wood said not surprised about the talking at the same time thing, he gets a lot of that from the Weasley twins.  
They practiced for an hour and a half and then called it quits.  
When they got in the common room, Wood and the two Potters saw Ron and Hermione arguing.  
" Ronald I'm just trying to help you pass Charms" Hermione said.  
" I never asked for your help Hermione did I? No I didn't so just leave me alone or go pick on somebody else and tell them how to say WINDGADRIUM LEVIOSA or how you say it WINDGADRIUM LEVIOSA."  
Hermione was stunned and she ran up to the girls dorm and she was crying.  
" RONALD WEASLEY" Brenda started " Why did you just do that to her? She was only trying to help, you're not that good in Charms and you know it."  
" Yah well she's being a know it all" Ron said.  
" You didn't have to tell her like that" Brenda snapped.  
" I'll leave you first years alone" Wood said a little uncomfortable as he headed up to the boys dorm  
" Well can you blame me? She's a nightmare, a living nightmare, it's no wonder why she doesn't have any friends" Ron said  
There was a gasp coming from the girls dorm  
" Ron how can you be so heartless? You haven't even given her a chance, she is really nice once you get to know her, I am one of her friends" Brenda said with a glare and then she went up to the girls dorm to talk to Hermione  
The next day was Halloween and Hermione was still really sad, she wouldn't talk to anyone, she wouldn't even raise her hand up to answer a question when she obviously knew the answer.  
Finally it was the Halloween feast, there were decorations all over the Great Hall and the tables had big bowls filled with candy in them  
" Wow this place looks neat" Brenda said, " I'm impressed"  
Everybody sat down for the feast and then Ron noticed that Hermione wasn't at the table  
" So where's Hermione at? She's been acting weird" Ron said  
" She's in the girls bathroom crying Ron... you are to thank for that" Brenda said in a snippy tone, " I tried talking to her but she didn't want to talk, I hope you can live with yourself"  
Ron looked down at his empty plate but then there was a noise coming from the ceiling and up there were bats flying around and they would swoop down and create a spectacular sight and then the feast began  
After about 10 minutes Professor Quirrell came in the Great Hall  
" TROLL IN THE DUNGEON TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! Thought you ought to know" Quirrell said before he fainted and got everybody screaming  
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore yelled  
It got quiet right away  
" Professors will follow me to the dungeons, Prefects will lead their houses back to there houses  
Everybody started moving  
" You guys... Hermione, she doesn't know about the troll" Brenda told the two  
" What do you want us to do about it?" Ron asked  
" We have to go find her" Brenda said  
" Fine, but we better not get in trouble" Ron said  
The three hurried to the girls bathroom and just before they reached it, the troll was in there  
" Looks like it left the dungeons" Harry whispered  
" Gee you think" Brenda said rolling her eyes  
" Do we have to go in there" Ron asked scared  
" Yes we do" Brenda said  
" Easy for you to say, you're a girl" Ron said  
" It's a bathroom, only Hermione's in here, now come on" Brenda said  
They got to the bathroom and yelled, "HERMIONE"  
That got the Trolls attention but Ron through a rock at it anyway yelling, " HEY PEA-BRAIN!"  
The troll ignored Hermione and went after the other three. Brenda dodged the troll and went up to Hermione trying to get her to move but she had a smashed pipe on her leg and she couldn't get to her wand to levitate it. The troll started coming after the girls again  
" GIRLS WATCH OUT" Harry yelled, as he jumped on the troll's neck trying to confuse it and with the only thing he could think of, he stuck his wand up the trolls nose and Brenda and Ron both saw that and made a gross face then Brenda went back to her task to getting Hermione up.  
Brenda took out her wand and aimed it at the pipe" WINDGADRIUM LEVIOSA"  
The pipe lifted and Hermione was free but Harry was at the mercy of the troll who had Harry by the feet  
" Ron do some thing" Harry panicked  
" What" Ron asked looking around  
" ANYTHING" Harry yelled  
" Ron... WINDGADRIUM LEVIOSA" The girls yelled  
Ron nodded and aimed his wand at the club in the trolls hand, " WINDGADRIUM LEVIOSA" The club flew out of the trolls hand and Ron brought it over to the trolls head and let the club drop on it's head,  
" cool" Ron said smiling, he finally did that stupid spell right  
But then the troll dropped Harry from 15 feet in the air and he was going to land on his head  
" WINDGADRIUM LEVIOSA" Hermione and Brenda yelled and gently set Harry on the ground  
" Thanks" Harry said  
Hermione went to the troll, " Is it... dead?"  
" I don't think so... just knocked out" Harry said as he got his wand out of the trolls nose  
" Gross, troll boogers" He wiped the boogers on the trolls pants, and then to the students horror, McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell appeared and saw the four students and an unconscious troll in the girls bathroom  
Snape stooped down at the troll and made sure it was breathing... it was  
" Explain this... all of you" McGonagall demanded  
They all tried explaining  
" One at a time" Snape snapped  
Everybody looked at Snape shocked  
Harry looked down at Snape's leg and it was bleeding and Snape quickly hid his wound  
" I'll talk" Brenda said, " What happened was that Hermione was using the restroom when all of this took place, when she came out, there was a troll in here and it started charging, I knew that she was in the bathroom and I told these guys and we headed towards here not knowing about the troll until we got here, we didn't have time to fetch anybody because Hermione's leg was caught under that pipe and was about to finish her, we had to distract the troll and I snuck around it and I helped her out with the levitation spell we learned in Charms. Harry confused the troll by somehow getting on the troll's back and sticking his wand up the troll's nose and Ron got the club the troll had in his hand to levitate above the trolls head and to smack down on the trolls head and knocked him out"  
" Is that what happened?" McGonagall asked the rest of the students and everybody nodded, " Very well, 10 points will be awarded to each of you for being really lucky, you guys may go now, you will finish the feast in the common room"  
The students nodded and went passed the professors and headed up to the common room and Hermione became friends with all three of them  
" You guys, I think Snape went after that three headed dog" Harry said  
" What?" the three asked  
" I saw something that looked like a bite wound on his leg, it looked like a dog bite wound" Harry said  
" Harry we need more evidence, we just can't make accusations because he has a bite wound, I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm saying we need more proof" Brenda said  
" You're right" Harry said  
" Lets enjoy the rest of our Halloween as best as we can" Ron said  
br /> Since Halloween, the four of them hung out all the time. A few weeks after Halloween, Quidditch started and the Gryffindors had their first game against Slytherin. The morning of the Quidditch match was exciting, everybody was talking about how first years were playing Quidditch for the Gryffindor team  
" Harry you need to eat something" Ron said  
" I'm not hungry" Harry protested  
" Harry you need to eat, I read in Quidditch through the ages that it is better if you eat a bit before a game so you have energy, especially for Seekers because they have to be on their toes... or in this case wide awake on their brooms so they can see and catch the snitch" Brenda said  
Harry rolled his eyes and began eating  
" Where in the book does it say that" Hermione asked, " I've read that book over and over and it doesn't say it anywhere"  
" Ok so I lied about Quidditch through the ages, but I do have a good point" Brenda said giving Hermione a look  
" You mean you just made that up?" Harry asked  
" Yes" Brenda said and Harry glared at her, " Hey you need to eat, so what if I didn't read it in Quidditch through the ages, it's still a really good point, Harry you do want to beat Slytherin don't you?" Harry nodded," Well then not to put any pressure on you but then you need to catch the snitch, and you'll only do that if you have energy and energy comes from eating right whether you want to or not"  
" I think you're turning into a mum" Harry said  
" Sorry but the only mum I knew was neglectful" Brenda said with annoyance  
" Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to..." Harry began  
" I know, lets just drop it ok?" Brenda asked a little uncomfortable, she doesn't want to talk about her childhood, she really didn't like it  
" Ok" Harry said  
It was quiet for five minutes and the two girls were reading and then Snape came up behind them  
" Good luck today Potters... then again you faced a troll, Quidditch should be easy for you two... even if it is against Slytherin"  
Brenda looked up and saw blood seeping through Snape's robes  
" What are you staring at Ms. Potter?" Snap asked in a nasty tone  
" Sir, I think your leg is bleeding" Brenda said a little afraid now  
" Mind your own business" Snape said as he stamped off  
" Is he rude much?" Ron asked  
An hour later the team was getting ready for Quidditch  
" Are you two nervous?" Wood asked  
" A little" Harry said  
" More than a little" Brenda confessed  
" You guys will do fine" Wood said encouragingly  
Brenda gave him a smile  
" Ok men and women this is the year we are going to beat those slimy, stinking, evil, Slytherins, we are not going to let them win, we will show the school what the Gryffindor team is made of" Wood gave an encouraging speech  
Everybody started cheering  
" Now lets get out there and play Quidditch" Wood said smiling  
Everybody cheered on their way out of the locker rooms and onto the Quidditch pitch and the two teams circled around madam Hooch  
" Ok I want a nice fair game, from all of you... now everybody mount your brooms" Hooch commanded  
Everybody mounted their brooms and the game started when Hooch let all the balls go  
Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor had the Quaffle first and passed it to Brenda but then Brenda had the Quaffle taken away by the Slytherin captain Marcus Flint and almost scored but Wood blocked the Quaffle from going in and Brenda caught the Quaffle and dove down out of the way of Marcus and went towards the other goal posts and passed the Quaffle to Angelina Johnson and dodged out of the way from a bludger and Angelina scored  
" ALL RIGHT" Brenda cheered  
" That's good teamwork Brenda" Angelina said  
" Thanks" Brenda said with a smile  
The game went on and the Slytherins scored. The game was 10 and 10 and then Brenda scored a goal and then Harry spotted the snitch and went after it and dodged a few bludgers and a Slytherin and then got rammed by the Slytherin seeker and they both lost the snitch and the game continued. Five minutes later the Potter's brooms began to get out of control  
The brooms were doing the same thing, trying to buck the first years off  
" I bet this is worse than a bull ride, they aren't hundreds of feet up in the air" Brenda thought as she was trying to hang on to her broom for dear life  
" Their brooms are out of control" Hagrid said from the stands  
" Let me see those binoculars" Hermione said as she looked through them and then looked through the crowd to see who was doing that to them. She then spotted Snape who was saying a spell, " It's Professor Snape"  
" Let me see those" Ron said as he found Snape murmuring under his breath, " He's jinxing the broom, what do we do?"  
" Leave it to me" Hermione said as she got out of her seat and ran to the other side of the pitch  
" Brooms aren't supposed to do this" Brenda was saying to herself. She was hanging on for dear life and she risked a glimpse at her brother who was in the same position as her  
Hermione got to the other side and got under the bleachers of the teachers seats and got under Snape's seat and took out her wand, " Incendio" She made his robes catch on fire and then she ran back to her seat  
All of a sudden Brenda's broom stopped trying to buck her off and she climbed back on and continued the game  
" Brenda are you ok?" Angelina asked  
" Yes, I don't know what happened" Brenda said  
Katie Bell the other Chaser passed the Quaffle to Brenda and she scored another 10 points for Gryffindor  
Harry saw the snitch again and he wouldn't lose it this time and when he did catch it, he caught it in his mouth and popped it out of his mouth  
Gryffindor won 170 to sixty and both the Potters were glad to get back on the ground since they were still shaken up from their near death experience  
After they changed, they caught up with Hermione and Ron  
" You guys it was Snape, he's the one who was jinxing your brooms" Hermione said  
Hagrid came up to them, " What is this talk about Snape jinxing the brooms? Why would he do a thing like that?  
" Harry, I think you're right" Brenda said  
" What are you all talking about?" Hagrid asked  
" We had our suspicions but now I think we were right" Hermione said  
" What are you suspicious of?" Hagrid asked  
" On Halloween we thought that he went after whatever that three headed dog was guarding" Harry said  
" Who told you about Fluffy" Hagrid asked  
" That thing has a name?" Hermione asked surprised  
" Of course he does he's mine. I bought him a Greek chappie I met in the pub last year and I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the..." Hagrid said  
" Yes" Brenda asked  
" Stop no more questions about that" Hagrid commanded  
" But Snape's trying to steal it" Harry protested  
" Nonsense, Snapes a teacher" Hagrid said  
" But he tried to kill Brenda and Harry," Hermione said "I know about jinxes, I read all about them, you need to keep eye contact and Snape wasn't blinking"  
" You guys are wrong, I don't know why the brooms were acting like that and I know Snape can be mean and nasty but I assure you he would not kill a student" Hagrid said  
" But" Harry began  
" Now you listen to me, all of you you're meddlin in things that you don't need to be meddlin in. What Fluffy's guarding is between Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel" Hagrid said  
The students' eyes lit up  
" I shouldn't have said that, I should not have said that" Hagrid kept saying and he left the four  
" Ok so who's Nicolas Flamel?" Harry asked Hermione  
" I don't know" Hermione said  
Harry looked at Brenda  
" Me either" Brenda said  
" Is there a wizard card on him Ron" Harry asked  
" No, I have all the cards and not one is Nicolas Flamel" Ron said  
" Well we are going to the library and we are going to research Nicolas Flamel" Hermione said  
" Right now?" Ron asked  
" Right now" Brenda said  
" Since when did the girls become boss" Ron whispered to Harry  
" They're stubborn" Harry said  
" Yes we are" Both girls said and grinned  
They researched in the library for weeks but found nothing on Nicolas Flamel, they were having a hard time because Madam Pince kept bugging them and they only looked in between classes  
" You three will keep looking during Holiday won't you?" Hermione asked since she was going to be with her parents for Christmas  
" We looked at least a hundred times" Ron complained  
" Yes we will keep looking, as long as it takes, but it's not going to ruin our holiday" Brenda said stubbornly  
" Good" Hermione said  
Finally it was the holiday and more than half the Gryffindors left for holiday. The Common room was almost empty and Ron taught the Potters how to play Wizards chest  
" This is still confusing, not the magic part, but I don't know how to play regular chess, I'm more of a checkers player" Brenda said  
" There's Witches Checkers also" Ron said, " It's not as fun as chess, but the pieces fly by themselves when the opponents pieces are jumped"  
" I'm liking this game, but the pieces keep getting mad at me" Harry said  
" That's because you're making silly mistakes" Brenda said looking over his shoulder, " So when are we going to start researching again?"  
" Cant we wait until after Christmas? Ron asked in a whiney tone, " Come on it's two days away"  
" Fine, but on the 26th we are back in the library researching" Brenda said in a bossy tone  
The three of them relaxed for the rest of the two days  
Brenda woke up to a bunch of yelling at her door  
" Brenda wake up, it's Christmas" Harry yelled  
Brenda woke up and smiled and got her robe on and opened the girls' Dorm door  
" Merry Christmas" Brenda said excitedly  
" Merry Christmas" both boys said  
They all went down to the Christmas tree and both Potters were surprised that they got presents, the first one they opened had similar packaging as Ron's and inside were sweaters with their first initials on them  
" My mum always gets us these for Christmas, mine is always maroon" Ron said kind of grumpy  
" I like this one, it's purple" Brenda said happily, " I'm going to write to her real soon and thank her"  
Next both the Potters got a package that was just brown paper tied with string with a note  
" Your father left you this before he died, use it well" Harry read  
" Your mother left you this before she died, use it well" Brenda read  
The twins looked at each other and opened the packages and inside them were cloaks  
" So what are they" Ron asked  
" Some kind of cloak" Harry said confused  
Brenda tried hers on and the boys gasped  
" What" Brenda asked confused  
" Look down" Harry said  
Brenda looked down and she gasped, " MY BODY'S GONE"  
" That's an invisibility cloak" Ron said amazed, " They're really rare"  
Harry put his on and his also was an invisibility cloak  
" I wonder who gave them to you" Ron said  
" There was no name, just said use it well" Harry said  
" This is so cool" Brenda said happily  
All of a sudden another set of twins burst in the common room and both Harry and Brenda hid their cloaks, they didn't want Fred and George to know about them yet  
"MERRY CHRISTMAS" The Weasley Twins said together  
" MERRY CHRISTMAS" The first years said  
" Hey George it looks like the Potter twins got Weasley twin sweaters" Fred said in a teasingly manner  
" Yes Fred it does look like it, George said, " Brenda has a B on hers and Harry has an H, I guess mum thinks that twins can't tell themselves apart"  
" Even if they're not identical like we are" Fred finished  
" Haha very funny you two" The Potter twins said together  
" We thought so" The Weasley twins said together  
" You guys are doing it again" Ron complained  
" Doing what" Both set of twins asked  
" That" Ron said, " Saying the same thing at the same time"  
" That's one of the fun things about being a twin" George said  
" Another fun thing is communicating through thought, some have it some don't, we tried before but it never worked" Fred said  
" Communicating through thought, that sounds fun" Brenda said  
" Yah well, come on George, we should leave these three be so they can look at those invisibility cloaks they don't want us to see" Fred said and he winked at Brenda as they left the three first years with wide eyes  
" We wont tell" George said  
The two of them left laughing at the looks on the first years faces  
" They probably eavesdropped on us or something" Ron said annoyed  
The rest of the day was fun, there was a big feast and lots of laughter and fun and games going on in the great hall. Finally the fun and games ended and it was time for bed  
br /> " Brenda, Brenda wake up I have to show you something" Harry whispered excitedly  
" What" Brenda asked sleepy  
" Get up, it's a surprise, bring your cloak" Harry said  
" Can't it wait?" Brenda asked wanting to go back to sleep  
" No, you'll want to see this" Harry said  
Brenda sat up not happy for being waken up by her brother who's not supposed to be in the girls dorm and she glared at him  
" You'll want to see this" Harry said  
Brenda stood up and grabbed her cloak, " We're breaking school rules"  
" What's the point of having invisibility cloaks if you don't use them?" Harry asked, " Now come on"  
The two headed out of the Gryffindor Common Room and Brenda followed Harry but before they got to the room the first years heard voices, Professor Snape's and Professor Quirlle's  
" You don't want to make me your enemy Quirlle, you can imagine what would happen if you did" Snape threatened  
" I-I- I don't know what you're talking about" Quirlle said  
The first years were right in back of the professors listening to what they were saying and Snape heard their breathing and stopped talking to him for a minute and looked back. The first years looked at each other since both invisible they can see each other and they both stood back and covered there mouths when Snape took a step forward in their direction. When he turned back around he threatened Quirlle again. At the same time running footsteps could be heard and it was Filch with Harry's lantern that he dropped when he panicked  
" Professors, I found this in the restricted section, it's still hot, that means there's a student out of bed" Filch said  
That got the professors curious and they started investigating and left the area and Harry led his sister into the room and shut the door and they both took their cloaks off  
" Is this so important that we risked detention or expulsion?" Brenda asked mad  
" Yes" Harry said. He pointed to a mirror, " Over there"  
Brenda looked," A mirror? You're excited over a mirror?" She couldn't believe how thick Harry was right now, he woke her up over a mirror  
" Not just any mirror, come here and look" Harry said as he walked over to it and saw his parents again  
Rolling her eyes Brenda walked over to the mirror and only saw her reflection, " Ok now what?"  
" You don't see them?" Harry asked  
" See who?" Brenda asked in a sarcastic like tone  
" Mum and dad" Harry said  
Brenda gasped  
" Maybe you're not standing in the right spot, stand here" Harry said as he moved her and she looked in the mirror and saw them  
" Oh my" Brenda gasped, " It's them, it's really them... wow we look a lot like them, except you have mum's eyes and I have dad's, this is so cool, we should show Ron this, he'll like to see what they look like"  
" I'll go get him" Harry volunteered and he left his sister looking at their parents  
15 minutes later the boys came back and Harry led Ron to the mirror  
" Stand in this spot" Brenda said  
Ron stood in the spot and stared  
" You see them don't you? That's my mum and that's..." Harry started  
" It's me" Ron interrupted  
" What" Brenda asked confused  
" I'm head boy and I won the house and Quidditch cup... I'm Quidditch captain also... hey do you think this mirror shows the future?" Ron asked  
" How can it" Brenda asked sadly  
" Our parents are dead" Harry said sadly  
The Potters went back the next night and that night Dumbledore appeared  
" Back again are you?" Dumbledore asked  
Both Harry and Brenda stood up shocked and afraid  
" Calm down, you're not in trouble" Dumbledore said, " I see that you both found the Mirror of Erised"  
" It shows our parents" Brenda said  
" It shows your most deepest desires… yours is having people who love you, and that is the form of your parents, your friend Mr. Weasley's desire is to have glory, and that is in the form of the house cup and being Quidditch captain" Dumbledore explained  
" How do you know sir?" Harry asked  
" I don't need a cloak to become invisible" Dumbledore said  
Brenda smiled, " You gave us the cloaks?"  
Dumbledore smiled and nodded  
" Those cloaks were your parents, they are really rare and you are to use them wisely, try not to get into trouble with them" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye, " Well I trust tonight will be your last night, you don't want to spend your whole lives looking at this mirror, that is why we are getting rid of it, too many lives have been wasted looking at this mirror, we don't want yours to suffer the same fate. Please don't look for it again because you will not find it, I think you two should head up to your common room"  
The two first years nodded and got under their cloaks and headed up to their common room and went to bed.  
After the holiday was over, the three of them still didn't find anything on Nicolas Flamel and they were getting annoyed  
" We looked in every book known in the library, there is nothing on Nicolas Flamel" Ron complained  
Hermione thought for a moment  
" What are you thinking about Hermione" Brenda asked  
" I'll be right back" Hermione said as she was getting up from the chair in the library  
" What's gotten into her" Harry asked  
" I think she forgot to return a library book, she checked one out for a bit of light reading for the holiday" Brenda said  
Ten minutes later Hermione came back with a 25,000 page book  
" This is light?" Ron asked the two girls  
" Yes" the girls said  
" So did you forget to return it or something?" Ron asked  
" No, you said you checked every book in the library for Nicolas Flamel right?" Hermione asked  
Ron nodded his head  
" You didn't check this one" Hermione said  
Hermione went to the F's for Flamel and found Flamel, Nicolas in the middle of the page  
" I found it, Nicolas Flamel is the only maker of the Sorcerer's Stone" Hermione explained  
" Oh my goodness" Brenda said, she knew what it was  
" The what?" The boys asked  
" Honestly don't you two read?" Hermione asked  
" No they don't" Brenda teased, " The Sorcerer's Stone has powers that can turn any metal into gold and is like the Elixer of life, it can make you immortal"  
" Immortal" Ron gasped  
" It means you never die" Hermione helped  
" I know what it means" Ron shot at her  
Hermione gave Ron a look  
" So that is what Fluffy's guarding and that is what Snape is after, the Sorcerer's Stone" Brenda said  
" Ok so now what do we do?" Ron asked  
" We need to keep Snape away from it that's what" Harry said  
" Can you imagine Snape having the Sorcerer's Stone? He would rule the Wizarding world and make us all wear black and have greasy hair or something" Ron said  
" All the better reasons why we need to keep him away from it" Hermione said  
" It's a good thing that dog is vicious, nobody can get past him" Brenda said  
" Lets keep an eye on Snape" Hermione said  
" Good idea" Harry agreed  
It's been weeks since they found out what the dog was guarding and Snape didn't get it. One day Hagrid told the four of them to come to his hut, he had something he wanted to show them  
The four first years snuck out under the two invisibility cloaks and got to Hagrid's hut  
" So what did you want to show us?" Harry asked  
Hagrid went over to his cauldron and pulled out an egg and set it on the table  
" This is what I wanted to show ye" Hagrid said  
" Hagrid what is that?" Harry asked scared and confused  
" I know what that is, Hagrid how did you get it?" Ron asked  
" I won it down at the pub, the guy seemed happy to get rid of it" Hagrid said  
" Ok now I'm scared" Brenda said a little worried  
The egg started to hatch and the first years backed up a few paces  
When it finally hatched, inside was a dragon  
" That is a Norwegian Ridgeback" Ron said proudly  
" Isn't he beautiful, oh look he knows his mummy" Hagrid said proudly, " Hello Norbert"  
" Norbert" Brenda asked  
" Well he needs a name doesn't he?" Hagrid asked  
" Yah you're right" Brenda said  
Norbert hiccuped and out came fire and it caught on Hagrid's beard and the girls screamed but Hagrid got it out and then looked out the window  
" Who's that" Hagrid asked  
The first years saw Malfoy outside peaking in  
" Malfoy" Both Potters said at the same time  
" Uh-oh" Hagrid said as he looked at his baby dragon  
" We better go and get him before we get in trouble" Hermione said  
" Yah, thanks for showing us the dragon, it was cool" Brenda said  
" We'll see you later" Harry said  
" Bye Hagrid, Bye Norbert" Ron said  
The first years ran to catch up to Malfoy but when they got up the stairs they came face to face with Professor McGonagall  
" Follow me, all five of you" McGonagall commanded  
The first years followed McGonagall into her office  
" I am very ashamed of all of you, out of bed at this late hour? You know the rules and if you break them their are consequences, so... You will lose fifty points each and all five of you have detentions  
Malfoy looked scared, " Excuse me professor, I thought you said the five of us?"  
" You heard right Mr. Malfoy, although you did the right thing, you too were out after hours" McGonagall said  
Malfoy looked mad  
" You should all get to bed before you get into any more trouble" McGonagall said  
The first years left to go to their dorms  
br /> A week later, the five of them had to serve their detentions, each and every one of them got a note  
Dear Ms. Potter, this is to inform you that you have detention tonight at 11:00 with Hagrid, bring your warm clothes, you're going into the forbidden forest, much to my disapproval  
Professor McGonagall  
Brenda read her letter with wide eyes and she looked at the others and there eyes were wide also  
" They can't send us into the Forbidden Forest, it's forbidden, we are only first years" Hermione complained  
" M-m- maybe it's a joke" Ron stuttered  
" Why would McGonagall joke about this? She's not the joking type" Brenda stated  
" Yes but going into the Forbidden Forest?" Ron started  
" There must be a reason, and that reason will be found out tonight, there is nothing we can do about that right now" Brenda said  
" Well at least it's with Hagrid and not the slimy old git Snape" Ron said  
" Calling people names are we? Well that will be 10 points from Gryffindor then" Snape said from back of them  
Everybody turned around and glared at Snape  
" Sir we didn't know you were back there" Brenda said  
" Well then it's a good thing, I don't like knowing that I'm called a slimy old git by first years" Snape said and he glared at Ron  
Snape was just standing there looking at the first years  
" Is there something you want professor" Brenda asked getting uncomfortable  
" Ms. Potter I'm just making sure you guys do not call anybody else names, and I'm waiting for an apology from Mr. Weasley here" Snape said, " It seems that in this day and age, first years don't have much discipline or manners... well not many students here at Hogwarts do, just look at the Weasley twins... I'm still waiting for an apology Mr. Weasley"  
Ron glared at Snape and silently groaned and said, " I'm sorry"  
" For what?" Snape asked lifting an eyebrow  
" You know what" Ron said  
" I forgot" Snape said with a smirk  
Ron sighed and said, " I'm sorry for calling you names"  
" Good, now I want a two page essay on discipline and manners on my desk by Friday" Snape said  
Ron's eyes widened  
Snape left with a billow of his robes  
" Oh great, just when I thought my week couldn't get worse" Ron said with a pout  
" Well you shouldn't have said he was a git out loud" Hermione scolded  
That night the five first years went outside escorted by Filch  
" You're lucky you weren't here fifty years ago when we held the students in the air by their thumbs, god I miss the screaming" Filch said  
The first years cringed at the thought  
Filch led the students to Hagrid's hut and he was crying  
" Hagrid what's wrong?" Brenda asked  
" They took Norbert" Hagrid said  
" Who did" Hermione asked  
" The Ministry of Magic" Hagrid said  
" Where did they take him?" Harry asked  
" To Romania to live in a colony" Hagrid said  
" Well that's good then, my brother Charlie works in Romania, I'm sure Norbert is just fine" Ron said  
" But what if he don't like Romania, he's only a baby you know" Hagrid said  
" Oh pull yourself together Hagrid, you're going into the forest" Filch interrupted  
" The Forest! I thought that was a joke" Malfoy said  
" It's no joke" Filch said with a smirk, " nighty night"  
Filch left and left the five first years with Hagrid  
" Well should we be off then?" Hagrid asked  
The six of them left Hagrid's hut and headed off into the forbidden forest and walked for an hour  
" What exactly are we looking for?" Malfoy asked in a snobby tone  
" I'll tell ye when I see it" Hagrid snapped  
Five minutes later Hagrid stopped and dipped his fingers in something silvery  
" Hagrid what is that" Harry asked scared  
" See that, this is what we came here for, this is unicorns blood" Hagrid said  
" Blood" Both Hermione and Brenda gasped  
" There's an injured unicorn out there, and we must find it and nurse it back to health... we'll cover more ground if we split up... Hermione and Ron, you come with me... Harry, Brenda, Draco you go together" Hagrid commanded.  
" Fine but I get Fang" Malfoy said snippy.  
" Fine, just to let you know, he's a bloody coward" Hagrid said.  
To prove Hagrid's point, Fang just whined and Malfoy rolled his eyes.  
" Shall we move on? The sooner we find the unicorn, the sooner we can get out of this forest" Hagrid said.  
" What if we meet a nasty creature" Malfoy asked.  
" You have your wands, hit it with a knock back jinx, or leg locking" Hagrid said.  
" You're joking right?" Malfoy asked.  
" No he's not" Brenda said.  
" Come on Malfoy, you're good at the leg locking jinx" Harry started.  
" Yah you did it to Neville the other day" Ron finished.  
" And there's Flipendo and almost everything's scared of fire, I have all of those charms down" Brenda said proud of herself.  
" There you go then, you have nothing to worry about" Hagrid said.  
The two groups split up in different directions. After about 15 minutes Malfoy started whining.  
" Wait until my father hears about this... this is servants stuff" Malfoy complained.  
Brenda rolled her eyes.  
" If I didn't know better, I would think you were scared." Harry said.  
" I'm not scared, I just don't know why we have to be helping that oaf in the first place" Malfoy said.  
Brenda turned around since Malfoy was behind her and slapped him across the face, " Don't you dare call Hagrid an oaf, he's our friend" Brenda was angry.  
" How dare you do that to me Potter" Malfoy spat.  
" Then stop calling our friend names" Harry said.  
Malfoy was silent and glaring at the two but they kept moving.  
After a while, they found the unicorn, but it was dead and not alone, something was drinking it's blood.  
Everybody was scared and both the Potter's heads scars started hurting but they took out their wands, Malfoy started running the other way, he was frightened. The figure stopped drinking the unicorns blood and started coming after the two and they started backing up forgetting they had their wands. All of a sudden a centaur appeared and frightened the figure away.  
" Harry and Brenda Potter, you are not safe here, there are many dangers out here that would love to kill you" The centaur said.  
" Who... who was that you saved us from?" Brenda asked.  
" That was the one who gave you the scar" The centaur said.  
Brenda gasped.  
" That... that was Voldemort?" Harry asked.  
The centaur nodded.  
" Why was he drinking the unicorns blood?" Brenda asked.  
" Because unicorns blood will keep you live, even if you are an inch from death, but at a price, one drop of the blood to your lips makes you have a half life... a cursed life" the centaur said.  
" But if you're being cursed for ever and ever, wouldn't death be better for you?" Brenda asked.  
" Yes being dead would be better, but if you were very powerful and all you had to do was drink some blood to stay alive you would do it." The centaur said, " Do you two know what is hidden in the school right now?"  
" The Sorcerer's Stone" The Potters said together.  
" OH MY… It's the elixir of life, Voldemort wants it" Brenda gasped.  
The centaur nodded. All of a sudden the trio heard the rest of the group calling to them.  
" OVER HERE" the twins yelled.  
The group found them.  
" This is where I leave you, you are safe now... good luck both of you" The centaur said and he galloped away.

Weeks passed and the four first years had exams to prepare for. The girls had to boss the boys around so they would get studying  
Finally after the exams were over everybody cheered but Harry. Harry was thinking about the sorcerer's stone and Brenda knew it, it's a twin thing the Potters picked up.  
" Sickle for your thoughts?" Brenda asked as she sat next to her brother.  
" I'm just wondering if the stone is really safe" Harry said.  
" Didn't Hagrid say that Hogwarts is like the safest place?" Brenda asked.  
" He also said that Gringgotts was" Harry pointed out.  
" Got me there" Brenda said.  
" Harry, if you're worried Snape will get the stone, don't be, as long as Dumbledore's here the stone is safe" Hermione said.  
" Plus mate, it's guarded by Fluffy, nobody can get past Fluffy, except for Hagrid" Ron said.  
" Yah and Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore" Brenda said.  
It was silent for a minute and then it was broken.  
" We need to go to Hagrid's right now" Harry said.  
" Why?" Ron asked.  
" Because isn't it funny that all that Hagrid wants in the world is a dragon? And somebody just happens to have a dragon egg, it could be a coincidence, but I doubt it" Harry said.  
Everybody got on their feet and left the common room to go down to Hagrid's hut and see Hagrid who was playing a flute that looked like Hagrid made himself.  
" Well hello you four? How were your exams?" Hagrid asked.  
" Brutal" Ron said.  
" Hagrid we were wondering what the stranger who gave you the dragons egg looked like" Harry said.  
" I don't know, I didn't see his face, he had on a cloak" Hagrid said.  
" So he just trusted you with a dragon egg? He didn't care about it?" Brenda asked.  
" I told him about the creatures I looked after and I told him about Fluffy" Hagrid said.  
" Did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked.  
" Who wouldn't be interested in a fierce three headed dog? I told him that the only way to calm him down is to play some music and he'll go straight to sleep" Hagrid said.  
Everybody's eyes lifted up.  
" I shouldn't have told you that" Hagrid said finding out what he had done.  
The first years started running back to the castle hearing Hagrid call out, " Where're you going?"  
The first years ran to Dumbledore's office and McGonagall was there.  
" We need to speak to Dumbledore right now" Harry said when they all got to the desk.  
" I'm afraid Dumbledore isn't here, he had an important call from the Ministry of Magic" McGonagall said, "He will be back tomorrow."  
" But this is important," Brenda said.  
" More important then a meeting with the Ministry?" McGonagall asked lifting an eyebrow.  
" This is about the sorcerer's stone" Brenda said.  
" I don't know how you found out about that, but I assure you nobody is trying to steal it, if they are they are foolish, nobody can get past the traps" McGonagall said, " Now I suggest you all leave and stop worrying about the stone."  
The first years nodded and left the office and were heading back to their common room when they bumped into Snape.  
" Good afternoon" Snape said, " Now tell me, what are four young Gryffindors like yourselves doing inside, on a day like this?"  
Brenda tried coming up with something but she began to stutter and Snape gave her a look.  
" Careful, hanging around here on a day like this people might think you were all up to something" Snape said giving them all a look before he left and the four glared after him.  
" We're going down the trap door, tonight" Harry said.  
They all headed to the common room and planned out how they would get past Fluffy.  
" How are we going to sneak out without being spotted?" Hermione asked.  
The Potters smiled and went to their rooms and brought down their cloaks.  
" Where did you get those?" Hermione asked.  
" Christmas" They said together, " They were our parents.'"  
" They're really handy" Ron said.  
" I shudder at all the trouble you can get into with those" Hermione said.  
" Well it's going to get us past Fluffy" Brenda said.  
The rest of the day the girls researched spells that they might need when they go on their adventure and tried getting the boys to do the same thing, but they didn't.  
Finally after everybody went to bed the four of them crept down into the common room.  
" Ok are you guys ready?" Harry asked.  
All of a sudden there was a ribbit ribbit. The noise was coming from the armchair.  
" Trevor you shouldn't be here" Ron scolded.  
" Neither should you" Neville said turning around, " You're sneaking out again aren't you, you're going to get Gryffindor in trouble."  
" Neville you don't understand" Brenda tried to talk to him.  
" I won't let you leave... I- I'll fight you" Neville said as he put his fists up.  
" Neville I'm really, really sorry about this" Hermione took out her wand, " PERTRIFICUS TOTALUS."  
Neville froze in place and fell on the floor.  
" What did you do to him?" Harry asked.  
" It's a body bind, if you guys would have helped with the research, you would have known what it was" Brenda said, " Now let's go.  
The four of them walked past him.  
" Sorry" Hermione said.  
" Sorry" Harry said.  
" Sorry" Brenda said.  
" It's for your own good you know" Ron said.  
The four of them put on the cloaks, Ron went with Harry and Hermione went with Brenda and they slowly headed towards the third floor corridor and opened the door, it was already unlocked and Fluffy was snoring.  
" Ok, it looks like Snape got here before we did" Ron said.  
Brenda rolled her eyes because it was very obvious.  
They took the cloaks off and headed towards the trap door and opened it.  
" Ok if anything goes wrong, do your best to get yourselves out" Harry said.  
" We will" Ron said.  
Brenda noticed that the music stopped playing.  
" It's too quiet" Brenda said.  
There was a low growl and everybody looked in back of them and Fluffy was awake and he was angry.  
Everybody jumped in the trap door and landed on something soft.  
" Good thing we landed in this green stuff" Ron said.  
All of a sudden the green stuff started twisting around everybody's bodies and the boys were trying to fight it.  
" DON'T PANIC" The girls screamed together.  
" This is Devils Snare, don't panic" Brenda said.  
" If you do, it will only kill you faster" Hermione said.  
" Kill us faster, oh now I won't panic" Ron said as he was struggling.  
Hermione glared at him as she was pulled down from site and next was Brenda.  
The boys screamed.  
" You ok?" Hermione asked.  
" Yah you?" Brenda asked.  
" Yah" Hermione said.  
" Boys stop panicking, it's safe, just don't panic" Brenda hollered.  
A minute later Harry fell down.  
" He's still panicking" Harry said.  
" Hermione, what was that poem we learned about Devil's Snare in Herbology? Devils snare is deadly fun but..." Brenda started.  
" But it will wilt in the sun... Devils Snare hates sunlight" Hermione said.  
" LUMOS HUELEM" Brenda said.  
The plant let go of Ron and he fell to the ground and got up.  
" Good thing we didn't panic" Ron said.  
" Good thing the girls pay attention in Herbology and study" Harry said.  
They walked on and got into a room that had flying keys and two brooms floating.  
" Wow floating keys, what would they think of next" Brenda said.  
Ron went over to the other door but it was locked, " ALOHORMORA" It didn't work, " Well it was worth a try."  
" Well by the looks of the lock, we are looking for an old fashioned key." Hermione said.  
" Wait a minute, there are two locks on the door." Brenda observed.  
" So you need to get both the keys." Ron said.  
" Why do I have to?" Brenda asked.  
" You and Harry both, face it, you guys are the youngest Quidditch players, you need to work together" Ron said.  
" Which one do we need to get?" Brenda asked.  
" We just need to try them all" Harry said, " Come on Brenda."  
Harry mounted a broom and began flying and Brenda followed him.  
" There are too many of them" Brenda said.  
Harry looked around the room and found a key that was different then all the rest, " There's one" Harry hollered  
Harry dove for it.  
" I don't see it" Brenda said.  
" Lets work together here, I'll get the keys and you grab them and pass it to Hermione and Ron, you guys put them in the locks at the same time."  
That is what they did, Harry grabbed a key and Brenda took it away from him like she would a Quaffle and she got low enough to pass it to Hermione, she got back up and Harry got the other key and Brenda grabbed it again and gave it to Ron and Hermione and Ron put the keys in the right slots and turned at the same time.  
The Potters got off the brooms and went inside the room their friends were in. The four of them looked around and Ron knew exactly where they were.  
" It's a chess board" Ron said.  
" More like a grave yard" Brenda said.  
" Well lets go, we got to get to Snape" Harry said.  
The four of them ran to the other side but were stopped by the chess pieces.  
" Looks like we need to play the game" Ron said.  
They went back to the other side and Ron started giving orders about where everybody should go.  
" Ron you don't think this is like real wizards chess do you?" Hermione asked.  
Ron gave a command and watched his pawn be taken like in real wizards chess.  
" Yes Hermione, I'm afraid this is exactly like wizards chest" Ron said scared.  
Everybody gasped.  
After about a half hour playing chess, Ron figured out how to win and so did Harry.  
" Wait a minute" Harry began.  
" You know Harry, once I make my move we will be in check, The King will get me but you must check the king... we will win this." Ron said.  
" What's he saying?" Brenda asked.  
" He's going to sacrifice himself" Harry said.  
" No you can't" Hermione said.  
" Do you want to stop Snape or not?" Ron asked in a snippy tone, " This is the only way, Harry and Brenda you guys must stop Snape  
Brenda and Harry nodded.  
Ron did the play and said, " Check."  
The King took Ron out of the game knocking him out.  
"RON!" Everybody screamed, Hermione almost moved.  
" DON'T MOVE, WE'RE STILL PLAYING." Harry Hollered.  
Harry moved and checkmated the King and the King bowed to him and that was the signal that the game was over and that they won  
The three of them ran to Ron.  
" He'll be ok, Hermione you need to get to the owlery, write a letter to Dumbledore saying that we need him, we'll try to hold off Snape as long as possible." Harry commanded.  
Hermione nodded.  
" Brenda lets go" Harry said.  
" Good luck you two" Hermione said.  
The two of them left Hermione and Ron and headed towards the next room.  
" This is it Brenda" Harry said.  
Brenda nodded and then she touched her scar and saw that Harry was doing the same thing.  
They walked farther into the room ignoring the pain in their scars and saw that it wasn't Snape but Quirrel  
" YOU!" Both Potters gasped.  
" ME" Quirrel said.  
" But Snape" Harry started.  
" Yes you would think that, he does seem the type... who would suspect st-st-stuttering professor Quirrel" Quirrel said.  
" Snape tried to kill us during the Quidditch match." Brenda said.  
" No he didn't, I did, he was saying the counter curse" Quirrel said a little angry.  
" He was trying to save us." Brenda gasped, " Wow we were wrong about him" She said to Harry.  
" Why do you want to kill us." Harry asked.  
" Because what you did to My Master." Quirrel said, he turned to the mirror he was looking at.  
" It's the mirror of Erised." Brenda whispered.  
" I see what I desire, but how do I get it" Quirrel asked to himself.  
" Use the kids." A voice said  
" Come here Potters." Quirrel commanded  
The Potters obeyed but they didn't want to.  
" Look into the mirror and tell me what you see." Quirrel demanded.  
The two of them looked in the mirror and saw both of them with the stone, well both of them had half of a stone.  
They felt their pockets on accident and something bulky were in them.  
" Well?" Quirrel asked with a demanding tone  
Harry looked at Brenda and through thought, thought, " Please let us have the gift, lets think house cup"  
Brenda looked at him and through thought, thought "Yes."  
" We just won the house cup and shaking hands with Dumbledore" The twins said together.  
" They're lying." The voice said  
" Tell the truth" Quirrel demanded.  
" Let me speak to them." The voice said.  
" Master you're too weak for this" Quirell said.  
" I'm strong enough for this." The voice said.  
The twins backed up as Quirrel was taking off his turban and under it was a face.  
" That is so gross" Brenda said.  
" Brenda and Harry Potter, we meet at last, don't you want to meet your parents, all you have to do is give me the stone halves that lie in your pockets" Voldemort said.  
The twins started to run out of the room but Quirrel ran to them and tried to touch them both but he got burned.  
" WHAT IS THIS MAGIC?" Quirrel was scared.  
" Harry lets touch him." Brenda thought.  
Harry nodded and they ran up to the man and touched his face and he burned to ash and Voldemort went through the Potters bodies and they screamed but they were holding the sorcerer's stone and it was connected so they didn't die.  
A week later the Potters woke up from unconsciousness and Dumbledore was by their beds.  
" Good day you two." Dumbledore said.  
" How long have we been out?" Brenda asked.  
" A week." Dumbledore said.  
Just then the twins looked at all the candy.  
" Tokens from all of your admirers and fans, what happened down there was a total secret, therefore everybody knows about it." Dumbledore said.  
" So where's the stone now?" Harry asked.  
" Destroyed, I talked with Nicolas and he says it's for the best, he lived a good long life." Dumbledore said.  
" How come Quirrel couldn't touch us? He turned to ash" Brenda asked  
" It's because when your mother died, she left a mark" Dumbledore started and both Potters put their hands up to their scars, " No not a scar, a mark that you can't see... love, she died for both of you and that is the strongest magic there is."  
" Ok one more question, how did we get two halves of the stone? Why did it work with it broken down the middle?" Brenda asked.  
" That's one of my clever secrets, Somebody could get it if they didn't want to use it, but it takes two people to do so" Dumbledore said.  
The twins nodded.  
They were in the hospital wing for a week longer and then there was only a week of school left and they studied for their finals during that week. Finally it was the last day of school and it was time for the points to be totaled. In fourth place with 312 points is Gryffindor, in third place with 352 points is Hufflepuff, in second place with 426 points is Raven claw and our winners this year are the Slytherins with 472 points  
"Congratulations Slytherins." Dumbledore said.  
The Gryffindors were angry that the Slytherins won again.  
" I have some last minute points to announce... to Mr. Ronald Weasley for being the best chess player the school has ever seen, I award him 50 points, to Miss Hermione Granger for her logic in class, I award her 50 points, to Mr. Harry Potter, for courage and nerve, I award him 60 points, to Miss Brenda Potter, for logic in class and courage throughout the year, I award her 60 points, and for Mr. Neville Longbottom, it takes courage to stand up to your enemies but more to stand up to your friends, I award him 10 points."  
" We won." Hermione said excitedly.  
" I believe a color change is in order." Dumbledore said.  
The colors were changed and the Gryffindors cheered.  
" Have a wonderful summer everybody." Dumbledore said.  
When the got to the train the four of them went to Hagrid and gave him hugs.  
" Thought you'd leave without saying goodbye did you?" Hagrid asked playfully.  
They shook their heads no.  
" Oh Harry, Brenda, I made you two something" Hagrid said as he got in his pockets and pulled out two photo albums and on the front was a picture of the Potter family.  
" Thank you Hagrid." They said at the same time.  
" Your folks would be proud." Hagrid said.  
They gave him another hug and got on the train and waited for it to leave while waving to Hagrid. 40 minutes later it left.  
" Harry can I meet the Dursleys." Brenda asked.  
" Why would you want to?" Harry asked.  
" They're family, you're the only one of my family that I've met, I'd like to meet them." Brenda said.  
" I'm warning you, they don't like magic or magical people." Harry said.  
" I don't care" Brenda said.  
" Ok" Harry said.  
When the trolley came to ask if they wanted any sweets, Brenda bought a whole bunch, she was stocking up on food, she didn't let her friends know she snuck a bunch of food into her bag at the feast, she knew it wouldn't last, but she was hoping it would last long enough for her to come up with some other plan.  
After a while they made it to Kings Cross station.  
" There they are" Harry said a little down.  
The two of them walked up to the car.  
" Get in boy" Vernon said.  
" Uncle Vernon I'd like you to meet somebody" Harry said.  
" Why would I want to meet one of your kind?" Vernon asked.  
" Hi I'm Brenda, your niece" Brenda said with a smile.  
" What do you mean niece? Our niece died with the Potters when they were blown up" Petunia said.  
" No she didn't, why didn't you tell me I had a sister?" Harry asked.  
" We thought it wasn't important" Vernon said, " Wow you're alive, well good for you, we're not taking you in."  
" I wasn't planning on it, I just wanted to meet you that's all, well it was nice meeting you, Harry I'll see you next term, I'll write to you often of course" Brenda said not liking the hostility coming from her family she just met.  
Harry and Brenda gave each other a hug and then they went their separate ways.  
________________________________________


	2. Chapter 2

" Well the Dursleys are really rude, I can't believe they thought I wanted to stay with them, I just wanted to meet them. Brenda thought to herself and sighed, “Oh well, enough thinking about that I need to figure out how I’m going to survive the summer with limited food and no muggle money. I need to get my tent back out and go to a campsite”  
Brenda walked and rode the bus to the campsite she used to live at before Hogwarts.  
" Well this will be my summer" Brenda said to herself, " Might as well make home."  
She set up camp.  
" Home Sweet Home" Brenda said when she was done, she then got out a book.  
Meanwhile at Hogwarts Severus was in his office grading the six years final papers  
" Severus can you come to my office, I have something we need to discuss" Dumbledore said.  
Severus stopped his grading and went to the Headmasters office.  
" Yes Albus" Severus asked.  
" Sit down my boy, have a lemon drop they're really good" Dumbledore offered.  
" No thanks, what is it you wanted to see me about?" Severus asked.  
" It's about Brenda Potter" Dumbledore said.  
" What about Ms. Potter?" Severus asked.  
" It appears that she is living in a tent at a campsite for the summer" Dumbledore said.  
" Why isn't she at her foster families home?" Severus asked  
" Her foster family died in a car crash and she was put in an orphanage... a few of them but she ran away because she got in trouble because of her magic. You know how kids are before they're 11 Severus" Dumbledore said.  
Severus knew what he was talking about.  
" So what do you want me to do?" Severus asked.  
" I want you to collect Ms. Potter for me and we will find her a suitable guardian" Dumbledore said, " I will try to talk the Dursleys into taking her in, Brenda needs a blood relative to be safe."  
Severus thought about Brenda Potter and how much she looked like Lily Potter, except for the eyes which were her fathers, she even acted like Lily Potter.  
" What about me?" Severus asked.  
" What about you?" Dumbledore asked.  
" I can be Ms. Potter's guardian." Severus said, “You after all wanted me to watch out for the Potters, there is no better way.”  
" You are not related to her." Dumbledore said.  
Severus lifted an eyebrow, "Check my family tree, I assure you, I am related to the Potters."  
" I thought she got on your nerves" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.  
" Only her brother and that Weasley they hang out with." Severus said.  
Dumbledore knew the reason why Severus wanted to take Brenda, it was because she looked like Lily.  
" Severus, Brenda is not Lily" Dumbledore said.  
" I know that, she needs a guardian who will be their for her if need be and wont kick her out if weird things happen, I can be that person to do just that." Severus said  
" And what would you do if she got into trouble?" Dumbledore asked.  
" I know how to discipline children Albus, even without detentions and having points taken away. " Severus said." After I'm finished grading the Sixth year exams I'm going to go home, I'll grade the others at home, I'll sign the papers I need to sign and get Brenda."  
Dumbledore handed over the papers and Severus wrote his name in all the right places.  
“You just happened to have the papers?” Severus asked lifting an eyebrow.  
“Yes, because I knew somebody had to take Brenda Potter in.” Dumbledore said.”Ok Brenda Potter is now in your care, I will have an owl bring this to the Ministry right away, good luck Severus" Dumbledore said.  
Severus nodded and left Dumbledore's office  
Severus went back to his office in the dungeons and finished his grading for the six year exams and then called his house elf and told her the news on the new member of the house.  
" I am now the guardian of Brenda Potter... James Potter's daughter, wow never saw this coming" Severus thought to himself.  
Brenda was reading her old potions book when she heard a pop and then someone coming too close to her tent.  
" Who's there?" Brenda asked a little afraid.  
" Ms. Potter, it's Professor Snape" Snape called.  
" What does he want?" Brenda thought as she unzipped her tent and climbed out.  
" Yes professor?" Brenda asked very uncomfortable standing by her scary teacher.  
" Ms. Potter you are coming with me." Snape got right to the point.  
Brenda was confused, " Sir, school just got out, we don't go back for another three months."  
" I know that, I mean you're coming back with me to my house, now pack your things so we can be on our way." Snape said.  
" May I ask why I'm going to your house?" Brenda asked not moving and lifting an eyebrow.  
" Because you were put under my care, I am now your new guardian, an eleven year old should not be living by herself in a tent. Now hurry up we don't have all day." Snape said.  
Brenda was surprised, “My new guardian?”  
“Yes.” Snape said. “Now hurry up, I don’t have all day.”  
Brenda still didn’t move, she was really surprised and confused. “Why?”  
“Why?” Snape asked lifting an eyebrow.  
“Why are you my new guardian?” Brenda asked.  
“Because I volunteered, and no eleven year old should be living by herself in a tent… satisfied?” Snape asked.  
“Why did you volunteer?” Brenda asked.  
“Why are you asking so many questions?” Snape asked.  
“Because it just doesn’t make sense, why would you want to be my guardian?”  
Snape rolled his eyes,”I have my reasons. Now is not the time, now are you going to start packing or am I going to have to do it for you?”  
Brenda stood there a couple seconds longer then started packing her things, she didn’t want her professor to pack them. She wanted to shrink her things but she was under-aged, she couldn't do magic outside Hogwarts. Snape shrunk them for her and she put them in her trunk and then once she was out of her tent, she folded that up and put that in her trunk.  
" Are you ready?" Snape asked.  
Brenda nodded.  
"Good, now hold on" Snape said as he grabbed Brenda's wrist and appereated to Snape Manor.  
Brenda really didn't like the feeling and when they landed she almost fell but Snape kept her steady.  
" What was that?" Brenda asked.  
" It's called apperating, you won't be doing that until you turn 17" Snape said.  
" I think I'll stick to flying." Brenda said not feeling too good now.  
Snape grinned a bit. " Now let me give you the grand tour."  
They entered the lounge.  
" This is the lounge, it's where I like to do my work so I expect you to be quiet when in here, it's a good room to relax in." Snape said.  
Next Snape showed her the Dining Room  
" This is where we will have all our meals, I expect you to be on time during all meals, Breakfast is at 8:00, Lunch is at 12:30 and Dinner is at 6:30 every day is that clear?" Snape asked.  
" Yes sir" Brenda said.  
Snape went over to a door that was closed.  
" This is my lab, you are not to go down into the lab without permission or special circumstances, is that clear?" Snape asked.  
" Yes sir" Brenda said.  
"Ok moving on" Snape said.  
Snape led Brenda upstairs and to a room.  
" This is your room, you have permission to decorate it any way you like." Snape said  
The room was big and it had a bookshelf and a connecting bathroom.  
" Cool" Brenda said under her breath.  
" Just put your bag down, and we'll continue the tour." Snape said.  
Brenda put her bag down and followed Snape out the door.  
" There are a lot of rooms in this house that even I haven't been in, if the doors are locked do not try to unlock them, the contents in the room could be dangerous" Snape warned.  
"Ok" Brenda said.  
Snape led Brenda to the library.  
" This is the library, it is a little bigger than the schools, I think you'll like this room since I know you like books" Snape said and Brenda smiled.  
" This is the end of the tour, you need to meet somebody though... Minnie" Snape called.  
Out of know where with a pop a house elf appeared.  
" Oh master you is home, you is home" Minnie cheered, she was really happy.  
" Yes Minnie I'm home, I would like you to meet Brenda Potter, she will be staying with us until further notice" Snape said.  
" Welcome Ms. Brenda, Minnie cleaned Ms. Brenda's room, Minnie did" Minnie said happily.  
" Uh... thank you Minnie" Brenda said, she’s never seen a creature like Minnie before.  
Minnie smiled and popped to where ever she went.  
" That was Minnie, my one and only house elf, only one rule concerning her, don't give her any clothes whatsoever" Snape warned.  
" Why?" Brenda asked because she didn't know the rule.  
" Because if you do then she will be free from my control, she doesn't want that, I don't want that, it will be best if you just don't" Snape said.  
" Ok, sure, no problem." Brenda said.  
" Good, I will leave you to putting your belongings away" Snape said as he was descending the stairs.  
" Uh... professor?" Brenda started.  
Snape turned around  
" Is it all right if I decorate my room with Gryffindor colors?" Brenda asked.  
Snape really didn't want anything to do with Gryffindor colors since he's a Slytherin but his ward is in Gryffindor.  
Snape sighed and came back up the stairs and took out his wand.  
" What would you like exactly?" Snape asked.  
Brenda smiled, " I just want the walls to be scarlet and gold, nothing major."  
With a wave of his wand Snape turned the green and silver walls to scarlet and gold.  
" Thank you professor." Brenda said.  
" You're welcome, anything else?" Snape asked.  
" No thanks, this is perfect" Brenda said happily.  
" Then I will leave you." Snape said and he walked out of the room and down the stairs.  
" Wow I am Snape's ward, Snape is my guardian, this is going to be weird. Well Potions is one of my favorite classes, maybe this won't be that bad after all" Brenda thought while she was putting her belongings away.  
The next day; Brenda got up at 7:00, met Snape down in the dining room at 8:00, and sat in the seat that had a glass of milk in front of it.  
Snape checked his watch, " Right on time, good job Brenda."  
Brenda smiled.  
" Ok first order of business, since you will be here all summer, you will have a schedule that needs to be followed, it is well balanced and it will keep you up on your school work" Snape said.  
" What school work?" Brenda asked.  
" I gave you school work to do during the summer" Snape said a little annoyed.  
" Oh that school work... I finished it" Brenda said.  
" May I see it and look it over?" Snape asked.  
" Ok" Brenda said getting up from the table.  
" After breakfast" Snape said and as if right on cue Minnie came in with two plates of pancakes, eggs and toast.  
After breakfast, Snape made Brenda get her summer potions homework which was writing the ingredients step by step on how to make a Wiggingweld potion and actually having a potion. When Brenda showed her homework to Snape, he was impressed.  
" This is very good Brenda, not many first years do this so fast and have it this perfect." Snape complimented.  
" Thank you sir, I really enjoy your class, it is so interesting." Brenda said.  
Snape nodded, " You do show enthusium in my class and always participate, unlike your brother who has yet to get a decent mark in my class."  
" He doesn't like studying much, I kind of enjoy it, maybe not as much as Hermione but I do enjoy some studying." Brenda said.  
" Well I'm glad a first year actually learned something in my class, you may put it away. Didn't you get any other homework from the other professors? Snape asked  
" I finished all of that too" Brenda said, " There's not a whole lot to do when living by myself in a tent"  
" Show me the rest of your homework, maybe I can help you if need be" Snape said.  
Brenda smiled and brought her Potions homework upstairs and brought down her other homework  
It turned out that Brenda needed a little help in History of Magic but other then that she had everything correct.  
" Well Brenda you did an excellent job with your homework, just a few mistakes in History of Magic but that can be easily fixed" Snape said, " Ok so back to the topic we were discussing during breakfast, I want you to be on a schedule, you will study to review and refresh your memory, it won't be too complicated... ok so your 24 hour schedule is wake up at 7:00, be down here at 8:00, read from 8:30 to 10:30, then go outside and get some fresh air from 10:30 to 12:30, come in for lunch and go back outside from 1:00 to 2:00, come in and study from 2:00 to 4:00, from 4:00 to 6:30 do whatever you want, 6:30 is Dinner, bath time at 7:00, from 8:00 to 10:00 quiet time, 10:00 bed, I have this written for you, Minnie posted it on your door, this will become a rutine in no time, does this sound like a reasonable schedule?  
Brenda went through the schedule through her head. She didn’t like the thought of being on a schedule where she did the same thing every day, down to the last hour. But she figured it’s because her new guardian is strict, everybody at school knew Professor Snape was strict, for the record, she did think it was a well thought out schedule and reasonable, so she nodded yes.  
Brenda followed the schedule for weeks and it became rutine for her, it really wasn’t all that bad of a schedule. She kept writing letters to her friends and brother but none of them would write back to her, she expected Ron and Hermione were busy with their families and Harry was being bugged by the Dursleys, she just thought it was weird that nobody answered any of her letters.  
One day Brenda was taking a walk upstairs during her free time just exploring, checking all the doors making sure which ones were locked and which ones were unlocked  
" I really wish I knew what was behind the locked doors, but Snape told me not to go in the locked doors because they were dangerous" Brenda thought  
There was this one door that was locked. It was making Brenda very curious because Snape said that room was dangerous because it was locked, but Minnie always went inside it. curiosity got the best of her and she grabbed her wand and said the unlocking spell on the door, (students are aloud to use harmless spells) and the door unlocked and Brenda opened it all the way and walked in  
" Now I want to know what is so dangerous about this room" Brenda said to herself  
The room was dark and there was no light switch or candle, so she took out her wand and said, " Lumos"  
With that much light, Brenda could tell what was in the room that made it so dangerous, there was a Venomous Tentacula sleeping and it was just woken up by the light at the end of Brenda's wand. The Venomous Tentacula started attacking Brenda with its vines trying to grab her but Brenda kept dodging it and tried running out of the room but the Venomous Tentacula blocked the door with its vines. Brenda was trapped and she tried thinking of spells that would get her out of this mess but she couldn't think of any, she was in a panic and screamed when the vines wrapped around her wrist and then her ankles, she tried freeing herself but it didn't work, the Venomous Tentacula was drawing her closer to its mouth. Brenda screamed again and somebody burst through the door and Brenda blacked out.  
When she woke up she was on the lounge couch and a very angry Snape was staring at her.  
" You are like your brother." Snape said in a flat tone.  
That was not supposed to be a compliment and Brenda knew it.  
Snape helped Brenda sit up and he gave her a potion to get rid of the poison that was left in her system from the Venomous Tentacula, and then Snape got angry.  
" I TOLD YOU NOT TO GO INTO LOCKED ROOMS, THEY ARE LOCKED FOR A REASON!" Snape yelled, " WHAT WERE YOU THINKING GOING IN THERE? YOU COULD HAVE KILLED YOURSELF, NOW THE VENOMOUS TENTACULA IS ALL WORKED UP BECAUSE OF YOU, WHAT YOU DID WAS VERY VERY STUPID BRENDA LILIAN POTTER!”  
She knew she was in trouble when her full name was used by her teacher and she cringed.  
" Why do you have a Venomous Tentacula in the house? Brenda asked quietly, just above a whisper  
" FOR IT'S VENOM AND THORNS FOR POTIONS" Snape yelled.  
Brenda cringed again because Snape gave her a very angry look.  
" You young lady are going to be punished for your actions" Snape said in an angry tone. At least he wasn’t yelling.  
" There's no detentions or house points to take away" Brenda said scared, " How is he going to punish me?" she asked herself in thought  
Snape walked over from where he was standing to his desk chair and he pulled it out into the middle of the room then he turned to Brenda who was still sitting on the couch.  
" Stand up" Snape commanded.  
Brenda did as she was told, not expecting what was about to happen.  
Snape came to her and grabbed her arm, sat down in the chair and pushed Brenda over his knees and began spanking her on the butt.  
Brenda began to scream, " NO STOP! I'M SORRY I WON'T DISOBEY YOU AGAIN, PLEASE STOP!  
Snape did not stop, he kept spanking her and spanking her, even when she began to cry he wouldn't stop.  
Brenda tried blocking the smacks with her hand but Snape moved her hands away and held them with one hand while spanking her with the other, he was really strong.  
" She deserves this, she put her life in danger for a very stupid reason" Snape thought as he kept spanking her.  
Finally he was done after the 20th smack on the butt and she was really red in the face from crying and shame for being spanked, she scrambled off Snape's lap and tried to run to her room but Snape stood up and grabbed her wrist before she could leave and turned her around where she was looking at Snape eye to eye.  
" I want you to go to your room and think about what you have done for the rest of the night, tomorrow you are grounded to your room, Minnie will bring up your meals, you will write ‘I will not disobey my elders’ 900 times, after you are done, you will bring your writing to me and I will check it, if you did a good job you will go back to your room and you will stay in your room and think some more, your time from 4:00 to 6:30 will now be spent with me until further notice, and Minnie will watch you when you are outside during your outside times, do I make my self clear?"  
" Yes" Brenda said barley above a whisper.  
" Yes what?" Snape asked  
" Yes... sir" Brenda said with a fresh set of tears.  
" Ok come on, to your room" Snape said leading Brenda up the stairs and to her room, " Oh give me your wand, you will get it before you leave for Hogwarts."  
Brenda hesitated before handing her wand over.Snape shut the door and went downstairs.  
" Why did I do that? Why couldn't I just have listened to the rules?" Brenda thought to herself as she went into the bathroom to take a bath.  
The next day Minnie woke her up with Apple Juice, eggs and bacon.  
" Good morning Ms. Brenda" Minnie said.  
" Good morning Minnie... is Snape still angry?" Brenda asked, almost fearing the answer  
" Master calmed down some since last night, Master was worried about Ms. Brenda, Master was." Minnie said.  
" How long was I out?" Brenda asked.  
" Three hours, Master told Minnie to get the antidote for Venomous Tentacula poison, Ms. Brenda was still unconscious when Master gave it to her, Master did not leave Ms. Brenda's side but Master was very angry at Ms. Brenda for disobeying Master" Minnie said.  
Brenda looked down in shame.  
" Minnie brought Ms. Brenda breakfast, Minnie made it herself, it is really good" Minnie said happily.  
" Thank you Minnie" Brenda said as she took the plate and juice away from the house elf.  
" Minnie will be back in an hour to take it away" Minnie said as she left the room.  
Brenda took a drink of apple juice, a bite of eggs and a bite of bacon and began her writing.  
After Brenda got 50 sentences written she finished her breakfast and continued her writing. Brenda was on her 131st sentence when Minnie came back to take the plate away.  
" How is Ms. Brenda doing?" Minnie asked  
" I'm on my 131st sentence, just 769 to go" Brenda said.  
" That is good, Ms. Brenda will be done real fast" Minnie said happily as she walked out the door.  
" Good because I'm getting a cramp in my hand" Brenda said to herself as she got back to work.  
Three and a half hours later Minnie came back with lunch, Brenda was on her 658th sentence.  
" How is Ms. Brenda doing?" Minnie asked as she set Brenda's lunch down on the night stand.  
" I'm on my 658th sentence, only 242 sentences to go" Brenda said.  
" Ms. Brenda writes fast" Minnie said surprised, " Minnie will return in an hour" Minnie said as she left the room.  
Brenda continued writing and stopping at her 730th sentence to eat, she only had 170 more to go and she was getting excited about being almost done, but she was dreading having to face Snape.  
" I might as well just get it over with" Brenda thought to herself.  
Brenda finished in another hour and a half and looked it over.  
" All 900 sentences, and it's only 2:00, it only took me about 6 hours" Brenda said to herself.  
Brenda massaged her hand until it wasn't cramped anymore and she took the nine pages of parchment that it took her to complete the sentences and headed downstairs and stood in the door way of the lounge where Snape was grading papers.  
" Are you just going to stand there with a bunch of parchment in your hand or are you going to come in?" Snape asked a little roughly.  
" I didn't want to interrupt" Brenda said softly  
Snape put a piece of parchment on the pile  
" I just finished grading this one, let me see your sentences" Snape said.  
Brenda slowly walked to Snape and handed him the parchment and he looked over it by taking out his wand and magically put numbers on it and it counted to 900, he also made sure everything was spelled correctly and all the I's were dotted and all the T's were crossed and that she had her name, and date on there also.  
" Looks good Brenda, now do you know why I made you do this?" Snape asked.  
"Yes, and I'm sorry, I really am." Brenda said.  
Snape looked at her, " Would you like to tell me what you're sorry for?"  
" Why is he doing this to me?" Brenda thought to herself.  
" I'm sorry for disobeying and putting myself in danger, I'm sorry I made you very worried, I'm sorry that I inconvenienced you, I'm sorry ok." Brenda said almost in tears and she started to leave but Snape stood up and grabbed her wrist and turned her around and Brenda was in tears and she looked scared.  
" Brenda, yes you disobeyed me and put yourself in danger, yes I was really worried, Venomous Tentaculas are nothing to mess with, but you are not an inconvenience, you made a mistake and you were punished for it, that is the end, stop beating yourself over it, everything turned out ok" Snape said trying to calm down the child.  
Brenda still looked scared.  
" You don't need to be afraid of me." Snape said, " This is your home too, just don't go into any more locked rooms, I'm telling you this for your safety do you understand?”  
" Yes" Brenda said.  
" Ok, go upstairs and wash your face, and grab your broom." Snape said.  
" But I thought..." Brenda started.  
" You've been punished enough, your free time is still taken away though, you will be spending that with me in here" Snape said.  
" Thank you" Brenda said excitedly.  
She smiled and walked fast upstairs and washed her face to free herself from tears and she grabbed her Nimbus 2000 and headed back downstairs and out into the backyard.  
" Brenda before you go outside and fly, you need to remember to not go past the fence, there is a ward on the other side for your protection." Snape said  
" Ok, I'll remember" Brenda said, she will to because she doesn't want to get in trouble again.  
Brenda went outside and she went flying on her broom, she just loved the flying feeling, and it felt so good to be outside since she was couped up in her room until 2:00. Brenda was outside flying on her broom until 4:00 which is the do whatever time, or in this case, more quiet time.  
" Ms. Brenda, Master says it's time to come in" Minnie came out and called.  
Brenda landed by Minnie and asked, " What time is it?"  
" It is 4:00 Ms. Brenda, Master said you need to come in and read for a while in the lounge" Minnie instructed  
Ok" Brenda said not too happy about it.  
Brenda went inside with Minnie and went to her room to put her broom away and grab a 2000 page book. Then she headed down into the lounge where Snape was still grading papers.  
" How long does that take?" Brenda wondered to herself, " I wonder if he has graded mine yet."  
Brenda walked in the lounge and sat down in the chair she always reads in  
" Did you have a nice fly?" Snape asked.  
" Yes sir" Brenda said.  
" That's good, well right now you can read, I will be keeping an eye on you, or Minnie will" Snape said.  
" Yes sir" Brenda said  
Brenda started reading her book  
They ate dinner in silence and Brenda then went up to her room to take a shower and then she went back downstairs with her book for the real quiet time, Snape was still grading papers.  
Brenda wasn't interested in her book, she was pretending to read but really she was watching Snape grade the papers, she knew he was on the first years, and she was keeping track on who's paper he was grading, she noticed that Hermione's paper only had a few minor mistakes, Goyles had a lot of mistakes and so did Crabbes, Malfoy's didn't have as much as Goyle's and Crabbe's but his had more than Hermione's, Brenda knew that the exams went in year and ABC order, she knew her's was coming up soon, she really wanted to know what she got on her potions final  
After about an hour, Snape got to Brenda's, the potions final is big and it takes a while to finish all of them.  
" Oh no, he's grading mine" Brenda thought to herself, she watched intensely and Snape caught her looking his way.  
" Is there something wrong Brenda?" Snape asked lifting an eyebrow.  
Brenda's eyes were wide, " Um, no, sorry" She turned her attention back to her book.  
"You've been watching me the whole time, you've been keeping track haven't you? Well if you want to see your grade, come around my desk" Snape said.  
Brenda smiled and got up and walked fast to Snape's desk and watched as he graded her final.  
" Congratulations, you Brenda Potter are one of the few people who understood everything I taught and you get an O" Snape said and smirked.  
Brenda was very happy and she showed it, She also surprised both of them when she gave Snape a hug.  
" Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you" Brenda was so happy, then she realized what she has done, " Oops sorry professor" Brenda said embarrassed.  
" That's ok, I never realized how much you enjoyed potions" Snape said.  
Brenda collected herself and returned to her seat and from there watched as Snape marked on Harry's paper a lot.  
" Too bad your brother doesn't have the same gift as you, at least he is better than Crabbe, Goyle and Longbottom" Snape said.  
Brenda has been at Snape Manor for over two months. It took some getting used to but she stopped calling her guardian Professor Snape all the time and started calling him Severus. She didn't get in trouble again because she knew better, She had her 12th birthday which was a small affair of just Severus and Minnie and a birthday cake and a couple presents from Severus. Brenda was shocked he bought her gifts.  
She has been writing Harry, Ron, and Hermione letters but none of them would write back. One late night somebody came into her room and woke her up.  
" Minnie is that you?" Brenda asked groggily.  
" Dobby is sorry to wake Ms. Brenda Potter up" Dobby said.  
" Who are you?" Brenda asked more alert now that there was a strange house elf in her bedroom.  
" Dobby the house elf" Dobby said.  
" Ok, so what are you doing in my room?" Brenda asked wishing she had her wand, she was looking for something she could defend herself with if need be, she had a hard back book that would have to do.  
" I am here to warn Brenda not to go to Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry this school year" Dobby said, " Terrible things are going to happen at Hogwarts."  
" Uh... Dobby, I have to go to Hogwarts, I need to learn to become a witch, plus Severus will make me go, he's my guardian, I have to go to Hogwarts" Brenda said.  
" Brenda Potter mustn't go" Dobby said more firmly.  
" But I have friends there and my brother" Brenda said.  
" Friends and brother who haven't even written to Brenda Potter?" Dobby asked happily.  
" Well I think Ron and Hermione are busy and Harry... hey how do you know they haven't been writing?" Brenda asked confused.  
Dobby looked scared and he backed up and took out a bundle of letters.  
" Dobby thought that if Brenda Potter thought that her friends didn't write to her, she wouldn't want to go to Hogwarts" Dobby said.  
Brenda got out of bed.  
" Dobby, give me those right now, you have no right into taking away my letters" Brenda scolded.  
" Dobby is very sorry Ms. Brenda, Dobby had to iron his hands Ms" Dobby said as he showed her his hands.  
Brenda looked at Dobby's hands and knew that those burns hurt, she wanted to do something for Dobby, even though he didn't want her to go to Hogwarts.  
" Let me get you a burn salve for your hands, you shouldn't have done that Dobby" Brenda scolded as she was getting a salve.  
" You don't need to do that Ms. Brenda, I deserve what I did" Dobby said sadly.  
" No you don't, and whoever told you other wise is not a good person" Brenda said firmly.  
" No he isn't" Dobby said smiling and then he thought of what he just said about his master, " I shouldn't have said that."  
He started banging his head on the wall saying, " Bad Dobby, very bad Dobby"  
" Dobby stop that and sit down" Brenda commanded.  
" Sit down? You want Dobby to sit down?" Dobby was shocked, " You and Harry Potter both are really nice to Dobby, you and Harry Potter are the only ones who tell Dobby to sit down."  
" You met my brother" Brenda asked, Dobby was still standing up.  
" Yes, he didn't listen to me though" Dobby said.  
" Well you need to sit down, so I can put this salve on your hands" Brenda said.  
" I don't need it, I will heal on my own" Dobby said.  
Brenda sighed and picked Dobby up by the scruff of the pillow case he was wearing and sat him on her bed.  
" Stay sitting" Brenda commanded.  
Dobby did as he was told  
Brenda carefully unwrapped his bandages and put the salve on his burns  
" This will help you heal" Brenda said, she then got new bandages and wrapped Dobby's hands up, "There, feel better?"  
Dobby nodded and said, " Brenda Potter is very kind, but she must listen to my warning" with that he popped out of the room.  
" A house elf telling me not to go to Hogwarts? I'm still going, I love it there" Brenda said to herself and she went back to bed.  
The next day Brenda woke up her usual time and got down to breakfast at the usual time.  
" Good Morning" Brenda said.  
" Good Morning" Severus said  
" Hey Severus, how come any house elf can pop up here?" Brenda asked.  
" What?" Severus asked surprised at the question.  
" Yah last night a house elf named Dobby popped up in my room, telling me not to go to Hogwarts" Brenda said.  
" Dobby? Oh dear, well if he was warning you, he shouldn't be a threat, I know the wizard who owns Dobby, he's not very nice" Severus said.  
" Well should I listen to what he told me to do?" Brenda asked, " He sounded desperate."  
" No, you not going to Hogwarts will not help matters, in fact you will be safer at Hogwarts" Severus said.  
" Ok" Brenda said and she went back to her breakfast  
" And speaking of Hogwarts, I have to go back tomorrow and get organized, I owled the Weasleys and they will be happy to let you stay there, They said that your brother is there also." Severus said.  
" Why is Harry there? I thought he was at the Dursleys" Brenda asked surprised.  
" You'll have to ask him that, I suggest after breakfast you go pack, we'll be leaving today seeing as we won't have time tomorrow, the Hogwarts Express leaves early tomorrow" Severus said.  
Brenda nodded and they both finished their breakfast and Brenda ran upstairs to start packing.  
After about an hour to decide what to take and what to leave here, Severus shrunk everything and Brenda put everything in her bag.  
" So how are we going to get to the Weasley's?" Brenda asked. Hoping by not Apperating.  
" By the floo" Severus said.  
" What's that?" Brenda asked confused.  
" Come on I'll show you" Snape said as he led Brenda to the lounge and went to the fire place, " Ok this powder is called floo powder, what you do is you stand in the fire place, grab a handful of powder and say your destination very clearly and drop the powder, you might want to close your eyes after you do that, you might get dizzy."  
Brenda still looked lost and Severus sighed and called, " Minnie."  
Minne popped into the lounge.  
" Yes Master Severus" Minnie said.  
" Minnie, I would like you to demonstrate the floo network to Brenda, we are going to the Weasley's house" Severus said.  
" Oh yes Master, the floo network is fun, but you should close your eyes or you will get dizzy" Minnie said as she stepped inside the fire place, took the floo powder and yelled "Weasley's House" Then she dropped the powder and she was surrounded by green flame then she was gone.  
" Nothing to it" Severus said  
Brenda looked scared  
" The flame doesn't hurt" Severus said when he noticed Brenda's look, " Now come on we don't have all day, hold on to Angel's cage real tight though."  
Brenda stepped inside the fire place, took the floo powder and yelled, " Weasley's house" Then dropped the powder and closed her eyes.  
She felt herself going around and around in circles and then she came to a complete stop and fell out of the fireplace and into Fred's arms.  
" Wow, are you ok Brenda?" Fred asked.  
" First time huh? Yah we lost our balance a few times when we first began traveling by floo" George said with a grin.  
" Thanks for catching me" Brenda said looking into Fred's eyes, her heart skipped a beat but she didn't know why.  
" No problem" Fred said with a warm smile and holding her steady while she got her balance.  
Mrs. Weasley came to the fireplace and saw Brenda.  
" Oh good you're here, we were really excited when Professor Snape asked if you could stay with us.” Mrs. Weasley said with a warm smile.  
" PROFESSOR SNAPE?" The Weasley twins said together  
With that, another person came through the floo, it was Professor Snape himself.  
" Thank you Molly for letting Brenda stay here for the remainder of the summer" Severus said.  
" You're welcome Severus" Mrs. Weasley said smiling.  
" So Brenda do you have everything? Severus asked.  
" Yes sir" Brenda said.  
" Ok good, now behave for Mrs. Weasley, I don't want to get an owl saying that you're misbehaving" Snape warned.  
" Yes sir" Brenda said  
" Well I better go, I'll see you all during term" Snape said and then he went back into the floo  
" Ok now for the look of shock on everybody's faces" Brenda thought as she looked and saw both the Weasley twins' faces and Ron's who decided to get up.  
" Bloody Hell, you live with Snape now?" Ron asked.  
" Yah, it creeped me out at first, but then it turned out not to be so bad" Brenda said.  
" I'm sorry Brenda, but I'm glad I'm not you" George said.  
" Yah, having Snape for a teacher is one thing, but having to live with him is another" Fred said.  
Brenda rolled her eyes, " Then you are glad you're not me, He likes his potions, and he's proud of me for being good at potions. So is Harry here?"  
" He's still sleeping" Ron said.  
" No I'm not, I thought I heard Snape's voice in here, thought I'd investigate" Harry said coming down the stairs.  
" Well Harry, you just missed him, he was dropping off your sister" Fred said.  
" What" Harry asked.  
" Brenda lives with Snape" Ron said.  
Harry's eyes went wide and he looked at his sister, " Is this true? Do you really live with Snape?"  
" Yes" Brenda said uncomfortable, this topic was getting annoying, " Ok enough with the Snape talk."  
" So that's why you never answered our owls, Snape wouldn't let you" Ron said.  
" No, I wrote all the time, a house elf was taking my letters, I was wondering why nobody wrote back, and now I know" Brenda said.  
" Let me guess, Dobby" Harry asked  
" Dobby" Brenda said.  
Two days later the students got their Hogwarts letters  
" These books are expensive this year mum" George said.  
" We'll manage, there is only one place where we'll get all of this... Diagon Alley" Mrs. Weasley said.  
The students smiled and got ready for a day of shopping  
" So how are we getting there?" Harry asked  
" The floo of course" Ron said  
Brenda groaned a bit  
" Don't worry Brenda, we'll catch you" Fred and George teased.  
" That's not very funny, you might have to" Brenda gave them a look.  
The Weasley twins just smirked just the same.  
When everybody was ready for going to Diagon Alley, everybody crowded the fire place in the Weasley's lounge  
" Ok, Ron you go first to show Harry what to do, then Harry you go, then Brenda" Mrs. Weasley started  
" Uh mum, I think George and I should go before Brenda, we had to catch her last time" Fred teased.  
" Just wait until we get back to school Fred, just wait" Brenda threatened.  
" Threatening your floo catcher? tsk tsk tsk, and we're doing this out of the goodness of our hearts" George teased.  
" Leave the girl alone, ok you two can go after Ron" Mr. Weasley said  
Ron went first and was surrounded by flames then the Weasley twins, and then the Potter twins with Brenda going first, Brenda still didn't like traveling by floo and when she reached her destination she had to be caught again.  
" What would you do if we weren't here waiting for you? Fred asked.  
" I don't know" Brenda said rolling her eyes, " Anyway thanks" Her heart skipped a beat looking into Fred's eyes again.  
" No problem, now we need to catch Harry, it will have the same affect on him" George said.  
Harry did not come through, even when everybody else did.  
" You lot where's Harry? Did he wander off?" Mrs. Weasley asked.  
" He never came through" Ron said.  
" Maybe he just went through the wrong grate" Ginny hoped.  
" Lets just hope he only went through one grate too far" Mrs. Weasley said.  
The group left and started looking for Harry, they split up into groups, Ron and Brenda, Fred and George, Percy and Ginny, Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Weasley. 10 minutes later Ron and Brenda found Harry who was with Hagrid.  
" Harry thank goodness" Brenda said, " Hi Hagrid, how was your summer?"  
" It was great, I found Harry in Knocktern Alley, he broke his glasses" Hagrid said.  
Brenda took out her wand, " Hold still Harry, ACULOUS REPAIRO" Harry's glasses were fixed.  
Five minutes later they ran into Hermione  
" Hi Hermione" The three students said.  
" Hi you guys, how was your summer and why didn't you write to me?" Hermione asked the Potter twins.  
The Potter twins told her there stories about Dobby  
" And she was at Snape's all summer long" Ron blurted.  
" Thank you Ron" Brenda said sarcastically.  
" We better find the rest of the Weasleys, they might be worried" Harry said.  
" Oh my mum was" Ron said.  
They found Mrs. Weasley in Flourish and Blotts where Gildaroy Lockhart was saying a speech.  
" Oh Harry there you are, we were hoping you only went one grate too far" Mrs. Weasley said as she was dusting Harry off some, " We went to Gringgotts already and got your money."  
" Thank You" the twins said together.  
" Who's that?" Harry said looking at the man saying a speech.  
" That's Gildaroy Lockhart" Mrs. Weasley said.  
" Mum fancies him, she has every book he ever wrote at home" Ron said  
" Bite your tounge Ronald" Mrs. Weasley said, " I don't have magical me"  
" That's the new one" Ron said and he rolled his eyes.  
Gilderoy Lockhart was still saying his speech but then he stopped and looked towards the group  
" It can't be... Harry and Brenda Potter" Gilderoy Lockhart gasped, " Both of you come up here" he beckoned.  
" You've got to be kidding me" Harry said.  
" Well we've been spotted, we have to go up" Brenda said.  
The two Potters went up to Gilderoy Lockhart  
" Ladies and Gentlemen, I am happy to announce that this is a happy day, when these two young Potters came in here, they didn't know that I Gilderoy Lockhart would give them their school books written by me, free of charge, and addition to my new book Magical Me, I am also proud to announce that I will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts during this term at Hogwarts"  
There were a lot of cheers coming from the women, but not the men.  
" I will now be taking autographs" Lockhart said, " Thank you both for being here today"  
" Well that was embarrassing" Brenda said.  
" I guess we have to get use to it" Harry said  
" Harry, Brenda you guys are so lucky, you actually shook his hand, if I did that, I think I would faint" Hermione said  
" Wow, I like the guy, I read his books, but I'm not that dramatic" Brenda thought.  
When the group was leaving they were stopped by none other than Draco Malfoy.  
" I bet you liked that didn't you? The two perfect Potters, You can't even enter a book shop without making the front page of the Daily Prophet" Malfoy said  
" Leave them alone, they didn't want all of that" Ginny demanded.  
" Oh now you have little 11 year olds defending you? pathetic" Malfoy sneered  
" What do you want Malfoy?" Ron asked annoyed  
" It looks like your family will go hungry for a month, with these expensive books and all" Malfoy teased wickedly.  
Ron went after Malfoy but Mr. Weasley got in front of him and Malfoy.  
" Lets all go outside shall we, it's very crowded in here" Mr. Weasley said trying to prevent a fight.  
Before Mr. Weasley could herd the group outside, Mr. Malfoy appeared.  
" Ah, Arthur Weasley" Mr. Malfoy started.  
" Lucius" Mr. Weasley nodded coldly  
" I hope with all these raids, the ministry is paying you for over time... but judging from your children's books, I'm afraid not" Mr. Malfoy said as he picked a book up from Ginny's cauldron and put it back in, " Aw this must be Ms. Granger, I heard a lot about you and your parents, muggles aren't they? Yes well, come along Draco, we still have to get your brand new school supplies."  
The Malfoy's left the shop.  
" Malfoy's dad is just as bad" Ron said.  
" Well at least we know where he got it from" Hermione said.  
" Well come on you lot, we have a lot more shopping to do" Mr. Weasley said  
After shopping they flooed back to the Weasley's house.  
The rest of the summer went very fast, the students would play Quidditch, it would be Fred, George and Ginny, against Ron, Harry and Brenda, how it was played is that there are no bludgers, and no seeker, the object is to get the most points within an hour, Ron and Ginny were the keepers, and both sets of twins were the chasers. They played Quidditch for the rest of the summer and packed on the night before they had to leave  
" HARRY! RON IT'S TIME TO GET UP" Brenda yelled, it was time to leave for Kings Cross.  
Harry got up but Ron would not  
" Ron get up it's time to go" Harry said.  
" I don't want to, I don't feel like Snape criticizing me on my potions" Ron said still half asleep.  
" Oh come on and get up already, we're going to miss the train" Harry said and started to panic.  
That got Ron up and they hurried and got dressed and opened the door with a very impatient looking Brenda.  
" Sorry" The boys said  
" Come on, we're going to be late, the train leaves at exactly 11:00, it's 10:35" Brenda said in a rush.  
Everybody started running through the house making sure they have everything they need and Mrs. Weasley herded everybody to the flying car.  
" Do not make it fly Arthur Weasley" Mrs. Weasley warned.  
" I'm not going to" Weasley said.  
" How are we supposed to fit everybody inside this?" Harry asked  
" Magic" The Weasleys said  
" There's your answer" Brenda said as she climbed in with her owl  
" Ok is everybody in? Arthur asked, " Do we have Percy, Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Brenda, Ginny, Ok well lets get rolling."  
The group made it at 10:50, they only had 10 minutes to get to platform 9 3/4. The group was running to make it on time, first the Weasley twins went in, then Percy then Ginny and then Mrs. and Mr. Weasley to settle Ginny in, the other three ran at the same time at the wall and crashed into the wall  
" Hey what do you think you're doing?" A conductor asked the three  
" Sorry... we uh... lost control of the trolley" Brenda said when she got up.  
" Why can't we get through?" Harry asked Ron  
" I don't know, the barrier has been blocked." Ron said.  
Brenda looked at the time, " We missed the train, it leaves at exactly 11:00, oh no, what if your parents cant get through Ron?"  
" They can, they can apperate" Ron said.  
" I hate that feeling, so what are we going to do? We missed the train" Brenda said.  
" Lets wait for them by the car" Harry suggested  
" Hmm, the car, I have an idea" Ron said smiling, " Lets go."  
The three of them took their trollies and ran back to the car and loaded it back up and dropped the trollies off then they got in with Ron in the drivers seat, Harry in the passenger seat and Brenda in the back seat.  
" Ron do you know how to drive this thing?" Brenda asked worriedly.  
" One way to find out" Ron said as he started it up.  
" Oh boy" Brenda thought.  
Ron then put the flying gear on it and it started to fly.  
" Uh Ron, muggles don't see flying cars every day" Harry said.  
" Right" Ron said as he put the invisibility shield on it, " Next stop Hogwarts."  
They were in the car for a very long time, they found the train and were following it but they were all getting restless with nothing to do for a very long time, after a while it began to get dark and Ron turned the head lights on.  
" Are we there yet?" Brenda asked bored.  
" Almost, I think I see the lights to the castle" Ron said.  
That excited them all  
After another 20 minutes the car was acting funny, it was slowing down  
" Ok what's wrong" Brenda asked scared now.  
" I think we're running out of gas" Ron said scared.  
They were not at the castle yet, but they could see it, they couldn't land because they were over the black lake  
" We can't be running out of gas, we're over the black lake, we can't land in the black lake" Brenda was panicking.  
All of a sudden the car stopped all together and they were hundreds of feet up in the air and now they were falling.  
All three of them were screaming and the owls were screeching, the car got across the lake though but it crash landed in a tree  
" Ron, Brenda are you ok?" Harry asked  
" Yes" They both said.  
" Angel, Hedwig and Scabbers look fine also" Brenda said checking on the animals.  
" What did we land in?" Ron asked looking at his scenery  
" A willow tree, it looks like" Brenda said  
All of a sudden the tree started attacking  
" OH NO!" Brenda screamed  
The tree was attacking the car and it punched a hole in the back window but Brenda dodged it and covered herself so she wouldn't get cut  
" RON GET US OUT OF HERE!" Brenda screamed  
Ron tried starting the car again and it finally started on the 5th try and he drove away from the tree, then he noticed that his wand was broken.  
" My wand, look at my wand" Ron was shocked.  
" Be lucky it wasn't your neck" Harry said  
All of a sudden the car pushed the three of them out and their trunks out of the back seat and their animals and the car drove off, with three 2nd year students trying to get it back but it went into the Forbidden Forest  
" Dad's going to kill me" Ron said with dread  
The three of them walked to the castle and walked inside  
" They just started the sorting" Ron said happily.  
They walked to the Great Hall and saw every teacher except for one, Snape  
" Ok so where's Snape?" Brenda asked.  
" Maybe he's ill" Ron said hopefully  
" Maybe he quit because he didn't get the D.A.D.A job" Harry suggested hopefully.  
" He would have told me" Brenda said.  
" Maybe he got sacked, nobody but Slytherin and you like him" Ron said hopefully.  
" Again he would have told me" Brenda said rolling her eyes.  
" Or maybe he is waiting for three 2nd years to explain why they weren't on the Hogwarts express" Snape said in a cold and angry voice.  
The three 2nd years froze, barely breathing  
" Oh no you have got to be kidding" Brenda said under her breath.  
The three of them turned around and faced a very angry looking potions professor.  
" Follow me you three" Snape said  
Snape lead the three to the dungeons and to his office, he opened the door and said, " In"  
The three of them went inside, Brenda looked the most scared  
Snape went up to his desk and pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet from one of the drawers.  
" Would one of you like to explain to me why you weren't on the train?"  
" We missed it" Ron said  
" The barrier closed" Harry said  
Brenda didn't say anything but Snape looked at her anyway  
" Do you have an excuse Ms. Potter?"  
Brenda shook her head and said, " That is what happened... sir"  
" So you three decided to fly a car, created by Arthur Weasley is that correct?" Snape asked.  
The three nodded  
" I see... well did you know that YOU WERE SEEN BY NO LESS THAN 6 MUGGLES TODAY, THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC IS DOING THEIR BEST TO CLEAN UP YOUR MESS. Mr. Weasley, your father works in the Muggle department, it was his car that was flying, cars are not meant to fly, I wonder how the Ministry will deal with him because of this. Now when I was taking my daily walk around the school grounds, I saw that the very valuable Whomping Willow had a considerable amount of damage done to it, there is also a bunch of glass and metal around it also, that was not there yesterday." Snape said  
" We ran out of gas and crash landed in the tree... sir" Brenda said.  
" Yes I noticed that. I also noticed that, that tree has been on Hogwarts grounds since BEFORE YOU WERE BORN and not once did that kind of damage happen to that tree" Snape said angry  
" Seriously sir, I think that tree did more damage to us" Ron said.  
" SILENCE! If you three were in my house right now... I would expel you on the spot, but..." Snape said  
That made Brenda wince  
" They are not, Severus" Dumbledore came in along with Professor McGonagall.  
" Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall" The three said together  
" Headmaster" Snape said.  
" We are to leave the punishment of these three 2nd years to their head of house Professor McGonagall" Dumbledore said.  
The three of them looked at their head of house.  
" We'll go get our stuff then" Ron said gloomy.  
" What are you talking about Mr. Weasley" McGonagall asked.  
" You're going to expel us aren't you?" Ron asked.  
It was silent for a few moments  
" I'm in so much trouble, Snape will be very angry... he's already very angry, what am I going to do?" Brenda thought.  
" Not today Mr. Weasley" McGonagall said  
There was relief on all their faces.  
" But you are still not off the hook, you will each have detention with whoever picks you first, and I'm going to be owling your families, I hope you see the seriousness of this situation" McGonagall said.  
The three nodded  
" Good, now you can go to the feast, the sorting ceremony is over, Ginny Weasley is in Gryffindor" McGonagall said  
The three of them walked out of Snape's office and went up to the Great Hall, When they walked through the doors everybody was looking at them when they sat down  
" Well they deserve this embarrassment" Snape said, " It will teach them a lesson."  
At the table Fred and George couldn't believe that their little brother drove the flying car to Hogwarts.  
" Yah but we got in big trouble for it" Ron said.  
" Yah but mum and dad aren't at Hogwarts, they can't do anything to drastic to you" George said.  
" It is really scary having your guardian working at your school, who knows what he is going to do to me" Brenda said, " Harry you're lucky in this case that the Dursleys don't care."  
" Yah, I guess I'm the one who's better off" Harry said.  
I can't believe you would do such a thing, now the ministry is very busy, you three are lucky you weren't expelled" Hermione said.  
" Yah, we were, we were lucky we just got a detentions" Brenda said.  
Everybody but Brenda finished their feast and headed towards the common room.  
Brenda lost her appetite.  
" So did anybody get the password?" Ron asked.  
" It's Wattlebird" Hermione said and the portrait opened.  
" It's good to be home" Harry said.  
The next day during breakfast.  
" I really don't want to go to Potions." Brenda complained.  
" Wow, last year you were excited." Ron said.  
" Last year, Snape wasn't my guardian and we didn't almost get expelled.” Brenda snapped.  
" That's true" Ron said.  
All of a sudden the mail came and Ron receieved something and his eyes were wide.  
" What'd you get?" Harry asked.  
In Ron's hand was a red letter.  
" It's a... a howler" Ron said.  
" Open it Ron, I ignored one from my gran once, it was bad" Neville said.  
Ron carefully opened it some but the letter opened up on it's own and started yelling.  
" RONALD WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR! I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY EXPELLED YOU, WAIT UNTIL I GET OF HOLD OF YOU, YOU WILL BE SORRY, DID YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WERE DOING WHEN YOU STOLE THE CAR, OR WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW THAT IT WAS GONE? YOU, HARRY AND BRENDA COULD HAVE DIED IN THAT CAR! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED, YOUR FATHER IS FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT. IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE YOU ARE COMING STRAIGHT HOME!"  
The Howler fell silent and set itself on fire and the whole Great Hall was silent.  
" Well... it could have been worse" Harry broke the silence  
" How?" Ron asked  
" She could have come in here and yelled like that" Harry said.  
" Well it serves you right, for what you did" Hermione said and then went back to her book.  
" When are you going to forgive us? Haven't we been punished enough?" Brenda asked.  
" Yes I think you have" Hermione said.  
" I still don't know what Snape is going to do to me." Brenda whispered.  
" What's the worse he can do?" Harry asked.  
Brenda turned red, " You don't want to know."  
Brenda was still not eating, she didn't have her appetite back yet.  
After breakfast the 2nd year Gryffindors had Herbology with the 2nd year Slytherins, everybody was talking when they got in the green house and when professor Sprout came in  
" Good morning students" Professor Sprout said, " GOOD MORNING STUDENTS" She said again when they didn't hear her.  
" Good morning Professor Sprout" The class said.  
" Today class we will be repotting mandrake... does anybody know what a mandrake is?" Sprout asked.  
Out of the whole class, only two hands shot up and they were both from Gryffindor.  
" Uh... Ms. Granger" Sprout said.  
" Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative, it is used to return people who have been transfigured or curse to their original state" Hermione said  
" That is correct, 10 points to Gryffindor" Sprout said.  
" It's scream is fatal to anybody who hears it, that's why you layed out these earmuffs, since they are only seedlings,their cries can only knock us out." Brenda said  
" That is correct, another 10 points for Gryffindor" Sprout said, " Ok so everybody put on your earmuffs and make sure they are nice and tight, then pull out your mandrakes and put them in the empty pots and cover them up with new soil."  
Everybody did that and it was very loud even with the earmuffs.  
" Professor Sprout, what is that thing over there?" Seamus Finnigin asked.  
He was pointing at a Venomous Tentacula and Brenda shuttered when she saw it.  
" That is a Venomous Tentacula, we won't be dealing with those for quite some time now, you best be careful, their thorns are poisonous and it will eat humans, that one is only a baby though, the worse it will do is make you faint and bite you, can anybody tell me what the Venomous Tentacula is good for?" Sprout asked  
Nobody but Brenda raised her hand  
" Ms. Potter" Sprout called.  
" Well I don't know much about it... but I do know that Professor Snape uses the venom and the thorns for potions" Brenda said.  
" That is right, he does, that is a bit of interesting knowlege Ms. Potter, 5 points for Gryffindor" Sprout said.  
Brenda smiled.  
" How do you know Snape uses the Venomous Tentacula's venom and thorns?" Ron asked.  
" I learned the hard way, lets drop the topic" Brenda said  
The rest of the time they were replanting Mandrake which was hard because the Mandrakes didn't want to get out of the pot and be put in another one  
After Herbology Malfoy went up to Brenda, “How do you know Professor Snape uses Venomous Tentacula’s venom and thorns in potions?”  
“Because I ask him potion questions sometimes when class is over. How else would I know that?” Brenda asked and rolled her eyes and caught up with her friends who were glaring at Malfoy.  
“What was that about?” Harry asked.  
“Malfoy asked me how I knew about the Venomus Tentacula and how I know Snape uses the venom and thorns in potions.”  
“What did you tell him?” Ron asked, “You didn’t tell him you live with Snape.”  
“Ron of course not, nobody is supposed to know that, I would be happy if you kept your voice down.” Brenda said with a glare. “I just told him I ask Professor Snape questions outside of class. We’re allowed to do that you know.”  
The 2nd years next class was Transfiguration where they had to turn a rat into a goblet, Hermione and Brenda got it the first time, They studied over the summer. It took Harry a few times to get the spell right and when Ron did it with his wand, he made his goblet fuzzy with a tail.  
" I suggest Mr. Weasley you get a new wand" McGonagall said.  
Ron only nodded.  
It took the whole hour for everybody minus Ron to perfect the goblet spell.  
After Transfiguration it was time for lunch.  
" Oh no, after lunch is Potions" Brenda panicked.  
" Relax Brenda, he can't do anything bad to you during class" Ron said.  
" I wouldn't put that in his mind Ron, who knows what he's capable of" Brenda whispered.  
Brenda didn't eat during lunch, she was very nervous to be facing Snape, she knew she would be in trouble.  
" Brenda you need to eat something" Harry said.  
" I'm not hungry, I'm too nervous to be hungry, you guys have never seen Snape angry" Brenda said.  
" We saw him mad last night" Ron said.  
" That was nothing" Brenda said, " A few months ago, I went into a room I wasn't supposed to, it’s the main reason why I know about the Venomus Tentacula. I blacked out so I don’t know what all happened or how long I was blacked out for, when I woke up, Snape was angry, what we saw last night was just a taste of his anger."  
" Well, not eating will not make anything better, it might make things worse" Hermione said.  
" I'm not hungry" Brenda said.  
" You haven't eaten anything since breakfast yesterday" Harry said.  
" I'm still not hungry" Brenda said.  
" Look, I don't want to be mean, but we can make you eat the easy way, or the hard way" Hermione said.  
" Out of curiosity what's the hard way?" Brenda asked  
" Telling Professor Snape and he will make you eat." Hermione said.  
Brenda gasped, " You wouldn't."  
Hermione looked at her.  
" You would" Brenda said and rolled her eyes and began eating.  
Five minutes later she felt sick with nerves and she ran to the bathroom not caring who saw her run out.  
Nobody saw the look of concern that came across Snape’s face, then his face went blank.  
Brenda vomited everything that she ate that day  
" I know I shouldn't be this nervous, I just don't want to see the anger in Severus's eyes, nor do I want to know what he's going to do to me, I know he's going to do something, I just don't know what" Brenda thought, " Brenda you really need to calm down, you know Severus, the worst thing he will do is... spank you, he can't be that mean and spank me in front of the class, Slytherins are in that class, I don't think he'll risk his reputation... ok I feel a little better."  
Brenda came out of the stall and went to the sink and washed out her mouth and cooled off her face  
" I just need to relax" she said to herself  
Finally it was time to go to Potions  
" Ok Brenda this is it, just relax, everything will be ok" Brenda told herself  
" Why are you talking to yourself Brenda?" Moaning Myrtle asked  
" Wow Myrtle... you scared me, I'm just very nervous right now and I need to relax, that's why I'm talking to myself.”  
" Oh, ok, I was wondering why you were vomiting in the toilet" Myrtle said as she went back into her stall  
" That is one strange ghost" Brenda thought to herself as she walked out of the girls bathroom and headed to potions  
Brenda headed down to the dungeons and breathed deeply trying to calm herself down  
" Hey Brenda are you ok?" Harry asked.  
" I'll be fine, I just need to calm down" Brenda said.  
Five minutes later the Potions master came in the room.  
" I trust you all did your homework over the summer, because we are turning them in right now, when I call you up, place your potion on my desk" Snape said.  
This took about five minutes. When it was Brenda's turn though she became really nervous and when she went up to his desk she didn't make eye contact.  
Snape lifted an eyebrow.  
After all the Potions homework was on his desk, it was time to start the lesson.  
" We are going to review what you all learned from last year... hmm, Mr. Potter, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood? Snape asked  
" I knew he was going to do something like this." Harry thought.  
" He better not call on me" Brenda thought.  
Hermione raised her hand.  
" Well Mr. Potter?" Snape asked.  
" Sir, if you mix those two ingredients together you get a very powerful sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death" Harry said.  
" Those were my exact words" Brenda thought glad Harry was paying attention.  
" Hmm very good, you either learned something in this class or you remember what Ms. Potter told the class last year since you said it in the exact same way with the exact same words, which one was it?" Snape asked, " You better tell the truth, I know when somebody is lying."  
" I remember Brenda answering that question, and I looked it up myself last year." Harry said.  
" Hmm, you answered it no matter how you figured it out, next question goes to... Ms. Potter." Snape said.  
Brenda lifted her head and met Snape's eyes but then looked away.  
Snape lifted his eyebrow again, “Ms. Potter, this is just a review, lets see if you remember what you learned last year. Ms. Potter what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"  
Brenda mumbled something.  
" What was that? I couldn't hear you" Snape said.  
The Slytherins snickered and the Gryffindors glared at them  
" Their is no difference between monkshood and wolfsbane because they are the same plant which also goes by the name of aconite" Brenda whispered not making eye contact.  
" Very good, ok one more question... Mr. Weasley, what is a Bezoar and where would I find it?" Snape asked.  
" A... A Bezoar sir" Ron asked nervous because he didn't know the answer.  
" Yes a Bezoar" Snape said.  
" I don't know sir." Ron said.  
" Well clearly you didn't study over the summer, I'm almost afraid to know how your homework did turn out" Snape said, " 5 points from Gryffindor for not studying" Snape said, " Can anybody else answer?"  
Hermione raised her hand  
" Anybody... anybody besides Ms. Granger?" Snape asked.  
Snape looked at Brenda  
" Ms. Potter, you usually have your hand raised, you answered this last year, why don't you answer again?" Snape asked.  
" So this is what he's doing, he wants me to feel uncomfortable... well he's winning" Brenda thought.  
" Well Ms. Potter, we're all waiting for your wonderful answer" Snape said sarcastically.  
" Why don't you let somebody else have a turn? I answered it last year, ask a Slytherin a question, they've been silent the whole time" Brenda said.  
There were a lot of gasps  
" Silence.” Snape ordered and it got very quiet in the classroom. Snape looked at Brenda for a minute.  
Brenda was very nervous.  
Snape lifted an eyebrow, “ Very well, Ms. Potter, I will see you after class" Snape said and then turned to the Slytherins... Mr. Malfoy what is a Bezoar and where would I find it?"  
" Uh... a Bezoar... has something to do with an animal... uh... professor why are you listening to Potter? You asked her the question" Malfoy said.  
" Mr. Malfoy did you open your potions book at all during the summer?" Snape asked.  
" Of course I did, My father made me" Malfoy said.  
" Then answer the question" Snape said.  
" I don't know... I forgot, I did a lot of studying over the summer professor" Malfoy said.  
" Very well, I'll call on somebody else" Snape said, " Ms. Granger."  
" Sir, a Bezoar is a stone that is inside the belly of a goat, it will cure most poisons" Hermione said proudly.  
" Thank you, I'm disappointed it took four people to answer a single question, Mr. Malfoy studied too much, Mr. Weasley didn't know it, Ms. Potter answered it last year so she felt that it was somebody else's turn to answer a question, Ms. Granger always likes to answer questions. Well I think we had enough review time, take out your books and turn it to page 245 and read about the uses of the Venomous Tentacula.” Snape ordered.  
Brenda put her head up and looked at Snape with wide eyes.  
Snape lifted an eyebrow, looked at Brenda for a couple seconds, then went to his desk and started grading the potions.  
" Sir, shouldn't the Venomous Tentacula be in the Herbology book? I mean... it is a... a plant... sir" Neville said.  
The whole class was shocked that Neville asked a question in Potions.  
" The Venomous Tentacula is useful in different potions, that is why Mr. Longbottom it is in the potions book" Snape said, " Now no more interruptions and get back to your reading or you will lose another 5 points for disrupting the class."  
Neville went back to his reading with a red face.  
Finally class was over and everybody packed up to leave.  
" Ms. Potter, I need to speak to you." Snape called.  
There were snickers coming from the Slytherins but Brenda glared daggers at them. Once everybody was out of the classroom Brenda went up to Snape's desk.  
" Yes professor?" Brenda asked.  
" Are you feeling alright?" Snape asked.  
" I feel fine sir, why do you ask?" Brenda said not looking him straight in the eye.  
" Well first of all you're not looking me straight in the eye, 2nd of all you didn't want to answer a question" Snape said.  
" I answered it last year" Brenda said, " I thought it was time for somebody else to have a turn... sir."  
" Will you look up Brenda?" Snape asked.  
Brenda looked up and looked at him in the eye, he didn't have anger in his eyes, he had concern.  
" That's better, now tell me what's wrong" Snape said.  
" N-nothing is wrong sir." Brenda said.  
" I know you better than that" Snape said, well come back here after your classes are over, you are going to serve your detention with me" Snape said.  
Brenda's eyes went wide again.  
"Here drink this" Snape said taking a potion out of his desk drawer.  
" W-What is it?" Brenda asked.  
" It's a calming draught, it will get rid of your butterflies in your stomach" Snape said, "You really need to calm down, I'm not going to spank you... I think that is what you think I'm going to do to you, I'm not going to... I promise."  
Brenda smiled a bit and then took the potion which calmed her down already  
" Good, now I noticed you didn’t eat anything for breakfast or lunch. I want you to finish everything on your plate during dinner." Snape said  
Brenda nodded  
" Now get to Charms, I'll write you a note to give to Flitwick that will notify him why you're late." Snape said.  
It took him a few minutes to write it and then handed it to Brenda.  
" Dismissed" Snape said.  
Brenda smiled and headed out the door.  
Brenda hurried towards Charms with the note in her hand. She was only a few minutes late so she didn't interrupt much.  
" Ms. Potter, so glad of you to join us" Flitwick said.  
" Sorry professor, Professor Snape wanted to speak to me, I have a note" Brenda said as she handed him the note.  
" Very well, we are on page 15 in our charms books, now go take your seat" Flitwick said.  
Brenda took her seat.  
" What did Snape want?" Harry asked.  
" He gave me a calming draught and said don't be so nervous" Brenda said, " he sounded concerned instead of angry."  
" See, you were over reacting" Ron said.  
" I think I was" Brenda said.  
The rest of the day went smoothly.  
Finally classes were over and Brenda had to go see Snape again.  
" At least I'm not freaking out anymore" Brenda thought, " He said he's not going to spank me."  
Brenda walked in to the dungeons and stood outside Snape's classroom door and knocked and waited patiently.  
" Come in" Snape said.  
Brenda opened the door and walked inside.  
" How was the rest of your day?" Snape asked.  
Brenda thought for a moment and said, " Calm."  
Snape nodded.  
" Ok your detention will start after dinner tonight, what I want you to do is restock the potions in my private storage room, for the high shelves there is a step ladder, if you still can't reach everything, you have permission to use WINDGADRIUM LEVIOSA, but be very careful." Snape said.  
" I will be, I promise" Brenda said, she thought "This won't be that bad of a punishment after all."  
" All the vials are labeled and there are labels on the shelves also, it should be very easy." Snape said.  
Brenda nodded in agreement  
" Ok now if you will follow me for your other punishment" Severus said  
" Other punishment?" Brenda was confused.  
" Yes, the stocking potions is the professor, student punishment, this is the guardian, ward punishment" Severus said and looked at Brenda who looked scared again and wasn't moving. Severus sighed, " I already told you I wasn't going to spank you, now come on."  
" How did he know I was thinking about that?" Brenda thought to herself. With a grudge, Brenda followed her guardian.  
Severus led Brenda to a portrait that looked a lot like Severus but older, who asked for the password.  
" Gillyweed" Severus said and the portrait opened for him but closed when Brenda almost went inside.  
"Gillyweed" Brenda said.  
The portrait wouldn't open.  
" This guy must be a Slytherin too" Brenda thought.  
The portrait opened when Severus came out and talked to the portrait. "She is to be let in, she is under my care for a long time, I suggest you let her in with the password, you are not to tell anybody though." Severus threatened.  
The portrait nodded and let them both in.  
" He doesn't trust Gryffindors too much" Severus said.  
" I noticed" Brenda said.  
" This is my apartment... my home away from home... and is now your home too." Severus said  
" Uh... Professor, with no disrespect or anything but my home is in the Gryffindor tower" Brenda said.  
" Yes I know, but parents and guardians at this school always provide a room for their kids and wards, it is required." Severus said.  
Brenda nodded in understanding.  
" Ok now for the grand tour, we are in the lounge, the same rules apply here as they do at home, your room is the one next to the couch to your right, mine is next to the fireplace." Severus explained.  
Brenda nodded  
Luckily for you there are no forbidden rooms in here, nor any secret passages to get lost into, of course there are enough of those in the castle you probably found already" Severus said.  
" No, I haven't... but I think the Weasley twins did" Brenda said with a grin.  
" Yes they love getting into mischief, ok anyway back to your punishment" Severus started and saw Brenda cringe, " Your punishment is that you are grounded."  
Brenda looked confused.  
" I mean that you will come down here after Dinner and you will not be able to talk to your friends, you will sleep down here and you will not go wandering the castle after hours. Do I make myself clear?" Severus asked.  
Brenda nodded  
" Your punishment will start tomorrow since tonight you don't have time to pack your things and bring them down here." Severus said  
Brenda nodded sadly and asked, " How long am I grounded for?"  
" As long as I see fit." Severus said.  
" Can I still play Quidditch when the season starts?" Brenda asked.  
" We will see, depends how well you behave." Severus said.  
Brenda nodded in understanding.  
" I just won't be irritating with questions and complaints" Brenda thought.  
" Ok now let me show you where my private stores are" Severus said as they walked out of the apartment and out of the dungeons and to a tall door that said potions. Severus took out a big key and unlocked the door and walked inside, inside there were shelves and shelves filled with potions and each one of them had lables on the shelf and on the vial.  
" We have a half hour before dinner, would you like to get started now?" Severus asked.  
" Yes sir" Brenda said.  
" Remember, I want you to eat everything on your plate, and that plate better be full" Severus said.  
" Yes sir" Brenda said again.  
" Ok you may get started" Severus said.  
Snape handed her the key.  
" Remember to lock up when you leave for dinner" Severus said and left.  
" Restocking potions, I like potions, maybe this will be fun" Brenda said and got to work.  
Brenda barely made a dent before it was time for dinner.  
" Oh man I have a long way to go... maybe if I skip dinner... no I can't do that, they all want me to eat, I have to eat or Severus will be angry with me and then he'll tell me I can't play Quidditch" Brenda said to herself.  
She grudgedly left the potions room and closed the door and remembering to lock the door.  
" Don't want anybody to come in here and steal all these" Brenda thought to herself.  
Brenda was happy when she sat next to her friends.  
" Well you seem in a better mood this evening" Hermione said.  
" Yah, did you drink calming draught?" Ron asked.  
" No, I just didn't get spanked" Brenda whispered  
" Oh the punishment, what was it?" Harry asked  
Brenda's face fell a bit  
" I'm grounded to Snapes apartment, it's my apartment too apparently but I really don't want to sleep down in the dungeons" Brenda said.  
" You're grounded, for how long?" Harry asked  
" Until he sees fit, I'm also on border line for Quidditch, I need to be very good, my punishment starts tomorrow because tonight I have no time to pack" Brenda said.  
" So why are you happy?" Ron asked, " You have to sleep in the same home as Snape, why would that make you happy?"  
" Maybe because he's not as evil as we thought he was" Brenda said, " I lived with him all summer long, he's really not that bad, if you stay on his good side."  
" Didn't know that git had a good side" Ron said.  
Brenda rolled her eyes, dished up and made sure she had a full plate and started eating.  
" Nothing is going to ruin my chance of playing Quidditch" Brenda thought to herself.  
Finally after dinner, Brenda excused herself from the table and headed towards the potions room and began her work, a bunch of times she had to use WINDGADRIUM LEVIOSA to get the vials in the right place.  
Brenda finished at 9:30 and headed out the door and locked the door, went back down to the dungeons and to the apartment.  
" Ok lets see if this works" Brenda thought and said to the portrait, " Gillyweed."  
The portrait glared at her but opened up for her and she went through.  
" Have you finished?" Severus asked.  
" Yes sir" Brenda said as she handed him the key.  
" Hmm, you finished an hour and a half earlier then most people when they have to do that for detention, I trust you ate dinner" Severus said, " And it was a full plate."  
" Yes sir, even ask Harry, Ron and Hermione if you need to" Brenda said.  
Severus looked at her for a long minute.  
" I believe you, I don't need to ask your friends" Severus said, " Now you remembered to lock the potions door right?"  
" Yes sir" Brenda said.  
" Ok well then you are dismissed, good night" Snape said.  
" Good night sir" Brenda said and left the apartment.  
Brenda was heading up to the Gryffindor tower but she bumped into Filch.  
" What are you doing out of your common room after hours?" Filch asked.  
" I was finishing detention" Brenda said.  
" A likely story, what were you really doing? Snooping around the castle just like your father." Filch said.  
" I was finishing a detention with Professor Snape, I am tired and I will like to go to my dorm now" Brenda said.  
" You said you were finishing a detention with Professor Snape, I delt with students like you before and they were lying through their teeth, this will be fun, come on we are going to see Professor Snape" Filch said.  
" But I just came from there" Brenda protested but Filch wasn't listening.  
Filch dragged Brenda to Snape's classroom but Snape wasn't there.  
" He's in his apartment" Brenda said boredly.  
" Be quiet Potter" Filch snapped.  
Filch dragged Brenda to the portrait that leads to the apartment.  
" Professor Snape, Professor Snape" Filch called.  
Snape opened the portrait and saw Filch holding Brenda's arm tightly.  
" Yes Argus? Snape asked.  
" Ms. Potter is telling me that she just got done with a detention with you, I didn't believe her, this happened before" Filch said.  
" I know what you are saying, yes students have lied and said that they had detention with me, but in this case Argus, Ms. Potter was serving her detention, she was stocking my stores with potions, I guess I didn't realize how late it was, I will escort Ms. Potter to the Gryffindor tower, thank you Argus" Snape said.  
" You are lucky this time Ms. Potter, next time you might not be so lucky" Filch said and then he left.  
" There better not be a next time" Severus said warningly.  
They waited until Filch was gone and then Snape escorted Brenda to the Gryffindor Tower enterance.  
" I suggest you go inside and not go wandering around the castle" Severus said.  
" Don't worry sir, I won't be wondering around" Brenda said.  
" Well good night Ms. Potter" Severus said.  
" Good night professor" Brenda said and watched her guardian walk out of ear shot then Brenda turned around and said, " Wattlebird" to the Fat lady and she moved aside and Brenda walked in.  
" What a night" Brenda thought to herelf before she went up to her dorm to get ready for bed.  
The next day the students had Defense against the Dark Arts with their new professor, none other then Gilderoy Lockhart.  
" I am looking forward to taking Defense Against the Dark Arts with Lockhart, he is so brave, most of the books this year he wrote did you know that?" Hermione asked.  
" Wow, she's happy" Brenda thought and said, " Yes Hermione, I'm excited too, I have a feeling we will be taught a lot in his class, he defeated all of those creatures and all."  
" I don't think he's all that" Ron said.  
" You're just jealous " Hermione said.  
Ron rolled his eyes and the others chuckled.  
" Well lets hurry up and get a good seat for his class" Brenda suggested.  
" Ok well are we all done? Let's go now" Hermione said eagerly.  
The four of them left the Great Hall and walked fast towards the D.A.D.A. room.  
" Oh great only 10 minutes until class starts" Hermione said eagerly.  
There was a lot of commotion when more people showed up, all the girls were eager to have Gilderoy Lockhart as a teacher and kept saying how cute and brave he was and stuff like that. Finally Lockhart came in.  
" Let me introduce you to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Me. Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League and five times winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award... enough about that. I didn't get rid of the Baron Banshee by smiling!" Lockhart said then started smiling and laughing showing his very white teeth.  
Ron looked at him like he was mad.  
" I see you all have a complete set of all my books. I thought we'd start today with a quiz. It won't be hard, I'm sure you all will do just fine, I just want to know how well you read them and understood them" Lockhart said.  
A lot of the boys groaned and the girls were happy, they obviously read the books.  
" You have 30 minutes to answer all the questions... now go" Lockhart said setting a timer.  
There were a lot of quill scratchings on parchment.  
Finally 30 minutes were up.  
" Ok put down your quills and pass in your parchment" Lockhart said.  
Everybody passed them in and Lockhart looked them over with a frown.  
" Only 2 percent of you know that my favorite color is lilac, and only Hermione Granger and Brenda Potter knew that my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair care potions. I'm proud of you girls" Lockhart said.  
" How did you know that?" Ron asked  
" It's called reading the books before class starts" Brenda said.  
" Yes Ron if you would read a bit you would know this" Hermione said.  
" Now... be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizard kind You may find yourself facing you own worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can will come to you since I'm here. Lockhart said, " You must not scream. It might make them mad." Lockhart took out a cage and took the cover off of it and inside were Cornish pixies and everybody started to laugh because they weren't dangerous.  
" Cornish pixies?" Seamus asked laughing.  
"Freshly caught Cornish pixies." Lockhart said " Laugh all you want, Mr. Finnegan, but pixies can be devilishly tricky little buggers. Let's see what you make of them!" Lockhart opened the cage and all the Cornish pixies began terrorizing the students and getting out of control.  
After a while Lockhart knew they were out of control and he tried to stop them but a pixie took his wand and threw it out the window and took one of Lockhart's self portraits and also threw that out the window. Lockhart began panicking and saw that Neville Longbottom was hung on a ceiling fan, Lockhart saw that the students were running out of the classroom and he decided to do the same thing.  
Lockhart ran and turned to the last four.  
" I'll just leave you to put them back in their cages" Lockhart said and then left.  
" What do we do now?" Ron asked in a panicked voice.  
The girls looked at each other and got their wands out and on each side shouted, " Immobilus!" all the pixies were floating and were immobile.  
Neville looked around and then at the four, " Why is it always me?"  
All four of them said the WINDGADRIUM LEVIOSA spell and got Neville off the ceiling without him getting hurt.  
" Are you ok?" Harry asked.  
" Yah, those pixies are stronger than they look" Neville said rubbing his ears where the pixies picked him up by.  
The five of them left the room and went to their next class.  
After dinner that night Brenda had to go straight to the Gryffindor Tower and pack her belongings since she was going to live with Snape for awhile. Since she could use magic, it only took her 10 minutes to pack everything and put it in her bag.  
" Are you scared Brenda? I mean living down in the dungeons" Hermione asked a little worried.  
" Well... the Slytherins do it, and I lived with Snape over the summer, the apartment isn't that bad, I just haven't seen my room yet, whatever it looks like, I'm not going to complain or whine about anything... even if it has Slytherin colors... scary thought though" Brenda said with a shudder.  
" Well, Good luck living with him" Hermione said.  
" Thanks" Brenda said.  
The two girls walked out of the dorm room together.  
" You're leaving already?" Ron asked.  
" Yah, I have to go, I'm grounded" Brenda said.  
" Wow, I'm so sorry you have to live with him, it must be awful" Ron said.  
" It's not as bad as you think" Brenda said.  
" So how long are you grounded for?" Harry asked.  
" I thought I told you... until he says otherwise basically" Brenda said.  
" Well... good luck" Harry said.  
" Thanks... no offense but you sound like you're never going to see me again, we have class together, breakfast, lunch, dinner, free time before meal times, and I won't be grounded forever" Brenda said.  
" We'll still miss you" Harry said.  
Brenda smiled, " That's sweet, well I better go before Snape gets angry."  
She left the Common Room and headed down towards the dungeons and to the apartment.  
" Gillyweed" Brenda told the portrait.  
The portrait opened but it glared at her and Brenda rolled her eyes.  
" I'm going to figure out what Gillyweed is, I think its a plant so it should be in an Herbology book" Brenda thought as she went all the way inside.  
" Good evening Brenda, how was your day with Lockhart?" Severus asked at his desk.  
" He is full of himself, we took a quiz that was all about him, he let loose Cornish pixies around the room, he ran out afraid of them and Hermione and I stopped them" Brenda said, " Other than that, it was ok, Hermione and I got the highest grade on the test."  
" That's good, well I'll let you get settled in then" Severus said and he went back to his work.  
Brenda nodded and went to her room which she hasn't seen yet, when she opened the door she didn't like what she saw, the room was like a Slytherin shrine, it was all Green and Silver and there were snake pictures everywhere and there was a big snake picture on the wall behind the bed, the bed sheets and covers were snakes, the bed posts had snakes on them.  
" You've got to be kidding" Brenda thought, " Ok I promised myself I will not whine or complain... I won't, this is his apartment after all, he can decorate it however he wants to."  
Brenda started to unpack her things and she put most of her things in the green and silver chest of drawers and hung her clothes up in the closet that has snake coils for door knobs.  
" How's the room?" Severus asked from his desk.  
" Evil" Brenda thought but said, " uh... It's fine thanks" She thought, " I'm not going to complain."  
Brenda hurried and unpacked all of her things then brought a book out and got out of that room, she sat on the couch and began reading.  
" So do you like your room?" Severus asked.  
" Uh... it's... nice" Brenda said and smiled then went back to her reading.  
Brenda followed the same schedule as the one at Snape manor, she dreaded when it was time for bed, she didn't want to sleep with snake pictures and statues everywhere, but she didn't want to complain either.  
" I just need to grin and bare it" Brenda thought  
Brenda tried sleeping in that bed but it just creeped her out, there were too many snake pictures and things in the room, she waited until she heard Severus turn in and she took her robe and walked out of her room being very quiet and curled up on the couch.  
The next day very early, Brenda knew Severus would be coming out of his room so she got up and tiptoed back to her room and pretended to be asleep.  
" It would be very scary if Severus found me sleeping on the couch" Brenda thought.  
An hour later Severus came out of his room and looked around the lounge and to the couch.  
" That pillow does not belong there" Severus thought and smirked as he replaced it, " Not too long now"  
A half hour later Severus told Brenda to get up.  
Brenda still hated the room in the day time, but it wasn't as creepy as it is at night. Brenda hurriedly got dressed and out of that room.  
" Good morning Severus" Brenda said smiling.  
" Good morning Brenda, sleep well?" Severus asked a little sarcastically.  
" I slept fine thanks" Brenda said with a forced smile.  
Brenda couldn't wait until she got to see her friends, she wanted to get out of the apartment and talk to her friends so badly.  
A half hour later the two of them left to go to breakfast.  
Brenda hurridly sat next to her friends.  
" Brenda you look like you just seen a ghost" Harry said.  
" I happen to be behind you" Sir Nicolas said with a huff.  
" Oops sorry Sir Nicolas, it's just a figure of speech muggles use" Harry said.  
Sir Nicolas left with a huff.  
" What's wrong?" Ron said.  
" What makes you think anythings wrong?" Brenda asked forcing a smile.  
" Because you're forcing a smile, pretending nothing is the matter" Hermione said.  
Brenda's face fell.  
" Ok I'll tell you, my room is creepy, it's all Slytherin, not just colors but it's like a snake shrine, there are snake pictures and statues everywhere, I don't know maybe it's a Gryffindor thing. I just don't like it" Brenda said.  
" Why didn't you tell Snape?" Ron asked.  
" Because I don't want to complain or whine about anything, I don't want to ruin my chance to be on Quidditch, I really want to play" Brenda said, " Like I said last night, I just need to grin and bare it."  
" So when do Quidditch tryouts start?" Ron asked  
" Next week" the Potter twins said together and laughed.  
" I am so trying out, it was fun watching but I bet its more fun playing" Ron said excitedly, " What about you Hermione, are you going to try out?"  
" I don't think so, I have so much studying to do" Hermione said, " I like watching Quidditch, you don't get hurt"  
" So what classes do we have today?" Harry asked the girls.  
" Herbology, Transfiguration, Potions, Charms" The girls said together.  
" You both have the schedule down don't you" Ron said.  
" Yes" the girls said together.  
" It's not that hard to figure out Ron" Hermione said.  
After breakfast the 2nd years went to Herbology.  
A week passed and every night Brenda would sleep on the couch and hurry to her room before Severus would come out of his. Sometimes she felt something weird when she was down in the apartment, like somebody was trying to get in her head.  
" So Brenda are you going to tryouts?" Ron asked  
" Once you made the team you're on the team" Brenda said.  
" I hope I make it" Ron said.  
" Well good luck, I'm going to be in the library" Brenda said heading towards the portrait.  
" You're not going to root for me?" Ron asked.  
" I have to go to the library, there is something I need to look up, but I give you the best of luck I can possibly give you" Brenda said smiling.  
" Thanks" Ron said smiling.  
You're welcome, now show them what you got" Brenda said as she headed out the portrait hole.  
" I need to find out what or who is prying through my brain, it feels like they're reading my mind, I wonder if there is a spell for that, that's a little creepy" Brenda thought.  
She headed towards the library.  
" May I help you Ms. Potter?" Madam Pince asked.  
" Uh no thank you Madam Pince, I'm just looking" Brenda said with a smile.  
" Ok, take your time, don't you dare damage any of these books though" Madam Pince warned.  
" Yah right and face your wrath? I don't think so" Brenda thought.  
Brenda looked all day in the library and she only found a few books that had a lot of information on Legilimency which is the magical skill to extract thoughts, feelings, and memories from another person's mind; Occlumency was the defense of the mind against Legilimency, Legilimens which is the incantation required to perform Legilimency and it also is the name of a witch or wizard that could perform Legilimency.  
" This sounds promising, this will also be interesting to read, maybe I can use Occlumency on whoever is using Legilimency on me" Brenda thought.  
Brenda put that book in her check out pile and went on searching for more books on the subject.  
At the end of the day she had four useful books to read on Legilimency and Occlumency.  
" I would like to check these books out Madam Pince" Brenda said.  
" Legilimency and Occlumency, why these Ms. Potter?" Madam Pince asked in a curious and strict tone.  
" For... a bit of light reading" Brenda said.  
" Ok, here are the books, now just heed the warning on the inside cover, when the books are returned there better not be any rips, tears, bends, folds, deface, disfigures, smears, smudges, they must not be thrown, dropped, or any other mistreatment, do you understand? Madam Pince asked.  
" I understand, so far I have not done any of that to one of your precious books, I treat them like they are my own" Brenda assured her.  
" Yes you are one of my regulars" Madam Pince said, " Well good day."  
Brenda picked up her books and put them in her bag and hurried down to meet her friends for dinner.  
" Ron how did you do?" Brenda asked, " Did you make it?"  
Ron looked depressed.  
" He didn't, he tried his best but Alicia Spinnet beat him, I swear though if it wasn't for her, Ron would be on the team" Harry said.  
" So did you find what you were looking for?" Hermione asked.  
" Yes, I got books on Legilimency and Occlumency, I think it will be interesting and good to learn" Brenda said, " Ron I wish I could have been there cheering you on, I'm sorry."  
" It's ok Brenda, you gave me luck, you were there in spirit" Ron said smiling, " Oh well, it's fun watching too."  
The next day Brenda felt that sensation of somebody being in her head again and she looked around but found nobody looking at her... except Severus Snape.”  
" Oh My" Brenda said to herself, She remembered in one of the books that the person needs to be looking at you in order for them to read your mind, " It's been him the whole time... he knows I don't like the room and that I've been sleeping on the couch"  
" So have you guys served your detentions yet?" Hermione asked.  
" I have mine in a few weeks with Lockhart" Harry said.  
" Nobody told me yet" Ron said.  
" Harry, did Wood say when our first practice is?" Brenda asked.  
" He said this Thursday" Harry said.  
Brenda nodded.  
The rest of the night Brenda was in the library reading until dinner, she wanted to know Occlumency ASAP so Severus wouldn't be able to read her mind.  
Brenda rushed to dinner, she was almost late because what she was reading was really good, Brenda barely talked to her friends and hurried back to the library to read some more until dinner was over and she would have to go down to the dungeons.  
When Brenda left the library and got to the dungeons she bumped into Malfoy.  
" Watch it Potter!" Malfoy spat, " What are you doing down here anyway? Your common room is on the seventh floor."  
" None of your business, now get out of my way" Brenda glared.  
" What are you doing down here?" Malfoy asked again.  
" I have to talk to Snape, now leave me alone" Brenda said and shoved Malfoy out of her way.  
" I'm not in the mood for Slytherins" Brenda thought as she went to the portrait and said, " gillyweed."  
With the same glare the portrait moved aside and she stepped inside.  
" You're late" Severus said.  
" Sorry but Malfoy wouldn't let me pass" Brenda said a little annoyed.  
It was a creepy quiet and Brenda marched into her Slytherin room and she cringed like she always does.  
" Ok this has gone on far enough, he knows I don't like it, he wanted me to say something... fine I will" Brenda thought to herself, she came back out of her room and waited until Snape was done grading the parchment.  
" Is there something you want Brenda?" Severus asked thinking, " I hope she's going to tell me what she wants"  
" Yes... by any chance can my room be redecorated? I know you won't like it because your the head of Slytherin but..." Brenda started.  
" Brenda... I was waiting the whole time for you to say something about the room, I want you to open up to me, you don't have to be afraid" Severus said.  
That startled Brenda some and with a wave of Severus's wand, the Slytherin things turned into Gryffindor colors and lions replaced the snakes.  
" How's that?" Severus asked.  
Brenda smiled, " Much better."  
" Good now will you stop sleeping on the couch?" Severus asked.  
Brenda's eyes got wide, " You knew?"  
" Of course I did, there's not much that gets past me in this apartment" Severus said and looked at her.  
" Yes I will sleep in there now" Brenda said smiling.  
" Good" Severus said.  
" Since we are now being honest .. can you please stop using Legilimency on me?" Brenda asked.  
" How do you know about that?" Severus asked curious and surprised.  
" Well first I didn't know who it was or what was going on but I could feel somebody probing into my brain so I went to the library and looked up mind reading and it led me to Legilimency, I read the definition and I figured out it was you who was reading my mind" Brenda explained.  
" Yes I will stop if you stay opened up with whatever is on your mind that's bugging you, got it" Severus said.  
" Got it" Brenda said.  
The rest of the night went smoother and for the first time, Brenda spent the whole night in her bed and she wasn't creeped out.  
A few days later it was Thursday and it was the day for the first Quidditch practice to start.  
" I can play Quidditch right" Brenda asked Severus.  
" Yes you may play, you have been very good with your punishment" Severus said.  
Brenda smiled and got ready for the day.  
Harry was very excited about Quidditch starting.  
" I wonder what new things Wood thought up for this season" Harry said aloud.  
" Well we will figure out when we start practice after classes" Brenda said.  
The day went really slow for the Quidditch players but finally it was time to get changed for practice and head out to the Quidditch pitch.  
" I spent the summer thinking up of a whole new Quidditch program. We're going to train earlier, harder, and longer!" Wood said when they were heading out to the pitch. All of a sudden the Gryffindors saw the Slytherin team, " What the... I don't believe it!"  
Ron and Hermione know something is going to go wrong.  
" Uh-oh this can't be good" Ron said to Hermione as they walked over to the group.  
" Clear out, Flint! I booked the pitch for Gryffindor today" Wood commanded.  
" Easy, Wood. I've got a note" Flint said as he handed him the note.  
" I, Professor Severus Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today, because they need to train their new seeker... you have a new seeker... who" Wood asked.  
All of a sudden a boy with very blond hair came to the front.  
" Malfoy" Harry and Brenda said together surprised.  
" That's right. And that's not all that's new this year" Malfoy said as the whole team showed the Gryffindor team Nimbus 2001s.  
" Those are Nimbus 2001s" Ron said stunned.  
" It was a gift from Draco's father" Flint said.  
" That's right, unlike some, my father can afford the best" Malfoy said.  
" Well at least nobody on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in, they got in on pure talent" Hermione said.  
Malfoy went up to Hermione and said, " Nobody asked your opinion, you filthy little mudblood."  
It was quiet on both sides, Hermione looked really hurt and then the Weasley twins started going after Malfoy but Wood held them back.  
Nobody held Brenda back, Malfoy was in reach and she smacked him across the face, leaving a red handprint.  
" You'll pay for that one Malfoy" Ron said angry taking out his wand, " EAT SLUGS."  
The curse went right back to Ron since his wand was broken and he started vomiting up slugs.  
" Ron are you ok?" Hermione asked.  
His response was another slug coming out of his mouth.  
" Lets take him to Hagrid's, he will know what to do" Harry said as the three 2nd years take the slug vomiting Ron up to Hagrid's cottage.  
"Hagrid, Hagrid" Brenda called, " We need your help."  
Hagrid opened the door and saw Ron vomiting slugs and he pushed the 2nd years into his home.  
" Sit him in the chair" Hagrid said as he went and fetched a bucket, " The only way for it to stop is if we wait it out, who was he trying to curse anyway?"  
" Malfoy" Harry and Brenda said.  
" Why?" Hagrid asked  
" Because Malfoy called Hermione a mudblood" Brenda said with anger in her voice.  
Hagrid gasped, " No, he didn't."  
" What's a mudblood?" Harry asked.  
Brenda looked at Hermione who looked like she was going to cry if she talked.  
" I'll tell you, mudblood means dirty blood. Mudblood's a really foul name for someone who was Muggle-born. Someone with non-magic parents... Hermione's parents are muggles" Brenda said.  
" You see, Harry. There are some wizards like Malfoy's family who think they're better than everyone else 'cause they're what people call pureblood" Hagrid said.  
" That is awful" Harry said.  
Ron vomited again and said, " It's disgusting."  
" And it's not right. Dirty blood. There's hardly a wizard today that's not half-blood or less. If we hadn't married Muggles we'd've died out long ago. Besides, they haven't invented a spell Hermione can't do" Hagrid said.  
Hermione smiled.  
After they went to Hagrid's it was time for dinner.  
Ron didn't eat he was still vomiting slugs.  
" I'm not hungry, I have to go anyway, I have detention with Filch" Ron said.  
" I'm sorry Ron, he's worse than Snape" Harry said.  
Brenda agreed.  
After dinner Brenda had to go back down to the apartment.  
When Brenda was heading down to the apartment she bumped into Malfoy again, it looked like he got a black eye from being smacked from a girl.  
" Potter how dare you slap me" Malfoy said.  
" You got what you deserved Malfoy, now out of my way I have to talk to Snape" Brenda said as she shoved Malfoy.  
Malfoy followed Brenda to Snape's apartment.  
" Student's aren't aloud in there" Malfoy thought.  
" Gillyweed" Brenda said and with the same glare the portrait opened.  
" She's not aloud in there" Malfoy thought.  
" Brenda I need to speak to you" Severus said and he looked a little angry.  
" Uh-oh" Brenda thought but said, " If this is about me smacking Malfoy, I have a perfectly good reason."  
" And what reason is that?" Severus asked lifting an eyebrow and crossing his arms.  
" Because he called Hermione a mudblood." Brenda said, " Being smacked by me was the least the Gryffindors could do, the Weasley twins almost attacked him and Ron almost cursed him but the curse backfired."  
Severus's face was blank and nobody said anything for a few minutes and it was making Brenda really uncomfortable.  
" Very well, I will not punish you for smacking him, he called Ms. Granger a foul name and you were only defending your friend" Severus said, " I will have to tell McGonagall about what happened today though, I will see you later tonight" Severus headed out the portrait.  
" That was a close one" Brenda thought.  
" Ok Severus's out of the room, why isn't Potter?" Draco thought to himself.  
Brenda decided to take a relaxing bath and she went into her room and the bathroom.  
" Well I just need to get in the room and find out what's going on... now what was the password?" Draco asked himself.  
A half hour later Malfoy finally got it right.  
" What in the world is Gillyweed?" Malfoy thought as he explored the apartment, the first room he went into had a bunch of lions on the walls and with the colors of scarlet and gold.  
Brenda got out of the tub nice and relaxed, she forgot to bring her pajamas in the bathroom with her so she wrapped a towel around her and opened the door, the first thing she saw in her room was Malfoy.  
" MALFOY!" Brenda screamed.  
" POTTER! OH MERLIN! POTTER" Malfoy screamed while trying to shield his eyes.  
" What's with all the yelling" Severus barged in Brenda's room and saw only a towel around Brenda and Draco in her room, both of them shocked and Brenda looked livid, " Draco out, Brenda get dressed then come in the lounge" Severus said as he pushed Malfoy out.  
Brenda got her pajamas and robe on, she was still pissed at Malfoy but she went out into the lounge glaring daggers at Malfoy.  
" What is she doing here professor? Why is that room Gryffindor?" Malfoy asked.  
" Because that's my room" Brenda said, you need to learn how to knock, stop barging in other people's rooms" Brenda was angry.  
" Your room?" This isn't the Gryffindor tower Potter, this is professor Snape's apartment" Malfoy said very confused and angry as well.  
" Both of you be quiet" Severus said not liking this situation, " Good, now Draco, Brenda is my ward, she lives with me now, I am her guardian, so that is her room and I don't blame her for being angry."  
" You're a traitor to the Dark Lord?" Malfoy asked.  
" WHAT?" Brenda screamed knowing what Dark Lord means.  
" Wait until my father finds out you betrayed the Dark Lord to babysit one of the two Potters, the ones who destroyed the Dark Lord." Malfoy said angry.  
" You're one of his followers?" Brenda asked Severus and she was horrified.  
" What did I get myself into?" Severus thought... "Wait a minute, Draco won't remember anything once he leaves, I can tell him the truth and he won't remember anything, one of the spells I put down here for both our sakes"  
" Professor Snape was one of the best death eaters for the dark lord, my father is another one" Malfoy said proudly, " Now Snape you're a traitor"  
" That's right Draco, I am a traitor, the dark lord is no more, he is destroyed and will stay destroyed" Severus said, " I am glad he's gone, he brings agony to his followers, why would anybody want to be a follower of him?"  
" You are a traitorous coward Snape, wait until the whole school finds out" Malfoy said as he began leaving.  
Severus let him leave.  
" What am I doing here? I better get back to my common room before somebody catches me" Malfoy said to himself once he stepped foot out of Severus's apartment.  
Brenda glared daggers at Severus and she had her wand out.  
" Brenda put your wand away" Severus said bored.  
" You are one of Voldemort's followers" Brenda said and saw Severus cringe.  
" A long time ago... that was..." Severus began.  
" What... 11 years ago?" Brenda asked angry.  
" Brenda please" Severus started.  
" You were one of his followers when he killed my parents weren't you?" Brenda asked.  
Severus didn't say anything.  
" I'm out of here" Brenda said running back to her room and locking the door and packing her things.  
" Brenda" Severus started.  
" NO! I'M NOT LIVING DOWN HERE WITH YOU! YOU'RE A DEATH EATER!" Brenda yelled.  
" How do you know about death eaters"? Severus asked through the door.  
" I READ" Brenda yelled as she finished packing and ran fast out the door pushing Sever.us  
" BRENDA" Severus yelled not liking being pushed out of the way like that.  
Brenda was already out the portrait.  
Severus shot spell at Brenda that made it so she can't talk about what she heard.  
" Oh boy, what did I get myself into?" Severus thought  
Brenda ran to the seventh floor and to the fat lady and said, " Wattlebird" and the portrait opened and Brenda went straight to her dorm.  
" Brenda you're back" Hermione said.  
" Yes" Brenda said angry.  
" What's wrong?" Hermione asked.  
Brenda tried telling her but the words wouldn't come and then she figured out what Severus did.  
" I can't tell you" Brenda said.  
" Why" Hermione asked.  
" Because I'm under a spell" Brenda said.  
What do you mean you're under a spell?" Hermione asked.  
" I think Snape put a spell on me that makes it so I can't say anything on a specific topic to anybody" Brenda said.  
" I'm sorry" Hermione said.  
" It's not your fault" Brenda said.  
The next day during breakfast a letter came for Brenda and it was from Snape.  
" Aren't you going to open it?" Harry asked seeing that Brenda was ignoring it  
" Fine, but only because curiosity got the better of me" Brenda said taking the letter and opening it  
Brenda please come see me in my office after breakfast is over, we need to talk.  
Severus  
"There is nothing I need to say to that git" Brenda said aloud.  
" Wow something must be wrong since you called him a git, glad you see things my way" Ron said with a smile.  
" Are you going to see him?" Harry asked.  
" No, I have nothing to say to him and I don't want to be alone in the same room as him for specific reasons" Brenda said.  
Another letter came for Brenda from Snape.  
" Now what?" Brenda asked as she opened it.  
Ms. Potter if you won't come because I am your guardian, then come because I am your potions professor and I can give detentions.  
Professor Snape  
" I can't believe he sunk this low" Brenda thought then said, " Snape's sunk this low into threatening detentions.  
" Just go" Hermione urged, " What is he going to do?"  
" Would you guys like to come with me?" Brenda asked hopefully, " We have a while before class starts"  
" Ok we'll come and wait outside the door, if anything funny happens, we'll help you" Harry said and Brenda smiled.  
Brenda looked at the letter and found out she didn't finish it  
PS. your friends are not invited  
Brenda's heart sunk.  
" Brenda you will be fine, you lived with professor Snape for months now, he won't do anything to you" Hermione said.  
" That was before I found out what he is" Brenda said.  
Brenda looked up at the teachers table to glare at Snape but he wasn't there.  
Brenda ate her breakfast slowly then with three good lucks from her friends and brother she slowly headed down to the dungeons where Snape is, Brenda took out her wand and held on to it real tight and walked with bravery into Snape's class room and into his office.  
" Good you showed up" Snape said  
" Kind of had to, you threatened me with detention" Brenda spat  
" Ok we need to talk" Snape said  
" We're talking now" Brenda said  
" Enough with your cheek young lady" Snape said a little annoyed, " I'm trying to talk to you, you ran out pretty fast last night"  
" Yah but not fast enough to get away from your spell you put on me" Brenda said angry.  
" I had to, you don't know the story" Snape said.  
" What's there to know? You were a death eater when my parents were killed and Voldemort was destroyed, you became a Potions master because you had nothing better to do because you and your fellow death eaters couldn't terrorize the citizens anymore because Voldemort was destroyed" Brenda said.  
" I turned over a new leaf before the dark lord was destroyed, and I would appreciate it if you stop saying his name" Snape said.  
" Why? It's not like he is going to come back to life by saying VOLDEMORT" Brenda said in a challenging manner.  
"Ms. Potter" Snape was getting angry  
" VOLDEMORT VOLDEMORT VOLDEMORT VOLDEMORT VOLDEMORT VOLDEMORT" Brenda said stubbornly.  
" MS. POTTER" Snape said angry.  
" VOLDEMORT VOLDEMORT VOLDEMORT" Brenda said stubbornly again.  
Snape couldn't take it anymore, he grabbed Brenda's wrist, sat down in a chair and pulled her over his knee and began spanking her.  
" SNAPE LET GO OF ME!" Brenda yelled.  
" YOU ARE GOING TO LEARN HOW TO BEHAVE AND LISTEN TO YOUR ELDERS" Snape yelled as he was spanking her.  
" SNAPE... OW... OW SNAPE STOP... OW... OW STOP" Brenda pleaded.  
Snape would not stop and he was spanking her and spanking her and spanking her not letting up for even a second.  
" Now you listen to me Brenda Lillian Potter, I am no longer a death eater, I am a potions master and even if the dark lord comes back I am not going to follow him, you will obey me Brenda or this will be the least of your worries" Snape said coldly and kept on spanking the teary eyed 2nd year. Five smacks after his speech he stopped and got her up off his lap.  
" I want you to go to your room and wash your face off and when you come back, we are going to have a civilized talk, do you understand? Snape asked in a more gentler but still firm tone.  
Brenda nodded with tears running down her cheeks  
" Now go" Snape said dismissing her.  
Brenda walked fast towards the apartment and went up to the portrait and said, " Gillyweed"  
The portrait glared at her but opened up.  
" Stop glaring at me, I live here, just get over it" Brenda said to the portrait in a whisper so no Slytherins could hear.  
Brenda walked into her now bare room and went to her bathroom and wiped away her tears and made sure she looked like she wasn't crying a few minutes ago  
" I can't believe he spanked me" Brenda thought and she went out of the bathroom, out of her room and out the portrait and headed back to Snape's office.  
" Sit in the chair" Snape said  
Brenda obeyed and winced when she sat down  
" Ok do you know why I spanked you?" Snape asked  
" Because I accused you of being a death eater" Brenda said with anger in her eyes.  
" That is only a small portion, it's the way you called me it that made me angry, do you know the main reason why I spanked you?" Snape asked.  
" Because I kept saying V... you know who's name even when you told me to stop" Brenda said.  
Snape nodded and said, " Your actions have consequences Brenda, you need to remember that... and since we're on the topic, tonight I want you to get your stuff and come back down here, you are still grounded from before, this weekend you are confined to your room, that is the punishment for this time."  
Brenda looked like she was going to protest but Snape gave her a look and Brenda closed her mouth and nodded.  
" Ok you are dismissed, get to class" Snape said.  
Brenda left and a few fresh tears escaped from her eyes and met up with her friends.  
" Brenda what's wrong?" Harry asked.  
" N- nothing... I'm fine, lets just get to class" Brenda said trying to hold back her tears.  
Classes went very fast for Brenda, she really dreaded the weekend where she would spend the whole time in her room.  
Classes were over for the week and everybody but Brenda was happy about that. The four 2nd years headed up towards the Gryffindor tower and Harry and Ron played Wizards chess, Hermione got out a book and Brenda went up to the dorm and packed her things the second time that week  
" You're leaving again, now where are you going?" Harry asked  
" Snape's again" Brenda said  
" Why?" Hermione asked, " You just came from there"  
" I'm still grounded, even more so now... its too complicated, I'll see you... on Monday" Brenda said  
" WHAT? ON MONDAY?" The three of them were shocked  
" I'm grounded to my room" Brenda said gloomy, "I'll see you on Monday"  
With that she left and started heading down to the dungeons  
She slowly headed towards the dungeons, went to the apartment, said the password and was glared at and slowly walked inside and to her room to unpack her belongings. After that she got out a book on Legilimency and Occlumency and sat on her bed and began reading  
She read that usually witches and wizards needed to have their wand pointed at the person they are going to use the spell on, but on some rare occasions, witches and wizards have the ability to wandlessly use legilimency  
" Severus must be one of the few who can do it wandlessly" Brenda thought to herself  
Two hours later Severus came inside the apartment  
" Brenda are you here?" Severus called  
" Yes" Brenda called from her room  
" Just checking" Snape said  
Brenda went back to her book which was really interesting. she was trying the Occlumency exercises that were in the book which was a lot like meditating, clearing your mind and relaxing  
Brenda did that for the rest of the Friday night  
" Next time Severus uses Legilimency on me, I'm going to use Occlumency on him, I hope it works" Brenda thought not realizing it takes a lot of practice and skill to learn Legilimency and not just reading from a book once  
The next morning Brenda got dressed and went back to her reading, she really didn't know what to do in her room, she doesn't have any homework, she has nothing to study for since there are no tests  
An hour later Severus checked to see if she was awake  
" Are you awake?" Severus asked  
" I've been awake" Brenda said in a snippy tone  
" I don't like your tone young lady" Severus warned  
Brenda rolled her eyes and went back to her book  
" Don't roll your eyes at me" Severus commanded  
Brenda looked at her guardian then went back to her book  
" What book are you reading?" Snape asked, "It better be a decent one and not a bad one"  
Brenda sighed and lifted the book which said Potions 2nd Year  
Brenda switched the cover so she wouldn't get caught  
" That doesn't look like the potions book" Snape thought  
Severus began using Legilimency on Brenda and Brenda felt it so she began clearing her mind to try to use Occlumency on Severus  
" So you're trying to use Occlumency on me... now I know what you're reading. You do not have to hide the book behind your Potions cover. For your first try, it was... ok... it takes a lot of skill and concentration to be successful at it. Well, come on out for breakfast, it's on the table for you. I will be back later, you better be in your room by the time I get back" Severus said and then left  
Brenda waited until Severus was gone before she came out of her room to eat breakfast. Then with a grudge she went back to her room to read some more  
After lunch Brenda got very tired of sitting on her bed reading, she really wanted to go outside, but the only outside she could see was from her window that was close to the ceiling since she was in the dungeons  
" Man it must suck being a Slytherin with no windows or anything" Brenda thought, " I wonder if I can get up to that window, it will give me a change of scenery"  
Brenda started looking around for anything that would help her get up, she saw her desk, her dresser and her desk chair and she smiled  
" This will be fun" She thought  
She moved the desk over to the wall under the window then got out her wand and said WINDGADRIUM LEVIOSA on the dresser to get that up onto the desk and since that wasn't tall enough Brenda said WINDGADRIUM LEVIOSA on the desk chair and put it on top of the dresser  
" Perfect" She thought then started climbing and she sat on the window sill which was wide enough to where she wouldn't fall, "Wow it's such a beautiful day" She said as she looked out the window, " I really wish I wasn't stuck in here all weekend"  
That day Brenda finished her Legilimency book and with a spell she got the other one she had and started reading that one  
Brenda was so engrossed in her book she didn't hear Severus come in the apartment and come in her room  
" BRENDA LILIAN POTTER, WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING UP THERE?" Severus yelled  
" Reading" Brenda said  
" How did you get up there?" Severus asked sternly  
" I climbed" Brenda said  
" How may I ask did you do that?" Severus asked coldly  
Brenda didn't say anything, she knew if she did, Severus would be mad  
" I asked you a question" Severus said  
" That doesn't mean I need to answer it" Brenda said  
" Enough of your cheek and come down this instant" Severus voice was starting to raise  
" No, you're mad, I don't want to come down while you're mad" Brenda said  
" How did you climb up there?" Severus asked again  
" I'm not telling" Brenda said stubbornly  
Snape glared at Brenda and started using Legilimency on her  
" Perfect" Brenda thought and then she used Occlumency to block him  
" I figured as much" Severus said, " I knew you would try that, I was wondering how strong your skills are, you do not want to overdo that magic at your age, I still read your mind though, that was a very dangerous thing to do Brenda, you should know better then to climb on furniture, you're not a cat"  
" How can you still read my mind? Brenda asked," I've been reading the book all day"  
"You should be lucky you're just facing me Severus said, " You have a very long way to go before you can really block somebody out of your head. It's a good thing you're not facing You Know Who right now, if I'm correct, he also knows it... and he is, if I'm not mistaken, as good as Legilimency as I am"  
" Gee I wonder how you found that out" Brenda said sarcastically  
" I heard that" Severus said with anger in his voice  
Brenda didn't say anything  
" Don't make me get you down myself, you wouldn't like it" Severus warned  
" Just leave me alone, I don't want to come down with you mad at me" Brenda pleaded  
" I'm not going anywhere Brenda Lilian Potter, not until you come down" Severus said with anger  
Brenda was still being stubborn, " I don't see what the big deal is"  
" You can fall and break your neck for one thing" Severus said  
" Why do you care? You only volunteered to be my guardian because I look like my mum" Brenda said with some hurt  
It got quiet in the room  
" I heard you and Dumbledore talk one time at home" Brenda said with hurt  
" She is not going to come down on her own" Severus thought and he got out his wand and said, " Accio Brenda"  
Brenda was surprised and she was floating down towards Snape very slowly until she was standing on the floor  
" NO I DIDN'T WANT TO COME DOWN, YOU'RE TOO MAD" Brenda yelled  
" You young lady are being a very bad girl" Severus said  
" You sound like you're talking to a six year old" Brenda said  
" Well you're acting like it" Severus shot back, " You need to start behaving and not be afraid of me"  
" Why? Why do you care what I do? You don't even like me, you only took me in because I look like Lily Potter" Brenda said dramatically  
Severus was silent  
" I'm right aren't I" Brenda glared, " If I didn't look like my mum, you wouldn't be my guardian right now, admit it I'm right"  
Severus looked at Brenda and then said, " Yes, it started out that way, and you were not supposed to hear the conversation between Dumbledore and me"  
" I knew it" Brenda said then sat on her bed  
" But, this you don't know, Yes at first I only took you in because you look like Lily Potter, if you tell Harry that I'll deny it, but, I am glad I took you in, not because you look like Lily Potter, but because you actually need somebody" Severus said  
" What are you talking about?" Brenda asked  
" Think about it, your parents died when you were a year old, you lived with the Williamsons and they died when you were six" Severus started  
" If you can call them my parents" Brenda said with anger, " I was lucky if I saw them once a week, I had a nanny and she didn't care about me, she thought I was a spoiled brat"  
" Don't interrupt, that is my point, then you went to an orphanage when the Williamsons died in a car crash and eventually you were kicked out of there because of your magic, How am I doing so far?" Severus asked  
" Are you going anywhere with my life story or are you just trying to amuse me?" Brenda asked hating the talk about her past  
" I'm getting to a point" Snape said, " My point is, is that you in your whole life for 11 years, you have not had a trustworthy parent or guardian, and you have created this attitude of either being scared of your teachers or being snippy or being a smart aleck"  
" So far Snape, you're the only one I've been afraid of, and that is only because you spanked me" Brenda said glaring  
" Well so far that is the only way I can get you to listen" Severus said not liking that she called him Snape but was going to ignore it, " Nothing else had taught you a lesson"  
" And for me being a smart aleck, I can't help it if I know the answer to finding a bezoar or what I would get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood or that I know that Monkshood and Wolfsbane are the same plant which also goes by the name of aconite, or any other question you throw at me, I like to read, I read the potions book before class started my 1st year and I read the books before school even started this year, Hermione does that too" Brenda said  
" That was being a smart aleck right there" Snape said  
" I still don't know where you're going with this talk" Brenda said  
" What I'm trying to say is... I don't want you to think of me as someone who just likes to punish you" Snape started  
" Well so far that is all you have done" Brenda spat  
" That's because you keep misbehaving " Snape said, " We need to work together to build a... relationship"  
" A relationship" Brenda lifted an eyebrow not believing what she's hearing  
" Yes, I want to be somebody who you can talk to and make it not feel uncomfortable, granted it's going to be really tough on both our parts, neither one of us has had much experience in that subject but it would be worth it" Severus said  
Brenda was caught off guard  
" Hmm, somebody who actually wants to be a parent" Brenda thought to herself  
" Well?" Severus asked waiting  
Brenda thought for a moment and looked at Severus  
" So are... are you talking about something like a... a... a father, daughter relationship?" Brenda asked still not believing what kind of conversation is taking place  
Severus was caught off guard, that is what he was thinking but actually having it said out loud it still surprised him  
Severus smiled which was weird for Severus, " Yes Brenda, that is exactly what I'm saying"  
Brenda smiled and hugged Severus and she let the tears fall  
Things between Severus and Brenda were better. Brenda began to trust Severus more. She was finally un grounded from her room and she returned the Legilimency and Occlumency books  
" Good she returned those" Severus thought, " She is too young to know Legilimency and Occlumency, she can hurt herself since she's so young... I know there's a forgetful potion somewhere"  
Severus went looking through his stores and found what he was looking for  
" This will erase Brenda's memory of Legilimency and Occlumency and of me being a death eater" Severus thought to himself  
When Brenda came in the apartment that night Severus gave her the potion  
" What's this for?" Brenda asked  
" It... helps with Occlumency, it helps you build stronger walls" Severus said  
" Oh, ok thanks" Brenda said as she drank the potion down and handed Severus the vial, " Ok so what were we talking about?"  
" I said... your punishment is over, you may return to the Gryffindor Common room" Severus said  
Brenda smiled and hugged her guardian, " Thank you thank you thank you"  
Severus smiled one because he's beginning to have a father daughter relationship with his ward and because the potion worked  
" So I suggest you go pack your things, I believe your friends will be very happy to see you more often" Severus said  
Brenda nodded and hurried to her room to pack her things  
" It will finally be quiet in here, I can probably get some reading done" Severus thought  
It took only a few minutes for Brenda to pack everything in her bag  
" Are you ready?" Severus asked  
Brenda nodded  
" Ok, I notified McGonagall that you will be returning to the Gryffindor house, remember whenever you want you can come down here" Severus said  
Brenda nodded and smiled then gave her guardian a hug  
" Thank you" Brenda whispered and then left the apartment  
" Leaving already?" The guy in the portrait asked, " I was wondering if you would ever leave"  
Brenda smiled and glared at the portrait, " I can come back whenever I want to, Severus said so"  
The portrait glared but Brenda stuck out her tongue and walked away smiling  
" Yes I have my nights back, no more curfews" Brenda said to herself, she felt free  
She hurried to the 7th floor and to the fat lady portrait  
" Password" The fat lady asked  
" Wattlebird" Brenda said happily  
The portrait opened and Brenda went in  
" Home sweet home" Brenda said happily  
" Brenda what are you doing here? Seamus asked, " I thought you were grounded in Snape's apartment"  
" I was, but he ungrounded me, I'm so glad to, I had a curfew, those are no fun" Brenda said, " So is Harry, Ron and Hermione around?  
" Last time I saw them, Harry was being bugged by Lockhart, Hermione was in the library and Ron was playing chess with either Fred or George, I can't tell them apart" Seamus said  
" Yah they need to start wearing shirts with their names on them, for everybody else's sakes" Brenda said with a laugh, " Well I'll see you later, I need to unpack my things"  
" See you later" Seamus said  
Brenda smiled and headed up to the 2nd year girls dorm and unpacked her things. When she was done, she went back down to the Common Room and saw her two best friends and her brother  
" Hey you guys" Brenda said as she went over to the group  
" Hey Brenda, what are you doing here?" Ron asked, " I thought you were grounded"  
" Not anymore, so what are you working on?" Brenda asked  
" I'm writing the 20th letter to my family about how sorry I am about stealing the car and begging them to let me get a new wand" Ron said  
" What do you have so far?" Brenda asked  
Ron handed her the paper and she read through it  
" Well if you re write this sentence and spell that word correctly, you have a very nice apology and letter" Brenda said  
" Thanks" Ron said and he fixed the changes  
" yYou're welcome, so after he sends that, you guys want to go flying?"  
" That sounds fun" Harry said  
" Sure, I'm in" Ron said  
" I'll watch, I can read and watch at the same time" Hermione said  
" Did I hear somebody say flying?" Seamus asked  
" You want to come Seamus? Then we can play a game of 2 on 2 Quidditch" Ron suggested  
" Sounds fun, I'm in" Seamus said  
" Somebody say Quidditch? Can we join?" Fred asked  
" Sure, then it can be three on three" Harry said  
" Let's go" Brenda said  
The seven of them left the common room and the six of them got brooms out of the broom closet and George grabbed the Quaffle  
" So how are we going to be divided into teams?" George asked  
" I have an idea" Hermione said. Hermione took a piece of parchment and ripped it up into six pieces and marked three of the pieces, then she mixed the pieces all around, " Ok the three with the marked pieces of parchment is on one team, and the three with the pieces of parchment that are not marked is on the other team, now you all pick your pieces of parchment  
They all picked their parchment and the outcome is Ron, Fred and Seamus on one team and Harry, George and Brenda on the other team  
" Ok let's huddle up and decide who will be the chasers and who will be the keeper" George said  
" Well I'm already a chaser so..." Brenda started  
" Ok Brenda you will be a Chaser" George said, " Who should be the Keeper?"  
" This is hard, you both are good at keeping your eye on the target... but George you have more flying expierence and Harry you have a smaller ball to find... Harry do you want to be keeper?" Brenda asked  
" Ok, I'll be Keeper and George you can be another Chaser" Harry said  
" I feel sorry for Fred, he is the only one on his team that is on the Quidditch team" George said  
" Hey, it was fair, we picked up the pieces" Brenda said with a smile, everybody on their team is on the Quidditch team  
" Yah and Ron plays Quidditch during the summer" Harry said  
" I'm sure Seamus does also" Brenda said  
" But his dad's a muggle" Harry started  
" Yah but his mom's a witch, his dad found out, maybe he is aloud to play" Brenda finished  
" You two are just like Me and Fred, always knowing what the other is saying" George said amused  
" We have the thinking thing down also, we figured that out at the end of last year" Harry said  
" Wow that is a really cool ability, I wish me and Fred had that" George said, " We could freak out a lot of people that way"  
" George is your team ready?" Fred asked  
" We were waiting for you" George said  
" We"ve been waiting for you" Fred said  
" Lets start already" Ron cut in knowing this argument could go on for hours  
Fred and Ron were Chasers and Seamus was the Keeper  
They played the game for 2 hours, it was really close also, Fred's team had 40 points and George's team had 50 points at the end  
" You only one because you all are on the Quidditch team" Fred said, " But we picked fair, I can't get mad at a game"  
" It's a good thing you're not a sore loser" George said  
" Yah, hey it's just a game, and it's not even a real tournament, it's not like we were beat by Slytherin" Fred said and the Gryffindors started laughing  
A week later, Brenda wasn't hungry for dinner so she went in the library and read, Harry had detention with Lockhart during dinner  
Brenda was in a very good book when she heard something  
" Come... come to me... Let me rip you... let me tear you... Let me kill you" A voice said  
Brenda looked up but there was no one in the library, everybody was at dinner or leaving dinner  
" Ok that was not normal" Brenda whispered to herself, she didn't want to be in the library anymore so she packed up and started down the hallway when she heard the voice again  
" Come... Come to me... Let me rip you... Let me tear you... Let me kill you" A voice said again  
Brenda began to panic a bit, "That was really not normal" She whispered  
She began to follow the voice and it led her straight to Ron, Hermione and Harry, they were all coming from different directions  
" Did you hear it?" Harry and Brenda asked together  
" Hear what?" Ron asked  
" The voice" Brenda said  
" What voice" Hermione asked  
" Brenda you heard it?" Harry asked  
" Yes" Brenda said, " First I heard it in the library"  
" Yes, I heard it first in Lockhart's room" Harry said  
" Then I heard it in the hallway" Harry and Brenda said together  
All of a sudden they heard it again  
" Kill... Time to Kill" The voice said  
" It's moving and it's about to kill" The Potter twins said together  
The Potters were on the move and Hermione and Ron were following  
The Potters were leading them and they got to an area with water on the floor and on the wall was a message, the message said  
"THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED"  
"ENEMIES OF THE HEIR... BEWARE."  
" What's the Chamber of Secrets?" Brenda asked to nobody in particular  
" More importantly, what is it written in?" Hermione asked  
" It looks like blood" Harry said  
" And that's Filch's cat" Brenda said pointing  
All of a sudden everybody who was done with dinner were coming their way and all the chatting stopped when they saw what was written on the wall  
" Enemies of the Heir Beware? You'll be next mudbloods" Malfoy spat and then looked at Hermione  
All of a sudden Filch came to the scene wondering what everybody was staring at, then he saw what they were staring at, his cat was hanging from the ceiling, and there was blood on the wall  
" Mrs. Norris?" Filch was shocked then turned to the closest to his cat which were both Potters, " You both murdered my cat... I'll kill you... I'LL KILL YOU"  
Filch lunged at the two but was stopped by Dumbledore who was accompanied by the other professors  
" Argus stop" Dumbledore started, " Everyone will proceed to their dorms immediately" Everybody was heading to their dorms, " Except you four"  
He was pointing to Harry, Brenda, Ron and Hermione  
" Argus, she is not dead... she has been... petrified" Dumbledore said  
" It is so unlucky I wasn't here when it happened, I know the counter curse for this sort of thing" Lockhart stated  
" How she was petrified, I do not know" Dumbledore finished  
" Ask those two, they did it, you saw what they did to her" Filch pointed an accusing finger at both Potters  
" We didn't do it, we swear we didn't" The Potters said at the same time  
"That is poppycock, I know for a fact you guys don't like me or Mrs. Norris" Filch said with anger and sadness for his pet  
" I swear we didn't do it" Brenda said calmly she then looked at Severus, afraid of what he will say  
" If I may cut in Headmaster, perhaps these four students were just in the wrong place at the wrong time" Snape said  
3/4 of the students were shocked, " Then again, I didn't see either of the Potters at dinner this evening" Snape looked at Brenda  
" I believe it is my fault that Harry wasn't at dinner, he was serving his detention with me answering my fan mail" Lockhart said  
" Ok what about you Ms. Potter? Why weren't you at dinner?" Snape asked  
" I wasn't hungry and I was in the library reading, Madam Pince knew I was in there sir even though she was at dinner" Brenda said to her guardian  
" She better not make that a habit" Severus thought  
" Ron and I went looking for those two and we bumped into them and they said" Hermione began  
" That we weren't hungry" Harry and Brenda finished  
" We were heading back to the common room when we found the message and Mrs. Norris" Brenda said  
Severus looked at one Potter to the other, he knew something was up but he didn't want to use Legilimency on them knowing that Brenda can feel it and he didn't want to take the chance of her figuring it out how to use it again  
" Well, these two are innocent until proven guilty, there is not much we can do here" Dumbledore said  
" My cat has been petrified, I WANT TO SEE SOME PUNISHMENT" Filch yelled  
" We will be able to cure her, Argus. As I understand it, Professor Sprout has a healthy growth of Mandrakes thanks to the 2nd year students in helping her with them. When they have grown there will be a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris. In the meantime, I advice caution to all" Dumbledore said  
Dumbledore excused the 2nd years and they left in a hurry  
" You guys said that you first heard the voice in the library and in Lockhart's room right" Hermione asked and the Potters nodded  
" Harry was Lockhart with you? Did he hear it"  
" He was with me but he didn't hear it" Harry said  
" I was alone in the library, Madam Pince was at dinner" Brenda said  
" You guys do believe us right? I mean you don't think we're just hearing things" Harry asked  
" We believe you mate" Ron said  
" Yah, you wouldn't be making it up" Hermione said  
The Potters smiled  
" It's almost scary" Hermione said, " Both of you hear a voice and then there's writing on the wall and Mrs. Norris gets petrified"  
" Do you think we should have told the teachers?" Brenda asked  
" Are you mad Brenda?" Ron asked  
Brenda glared at him  
" What he means is, hearing voices that nobody else can here is strange, even for the wizarding world" Hermione said  
" And of course, it has to be us who hears the voices that nobody else can" Harry said looking at his sister  
The next day in Transfiguration when McGonagall was teaching class Hermione raised her hand  
" Yes Ms. Granger" McGonagall asked  
" Professor I was wondering if you could tell us about... The Chamber of Secrets" Hermione asked  
" This is not a history class Ms. Granger, this is Transfiguration" McGonagall said  
" I know professor but there is little written in books about it and I am sure that everybody here would like to know what the Chamber of Secrets is" Hermione said and everybody in the class was agreeing with her  
" Very well" McGonagall started, " You all know that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Three of the founders co-existed quite harmoniously. One did not."  
" We all know who that one is" Ron said  
McGonagall continued, " Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believe that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. In other words, purebloods. Unable to sway the others, he decided to leave the school. According to legend, Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in this castle, known as the Chamber of Secrets. Shortly before departing, he sealed it until that time when his true heir or heirs returned to the school. The heir(s) alone would be able to open the Chamber of Secrets and unleash the horror within, and by so doing, purge the school of all those who, in Slytherin's view, were unworthy to study magic."  
" Muggleborns" Hermione said  
McGonagall nodded, " The school has been searched many times and the chamber had not been found"  
" What does the legends say that live inside the chamber?" Brenda asked  
McGonagall looked like she didn't want to talk about the topic but she answered the question anyway "The Chamber is said to be home to something which the heir(s) of Slytherin can control. It is said to be home... to a monster."  
It was quiet in the classroom  
After class that is all that anybody was talking about  
" So do you think it's true, that there's a chamber of secrets and that there is a monster living in the Chamber?" Ron asked  
" Of course there is, if you haven't noticed all the teachers are worried?" Hermione said  
" Well if there is a chamber and it is opened... that means" Harry started  
" That means the heir or heirs of Slytherin is or are here" Brenda finished  
The group was quiet for a few minutes  
" We need to figure out who it is" Hermione said  
" Let's think, who do we know who hates muggle borns and think they're scum" Ron said  
" Malfoy" The Potter twins said together  
" It is a possibility but I just don't see Malfoy being an heir of Slytherin" Hermione said  
" His whole family line has been in Slytherin" Ron protested  
" But what if we're wrong?" Hermione asked  
" Crabbe and Goyle must know, hey they're his best friends, or side kicks, maybe we can get it out of them, I know where we can get some Veritaserum or I can make it" Brenda said  
" What's Veritaserum?" Ron asked  
" A powerful truth potion used to make someone truthfully answer any question" Brenda said like it was elementary  
" We can get in a lot of trouble with that, and Snape is your guardian you will get in a lot of trouble if he catches you" Hermione said  
" Oh yah, hey it was worth a shot" Brenda said  
" I think there is another way though, still dangerous but not as dangerous and illegal as Veritaserum, we will still be breaking a lot of rules and it will be difficult" Hermione said  
" Lets do it" Ron said  
" There's a book in the library on potions, I've read it, there is a polyjuice potion in there" Hermione said  
" Polyjuice potion? That takes forever to brew" Brenda said  
" I told you it will be difficult" Hermione said, " Bit will be worth it"  
Brenda nodded, "It's safer then Veritaserum, not as illegal"  
" What's polyjuice potion" Harry asked  
" It's a potion that lets you look like somebody else for one hour" Hermione said  
" For this potion to work we need Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed. And a bit of whoever we want to change into too" Brenda said, "Those things are tricky to get, I know fluxweed is in the student cupboard, but I'm not sure about Lacewing flies and leeches"  
" Lacewing flies fly around the lake all the time, I think I can get some of them, and leeches are in the wet soil around the lake, we can get that also, so Brenda see if you can get the fluxweed in the cupboard" and we'll get the rest" Harry said  
" I can do that" Brenda thought  
" So how long does this potion take to make?" Ron asked  
" I read in the book that it takes a month" Hermione said  
" Do you realize how many muggleborns can be attacked in that amount of time?" Ron asked  
Hermione glared at him  
" Yes Ron she does" Brenda said, " Well lets go get the book"  
" Ok lets go" Ron said  
" Only Brenda and I will get it, you two go up to the Common Room" Hermione said  
" Why" Ron asked  
" So it doesn't look suspicious" Brenda said, " We are regulars in the library, you two... are not"  
" Come on Ron, they have a point" Harry said  
The boys went one way and the girls went another way  
The girls got the book and Madam Pince didn't think anything was suspicious then they hurried up to the Common room  
" Did you get it" Ron asked  
" Yes" Hermione said and then opened to the page  
" Blimey that is complicated" Ron gasped  
" It's a good thing you two are good at potions" Harry said to the girls  
The girls agreed  
A few days later was the Gryffindor's first Quidditch match, the game is against Slytherins and their Nimbus 2001s  
" Wow those new brooms are fast" Hagrid said  
Slytherins were in the lead and it was making the Gryffindors a little angry  
All of a sudden Harry almost gets hit with a Bludger and Malfoy sees it  
" All right there scar head?" Malfoy asked in a teasing manner  
Harry glares at him  
Brenda is in control of the Quaffle but almost drops it when a Bludger almost hits her but she dodged it  
" Brenda you ok" Fred called  
" Yah" Brenda called back  
The bludger was coming back and Fred saw it and hit it to the other team  
" Thanks" Brenda said with a smile  
" Anytime" Fred said with a wink then went after the bludger that George hit away from Harry but it turned around and came after Harry again  
Brenda almost made a score but the bludger was coming after her again and she passed the quaffle to Angelina who made the score  
The bludgers were chasing the Potters  
" What in the world is going on?" Brenda asked  
" Don't know, just keep dodging, I'll try to catch the snitch" Harry said as he went the other direction  
Every time the Weasley twins hit the bludgers the bludgers turned around and went back after the Potter twins  
" Bludgers are not supposed to do that" George said getting irritated with the bludgers  
The Potters zig zagged every which way trying to get the bludgers off their tails but the bludgers kept chasing them  
" Ok this thing is bewitched or something" Brenda thought  
" Are you two training for the ballet, because you're very good" Malfoy teased and did a slow clap  
" Stuff it Malfoy" Harry yelled, then saw the golden snitch right by Malfoy and he started going after it and followed it under the bleachers and the next thing anybody else knew, Malfoy wiped out on his broom and got the wind knocked out of him  
While that is happening Harry is still trying to get the snitch and dodging the bewitched bludger on his tail and the bludger does something different and got him from the side and broke his arm  
" AHHHHHHHHH" Harry yelled  
Brenda risked a glance at her brother and her bludger did the same thing to her left arm  
" AHHHHHHHHHHH" Brenda yelled then started dodging the bludger with her only good arm  
Brenda stops flying when Gryffindor cheers are heard thinking that it was over, she saw her brother with the snitch in one hand and nursing the other hand  
" BRENDA WATCH OUT" Fred and George yelled but before Brenda could react or the Weasley twins, the bludger that was trailing her got her leg  
" AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Brenda yelled again  
Harry's bludger was coming after him too and he was sitting on the ground  
" HARRY WATCH OUT" Hermione yelled  
Harry saw it coming and got out of the way with close calls  
Hermione got on the Quidditch pitch and with her wand did a spell  
" FINITE INCANTATEM" Hermione said and Harry's bludger disappeared  
Brenda was still dodging her bludger and the Weasley twins were trying to hit it but it kept going after Brenda  
" I can't get that one" Hermione said afraid for her friend's life  
" Why won't this thing leave me alone" Brenda asked to nobody in particular  
Brenda took a glance down at her brother and was relieved that he was safe  
The Weasleys twins were defending Brenda from the rogue bludger that was still coming after her  
Dumbledore got the bludger to stop going after Brenda once he got down from the bleachers  
" Don't worry Brenda, we got ya" The Weasley twins said seriously once the danger was over  
" Bludgers are not supposed to do that" George said as they helped Brenda get closer to the ground  
The crowd of people were still coming  
The three of them got to the ground so they could dismount but Brenda couldn't figure out how with only one good leg and only one good arm  
" Uh, George, you hold her broom still while I help her off" Fred said  
George nodded and Fred helped Brenda off and then scooped her up in his arms and walked to the others  
" Wow this is embarrassing" Brenda said, " Thanks though"  
" You're welcome" Fred said smiling  
Fred carried Brenda to the others and put her down next to the sitting Harry and helped her balance on one leg  
Finally all the teachers got to the Quidditch Pitch  
" Don't worry you two, I can have your bones mended in a jiff" Lockhart said when he reached the Potters  
" Please don't" The Potters said  
Lockhart took out his wand and said," You don't know what you're talking about, Harry you got hit first, I'll heal you first" Lockhart said, " BRAKIUM ELMENDO"  
There was a bright light coming from his wand  
" There all better" Lockhart said then took Harry's arm and his arm was limp and it sounded watery  
" Ew" Brenda said under her breath  
" Yes, that can happen, but as you can see, the bones are not broken" Lockhart said  
" Broken? There are no bones left" Hagrid said angry  
" I won't fail next time, ok Brenda you're next" Lockhart said and went to her leg  
" Professor no" Brenda pleaded but Lockhart already started, " BRAKIUM ELMENDO"  
The same thing happened to Brenda's leg, what she was able to stand on, she now couldn't and fell accidently pulling Fred with her  
" Sorry Fred" Brenda said after the daze was over  
" That's all right, no harm done" Fred said with a smile and a wink then stood up, then trying to pull Brenda up  
" No Thanks Fred, It's safer if I just sit... it's safer on the ground" Brenda said  
" Yah, that's a good idea" Fred agreed looking at her leg, Fred thought Lockhart was an idiot  
" Let me try one more time" Lockhart pleaded  
" Enough, you did it twice and did not succeed, the Potters need to go to the Hospital Wing" Severus cut in not liking what the D.A.D.A. professor did to his ward  
" But I" Lockhart started  
" No" Hagrid cut in and picked Brenda up, " They are going to the Hospital Wing, you have done enough"  
Ron helped Harry up and the Gryffindors went up to the castle  
When they got to the castle and to the Hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey didn't look happy  
" Put her down in this bed, Mr. Potter get in this bed" Madam Pomfrey ordered  
Hagrid gently put Brenda down in the bed Madam Pomfrey told him to put her in and Harry got in the other  
" They should have been brought straight to me! I can mend bones in a heartbeat but growing them back" Pomfrey started  
" You will be able to won't you?" Hermione asked worried  
" Of course I can, certainly, but it will be painful. You two are in for a rough night. Regrowing bones is nasty business" Pomfrey said then handed them both a steaming cup of something and they both drank it, Harry spit his out right away  
" Well what did you think it was? Pumpkin juice?" Pomfrey asked  
" The game today was awesome you guys" Ron said happily  
" Ok you all need to get out, they both need their rest, they have many bones to regrow, get out, get out, get out" Pomfrey shooed them out  
A few hours later both the Potters were moaning because the bones growing back hurt a lot, Brenda was tearing because it hurt so bad  
" Stupid Lockhart Stupid Lockhart Stupid Lockhart" Brenda kept chanting through clenched teeth  
" Ok time for more skelogrow" Pomfrey said handing them each a cup  
" How long until our bones are back?" Brenda said through tears of pain and clenched teeth  
" Only a few more hours" Pomfrey said, " Now drink that"  
Brenda drank the potion and grimaced Harry also grimaced  
" Is there any chance we can have a pain relieving potion?" Harry asked  
" No, that will ruin the skelogrow potion, I'm sorry for the pain" Pomfrey said  
Finally after a few hours later and 3 more cups of skelogrow the bones were all mended and the Potters were very tired. It was only 9:30 at night and the Potters fell asleep  
Later that night around Midnight the Potters woke up at the same time  
" Do you feel that?" Harry asked  
" Yes, feels like somebody's watching us" Brenda said  
They sat up and on the foot of Brenda's bed on the floor was the little house elf Dobby  
" Dobby what are you doing here?" Harry asked  
" Harry and Brenda Potter came back to school. Dobby warned them. They should have listened to Dobby. They should have gone back home when they missed the train" Dobby said  
" It was you! You stopped the barrier from letting Brenda, Ron and me through!" Harry accused  
" Indeed yes, sir. Dobby hid and watched for Harry and Brenda Potter and sealed the gateway" Dobby said  
"You nearly got all of us expelled!" Brenda said angry, " Snape was furious, I was grounded for a very long time, you do not want to see Severus Snape mad"  
" At least you would be away from here. Harry and Brenda Potter must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough to make them see" Dobby said  
" Your Bludger? You made that Bludger chase after us? Harry asked, he couldn't believe what he was hearing  
" Dobby feels most aggrieved, sir. Dobby had to iron his hands" Dobby said showing them his fingers  
" Not again" Brenda said shaking her head, " You need to stop punishing yourself like that"  
" You'd better clear off before my bones come back, Dobby, or I might strangle you!" Harry threatened  
" Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home" Dobby said  
" I don't suppose you could tell me why you're trying to kill us?" Brenda asked  
" Not kill you, never kill you! Dobby remembers how it was before Harry and Brenda Potter triumphed over He Who Must Not Be Named. We house elves were treated like vermin,Of course, Dobby is still treated like vermin?  
Dobby plays with his pillowcase  
" Gross, why do you wear that?" Harry asked  
" It's a mark of House Elf enslavement, they can only be free if their master presents them with clothes, Snape has a house elf but she likes her job, Snape asked her before if she wanted to be free and she said no" Brenda said  
" Wow" Harry said, he never knew Snape would be nice to something that looked like Dobby  
" Terrible things are about to happen at Hogwarts! Harry and Brenda Potter must not stay here now that history is to repeat itself! Dobby said  
" Repeat itself? You mean, this has happened before?" Brenda asked  
Dobby began beating himself with the skelogrow but Harry got out of bed and grabbed it from him  
" Tell us, Dobby. Harry commanded When did this happen before? Who's doing it now?"  
" Dobby cannot say, Dobby only wants Harry and Brenda Potter to be safe" Dobby said  
With that he snapped his fingers and disappeared  
" We'll figure that out soon, he wasn't our only hope" Brenda said from her bed  
All of a sudden they could hear people talking  
" Hurry get back in bed" Brenda snapped  
Harry hurried back in his bed and they both pretended to be asleep but they were eves dropping  
" What's happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked  
" There's been another attack" Dumbledore said  
Madam Pomfrey gasped  
" Perhaps he managed to get a picture of his attacker" McGonagall suggested  
Dumbledore opened up the camera but there was a hissing sound and a poof  
" What does this mean, Albus?" McGonagall asked  
" It means our students are no longer safe, Minerva. Mr. Creevey was fortunate. If not for this camera. He would surely be dead." Dumbledore said  
" Colin Creevy, the Potter fan who keeps taking our pictures" Brenda thought to Harry  
" What should I tell the staff, Albus? McGonagall asked  
" Tell them the truth. Tell them Hogwarts is no longer safe. Tell them it's as we feared. The Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again." Dumbledore said  
A few days later the Potters were aloud to leave the Hospital Wing  
" Where could Ron and Hermione be" Harry asked  
" Maybe they're working on the you know what, I mean we have all the ingredients now" Brenda said  
" Where would they be working on it?" Harry asked  
Brenda smiled, " Follow me"  
Brenda led Harry into one of the girls bathrooms  
" Hey you guys" Brenda called to the other two  
" Hey you're out, how are you?" Ron asked  
" All better" Harry said then started looking around, " Why are we in the girls bathroom?"  
" Nobody comes in here" Hermione said  
" Why" Harry asked  
" Moaning Myrtle" Brenda said smiling  
" Who's Moaning Myrtle?" Harry asked  
" I'm Moaning Myrtle" Myrtle said as she scared Ron, " Why would you know who I am? Nobody cares about Moping Moaning Myrtle" Myrtle screamed and went into a stall  
" She's a bit sensitive" Hermione said  
" Only a few people talk to her" Brenda said  
" You guys will never believe what we heard last night" Harry began, " The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before"  
" Wow, Lucius Malfoy must've opened it when he was at school here, and now he's told Draco how to do it" Ron said  
" Maybe, We'll have to wait for the Polyjuice Potion to know for sure" Hermione said  
" We have to wait a month... this is going to take forever" Ron complained  
" Stop complaining Ron, a month is short compared to some potions, some need to be brewed for 6 months or something like that" Brenda said  
" Wow" Ron gasped  
A week later the teachers thought it would be a good idea if the students knew how to duel and of course the D.A.D.A. teacher Professor Lockhart wanted to demonstrate  
Lockhart entered the room and stepped up on the stage in front of the whole room  
" Gather round! Gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent. Because of recent events, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I have done on many occasions" Lockhart said  
All of a sudden Snape got on the stage  
" Let me introduce you to my assistant Professor Snape. He has agreed to assist me in this demonstration. I don't want any of you to worry, you will have your Potions professor at the end of the demonstration" Lockhart said  
Brenda saw her guardian roll his eyes  
Both the professors faced each other then backed up to both ends of the stage  
" Wand at the ready" Lockhart said, " 1... 2..."  
" EXPELLIARMUS" Snape shot the curse at Lockhart who was blasted into the air and went falling back down  
" Go Severus" Brenda thought  
" Do you think he's ok?" Hermione asked  
The others shrugged not really caring. Brenda was holding a grudge against Lockhart for what he did to her on the Quidditch Pitch  
" Yes, yes, good job Professor, but if I might say so, it was very obvious that you were going to do that spell, I could have stopped you if I wanted" Lockhart said  
" Perhaps it would be a good idea to teach the students how to block unfriendly spells" Snape said  
" That's a very good suggestion Professor Snape, how about we have two volunteers... How about Harry Potter and Ron Weasley  
" Good, he didn't pick me" Brenda thought  
" Harry Potter is a good choice, but not Ron Weasley, his wand causes a lot of damage even with the simple spells, we would be sending Harry Potter up to the Hospital Wing very fast... Might I suggest somebody from my own house... Draco Malfoy for instance" Snape suggested  
" Very well" Lockhart said  
The two 2nd years take their place on the stage and take their wands out and bow  
" Scared Potter" Malfoy asked  
" You wish" Harry said glaring at his school enemy  
The two back up to the end  
" Defense only, when I count to three... 1... 2..." Lockhart said  
Malfoy fires early and it knocks Harry off of his feet  
" CHEATER" Brenda yelled  
Snape gave her a look and she looked away  
Harry jumped up and said, " RICTUSEMPRA" That spell hit Malfoy in the stomach and it knocked the wind out of him  
" DISARM ONLY" Lockhart yelled  
Malfoy got up and got really mad and said, "SERPENSORTIA" A long snake slithered out of Malfoy's wand and was hissing at everybody  
" Don't move Potter, I'll get rid of it" Snape said getting his wand out  
" Allow me professor" Lockhart cut in and shot sparks at the snake which only made it angry. After it landed it started Slithering to a muggle born named Justin who was in Hufflepuff  
" Oh this can't be good" Brenda thought  
Brenda went to where the snake was, she was going to talk to it and convince it to go away  
Brenda gets to the snake  
" (In Parseltongue) This boy didn't do anything to you" Brenda said  
" ( In Parseltongue) Leave him alone" Harry said  
" ( In Parseltongue) You're not going to gain anything by hurting him" Brenda said  
" ( In Parseltongue) I said, Leave him alone" Harry said again  
Snape says a spell and gets rid of the snake  
Harry and Brenda look around and Brenda sees herself standing alone  
" Ok why is everybody looking at us?" Brenda whispered to Harry  
" I don't know" Harry said  
" Justin are you ok?" Brenda asked  
" What are you two playing at?" Justin asked  
" What are you talking about?" Harry asked  
" Well that concludes the demonstration" Lockhart said confused  
Everybody left in a hurry except for Harry, Brenda, Ron, Hermione and the professors  
" Why is everybody looking at us like we grew two heads or something?" Brenda asked  
" You don't know?" Ron asked  
" Know what?" Harry asked  
" You both are parselmouths" Ron said  
" WHAT" The Potters asked together  
" You speak Parseltongue" Hermione said  
" What's that?" Brenda asked  
" Snake language" Ron said  
" You can talk to snakes" Hermione said  
" I know" Harry and Brenda said  
" You know?" Ron asked  
" I accidently let a snake out at the zoo last year on my cousin Dudley, just once" Harry said  
" I talked to snakes all the time at the orphanage, everybody else was afraid of me" Brenda said  
" Who cares, I'm sure a lot of people here can do it" Harry said  
" No they can't, Parseltongue is not a very common gift. It is bad" Hermione said  
" What's bad about it? If we didn't convince the snake to not attack Justin then" Brenda was cut off  
" So that's what you were saying, everybody thought you were egging it on or something" Ron said  
" But you heard us" Harry said  
" We heard you speak snake language" Hermione said  
" A different language?" Harry asked  
" How can we speak a different language if we didn't realize we did" Brenda asked  
" You guys, this might sound scary but there is a reason why the Slytherin mascot is a snake, Salazar Slytherin was a parselmouth too, he also could talk to snakes" Hermione said  
" What does any of that have to do with Harry and me?" Brenda asked  
" Because now people will think you are his great great great grandkids or something" Ron said  
" We can't be" Harry said  
" He lived over a thousand years ago, for all we know... you could be" Hermione said  
That night during dinner Brenda got a note from professor Snape  
" Oh no, I was dreading this" Brenda said  
" Well he really can't do anything, I mean you didn't know you could speak a different language" Ron said  
" Don't you two have like a father daughter relationship?" Hermione asked  
" Well... I guess he won't do anything" Brenda said  
After dinner Brenda went down into the dungeon and to the apartment  
" I told you I'd be back" Brenda said to the portrait  
" Word in the castle is that you are the heir of Slytherin, not so good anymore are you" the portrait said  
" Yet I'm still a Gryffindor" Brenda said, " Gillyweed"  
The portrait opened up and Brenda went in and waited for her guardian to show up  
15 minutes later he showed up  
" Good you got my message" Severus said  
Brenda didn't say anything  
" Yes well, today was a very interesting day wasn't it?" Severus asked  
" Yes sir, it was" Brenda said quietly  
" Would you like to talk about it? Severus asked  
" I didn't know that I can speak parseltongue until today" Brenda said  
" You just decided today to speak to a snake" Severus asked lifting an eyebrow  
" No, I knew I could speak to snakes for years, I always talked to them at the orphanage, I didn't know I was speaking a different language, I mostly thought that it just came naturally for witches and wizards sir" Brenda said  
" Did your friends tell you why everybody is scared and cautious around you and your brother?" Severus asked  
" Because Salazar Slytherin was a parselmouth, and they think that Harry and I are his grandkids or something and that we are also the heirs of Slytherin, they think that we are the ones who petrified Filch's cat and Colin Creevy... I don't know why somebody would petrify a cat though... that's kind of pointless" Brenda said  
" That's because people like to tease Filch because of what he is" Severus said  
" What do you mean?" Brenda asked  
" Oh you don't know? Filch is a squib" Severus said  
" That sounds familiar, I think I read something about squibs in a book" Brenda said  
" Squibs are people born of magical parents but do not have magic themselves, they're the opposite of muggle borns and can pass off as muggles themselves" Severus explained  
" So that's why he doesn't like us, he's jealous that we can use magic and he can't" Brenda said  
Severus nodded  
" I still don't know why somebody would petrify his cat, yes he's mean and Mrs. Noris drives people nuts but he can still give out detentions and he can be scary" Brenda said  
" Well hopefully this mess is cleared up soon" Severus said  
Brenda was quiet  
" You and your friends are not going to clean it up like you did last year" Severus warned  
" We weren't even planning on it... but thanks for the suggestion" Brenda teased  
" BRENDA" Severus voice rose a bit  
" Only joking, I promise you there is nothing up our sleeves this time" Brenda said, and thought " It's in the girls bathroom"  
" Ok" Severus said then asked, " Since there is so much tension going around in the school and no doubt in the Gryffindor tower, would you like to stay here for a while?"  
" Thanks but no thanks, I'm not the only one who can speak to snakes, I have to face everybody just like Harry does, I can't go run and hide every time something wrong happens, sheesh, if that was true I'd probably be hiding a lot" Brenda said  
" That's a pretty good argument, ok, well Brenda I wish you good luck and bid you good night" Severus said  
" Good night" Brenda said and smiled then left the portrait  
" So is it true, are you an heir of Slytherin" The portrait asked  
" Shut up" Brenda told the portrait  
Brenda headed up from the dungeons and met up with Harry in the hall  
" Hey Harry" Brenda said, " Where have you been?"  
" Hey" Harry said, "With Hagrid, so how was your visit with Snape?"  
" Not that bad, I told him we didn't know we could speak a different language and he told me that Filch is a squib, which is somebody with magical parents but doesn't have magic themselves"  
" Oh so that's why he doesn't like kids, because we can do magic and he can't" Harry said  
Brenda nodded  
The two of them were heading up to the common room when the stopped dead in their tracks, right in front of them was a horrid sight, on the floor was Justin from Hufflepuff and Nearly Headless Nick, they were both petrified  
" This is not good" Brenda gasped  
" What should we do?" Harry asked  
" We need to get help" Brenda said scared  
" You don't think this can be pointed to us do you?" Harry asked  
" It probably will" Brenda said disappointed, " But we just can't leave them here"  
All of a sudden Filch spotted them  
" You're caught in the act this time Potters, no escape now" Filch said smiling  
All of a sudden students came and saw the scene and there were whispers  
" They did it again"  
" Nobody is safe anymore"  
"Muggle Borns are in danger"  
"They're the heirs of Slytherin"  
Pretty soon it got really loud that all the voices joined as one and McGonagall finally quieted down the crowd  
" Everybody go back to your common rooms, break it up all of you" McGonagall commanded, " You boys take Mr. Fletchley to the hospital wing, and...Ms. Bones, you take this fan and guide Sir Nicolas to the hospital wing"  
The Hufflepuffs nodded and did as they were told and gave the Potters evil glares  
" Professor we swear we didn't do it" Brenda said  
" This is out of my hands you two" McGonagall said, " Follow me"  
The Potters were led to Dumbledore's office  
" Sherbet Lemon" McGonagall said and the door opened and the stairs moved  
The Potters got on the stairs and went up to the office  
The office looked really nice, there were pictures of previous headmasters on the walls all asleep since it was somewhat of a late hour, and on a perch was a beautiful bird  
" I think that's a phoenix, I saw one in a book" Brenda said smiling " It didn't say much about them though"  
The Potters went up to it and the bird caught fire and they were horrified and that's when Dumbledore came down  
" Professor... we... we didn't... it just caught fire" The Potters stammered  
" It's about time too, he has been looking dreadful for days now" Dumbledore said smiling  
The Potters looked really confused  
" Fawkes is a phoenix, they burst into flame when they die and are reborn from the ashes, watch him" Dumbledore said  
They looked at the ashes that is Fawkes and saw a baby bird coming out of the ashes  
" That's cute" Brenda said smiling  
" It's quite a shame you had to see him on a burning day, phoenixes are quite handsome creatures, they are very strong and their tears have healing powers, if you ask me, they make very faithful pets, ok now for the reason why you were brought here  
The Potters eyes grew wide because they were afraid they were going to get expelled  
" Both of you have a seat" Dumbledore said indicating to the chairs  
The Potters sat down and all of a sudden the doors burst open and Hagrid came in followed by Snape and both of them were explaining that Harry and Brenda did not petrifiy Justin and Nearly Headless Nick  
" I wasn't even thinking that they did do it" Dumbledore said calmly  
The Potters eyes grew wide with hope  
" Then we will leave you three alone, come along Hagrid" Severus said then gave Brenda an encouraging smile before exiting  
" You don't think we're guilty?" Harry asked  
" I do not" Dumbledore said, " But I would like to know if there is anything you wish to tell me"  
The Potters looked at each other and back at the Headmaster and shook their heads  
" Then I will let you go back to your common room and bid you good night" Dumbledore said and left the desk to return to his room  
" Dumbledore knows we're innocent" Brenda said happily  
Harry smiled, " Lets get back to the common room before we get in anymore trouble"  
Brenda nodded and they both walked out of the office and to the 7th floor corridor and to the Fat lady and went inside the room  
" So what happened?" Ron burst out asked  
" He thinks we're innocent" Harry said  
" Well he should because you are innocent" Hermione said  
" Pretty soon the potion will be ready and we'll all know who the real evil is" Brenda said smiling  
" Yes but tonight we should get some rest, in order for all of that to happen, we need all the rest we can get" Hermione instructed  
During the few weeks before Christmas everybody was afraid of the Potters, all except the Potter's close friends and the Weasley twins. The Weasley twins thought it was crazy and just to prove a point every time the Potters showed up they would shout out and say, " Watch out everyone the heirs of Slytherin are coming"  
Brenda looked at both Fred and George then to her brother, " That is getting a bit of annoying"  
" Their just having some fun with it, at least they're not afraid of us" Harry said  
" True" Brenda agreed  
Harry looked at the people staring at them, " I'm glad it's close to Christmas break, I heard that more than half the students are leaving"  
" I heard that also, it means less stares" Brenda said, " And Malfoy is staying, our plan will work"  
" So how long until it's ready?" Harry asked  
" I'd say just a couple weeks left" Hermione predicted  
" Good, the sooner the better" Harry said  
" No kidding" Brenda said  
" Did you see the look on Malfoy's face? He wants the credit of being the heir and it just burns him up that everybody thinks it's both of you" Ron said  
" Well soon the potion will be ready and we'll expose him for what he really is" Brenda said  
Finally it was Christmas break and the only Gryffindors were the Weasleys, the Potters and Hermione  
" Who knew the Common room could ever be this empty even during Christmas break" Ron said  
" Hey now we can play exploding snap and we can be as loud as we want" Fred said happily  
Percy came up to his three brothers, " That is a very childish game, why waste your time with that when you can be studying for your futures, that is what really counts"  
" Go away Perce and go read Hogwarts A History or something" George said  
" I already read that 50 times" Percy said in a huff  
" Then find something else" Ron said  
Percy glared at his younger brothers and left the group  
" He always gets on our case" Fred said  
" Well your brother does have a point you know, reading is good for your future" Hermione said  
" He needs to live a little, all he does is study" George said  
" Lets not worry about him, he'll never change, lets not ruin our Christmas break by worrying about his fun habits" Fred suggested  
" You're right" George agreed  
Brenda was the only one not in the common room, she figured this was the perfect time to wrap gifts, she got Ron a new Wizard Chest set since his was an old one, Hermione a book with a different story every time the first story is finished, Harry a book on potions that she knew he could use, the Weasley twins magical pranks from Gambol And Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, got Percy a book on being head boy that he didn't have yet because it just came out, and got Severus a bunch of potion supplies that she knew he needed and with the help of Minnie, she knew Severus liked chocolate, so she got him a box of fine chocolates  
" Perfect" Brenda smiled and thought  
Finally she went and joined the others downstairs  
A few days later it was Christmas  
Brenda woke up and saw that Hermione was up  
" Happy Christmas Hermione" Brenda said happily  
" Happy Christmas Brenda" Hermione said, " Come on lets go wish the guys happy Christmas"  
Both girls smiled and headed downstairs to the Common room, the tree was full of wrapped gifts  
" You'd think they would be down by now" Hermione said  
" Lets go wake them up" Brenda suggested with an evil grin  
Hermione smiled and the two went to the boys dorm and opened the door and greeted, " HAPPY CHRISTMAS"  
That got the boys up with smiles and Ron wasn't even mad that the girls were in the boys room  
" HAPPY CHRISTMAS" The boys said together  
The four of them went back downstairs and Fred, George and Percy were up  
" HAPPY CHRISTMAS" The three said at the same time  
" HAPPY CHRISTMAS" The second years said at the same time  
Finally it was time to open gifts, Hermione got Brenda the same thing Brenda got Hermione  
" We think alike" Hermione said and smiled  
" We sure do" Brenda said with a laugh  
When Fred and George opened their gift first they yelled and then they tackled a hug out of Brenda as thanks  
" You're welcome" Brenda said with a laugh  
Everybody got Weasley sweaters, Brenda's was purple again with a B on hers  
" Gee George, they got the twin ones again" Fred said with a chuckle  
" Well we are twins" Harry said  
" I think it's cute" Brenda said  
" You're the only one" Ron said making a face at his sweater  
Severus gave Brenda Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them by Newt Scamander and Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp and a book on the plants used in potions by David Lee Mix  
Everybody's morning was great and when the second years were alone the girls had good news for the guys  
" The potion is ready for tonight" Hermione said  
" All you need to do is get a hair from Crabbe and Goyle, we already have ours" Brenda said  
" Who do you have" Ron asked  
" Pansy Parkinson" Brenda said, " She isn't even at Hogwarts, she went home for the holidays"  
" Won't Malfoy be suspicious?" Harry asked, " Seeing Parkinson leave for the holiday, only to return on Christmas?"  
" Not really, I slipped a potion in his drink that made it look like Parkinson was staying at Hogwarts" Brenda said and smiled evilly  
" How did you do that?" Ron asked  
" Invisibility cloak, duh" Brenda said with a grin  
" I got mine off of Millicent Bulstrode's robes" Hermione said  
" How are we supposed to get Crabbe and Goyles" Harry asked  
Brenda got up and went to the dorm, two minutes later she came back down with cupcakes  
" Cupcakes" Ron gasped, " What will cupcakes do?"  
" Sleeping Draught filled cupcakes" Brenda said with a smile  
" All you have to do is have Crabbe and Goyle find them, you know they'll eat them" Hermione said  
" And all you have to do is hide them in a broom closet and pull out a few of their hairs" Brenda said  
" Are you sure?" Harry asked  
" The potion won't work without the hairs" The girls said at the same time  
" OK" The guys said gloomily  
The rest of the Christmas day went smoothly, the Christmas Feast was amazing, Brenda greeted Severus happily and thanked him for the wonderful gifts, he thanked her for the potion supplies and the chocolates, he really liked the chocolates. Everything was perfect and then finally it was night and time for the potion  
Hermione and Brenda were waiting in the girls bathroom stirring the potion waiting for the boys to get there. When they finally did, the girls split the potion in four cups  
" Now add the hairs" Hermione said  
They all added the hairs  
" Cheers" Brenda said with a little disgust  
They all took big gulps at the same time and with a grimace swallowed the contents  
" I think I'm going to be sick" Ron said  
He ran into the stall to vomit  
" So am I" Hermione said as she also ran into a stall  
Everybody started gasping as the changes were made and the next thing they knew, they were different  
" Wow Pansy Parkinson" Brenda gasped  
" It worked" Harry said amazed  
Ron came out of the stall, " Harry, Brenda... Where's Hermione"  
" She's still in the stall" Brenda said pointing  
" Hermione are you ok?" Harry asked with concern  
" I'm... I'm not going" Hermione said, " Just go without me"  
" Hermione" Brenda asked  
" Just go you're wasting time" Hermione said from the stall  
The three of them left the girls bathroom  
" So Brenda, you're always in the dungeons, where's the Slytherin's common room" Ron asked  
Brenda looked at Ron and rolled her eyes, " Follow me, I don't know the password though"  
" That might be a problem" Harry said  
" We'll think of something" Brenda said  
They were walking down to the Dungeons when they were stopped by Percy Weasley  
" What are you doing down here?" Ron said in Crabbe's voice  
" I happen to be a prefect" Percy said  
All of a sudden Malfoy went up to them  
" What are you three doing up here?" Malfoy asked  
Brenda decided to play the roll of Pansy Parkinson and started flirting with Malfoy  
" This will be fun... but weird" Brenda thought but said to Malfoy, " I caught these two wandering the halls Draco, I told them you wouldn't like it and we were just on our way when we ran into this... prefect" Brenda said with venom Pansy would have  
" Watch your attitude Ms. Parkinson" Percy said as a warning  
Brenda rolled her eyes  
" Goyle since when do you wear glasses" Malfoy asked finally noticing his friend  
" Uh... reading" Harry said as he took them off  
" Didn't know you could read" Malfoy said surprised  
" Well Draco lets get out of here before more unwanted company shows up" Brenda said and glared at Percy  
" Good idea Pansy" Malfoy said  
They made it to the Slytherin Common Room and Brenda sat down like she knew the place and so did Malfoy, then they looked at the other two who were amazed  
" You can sit down" Malfoy said  
They sat and Malfoy started talking about Ron's family  
" You'd never believe the Weasley's were pure bloods, the way they behave, they are an embarrassment to the wizarding world" Malfoy said  
Ron was getting mad and he was balling his fists to calm down instead of showing Malfoy a piece of his mind and blowing the cover. Malfoy saw the balled up fists  
" What's the matter with you Crabbe?" Malfoy asked  
" Stomachache" Ron said  
" It's because he ate all that food to fast" Brenda said in a Pansy like tone  
" You know, I'm surprised the Prophet hasn't reported these attacks yet, I bet it's Dumbledore's doing, doesn't want his precious school to shut down. I think he'll be sacked if it doesn't stop soon. My father says Dumbledore was the worst thing that happened at Hogwarts" Malfoy said  
" NOT TRUE" Harry and Brenda said together  
" What? You think there's somebody worse than Dumbledore?" Malfoy asked surprised  
Harry didn't have anything but Brenda thought fast  
" Harry and Brenda Potter of course" Brenda said  
" Good one Pansy, you are very smart" Malfoy said  
" I know" Brenda said with a smug smirk  
" The Potters, they hang out with the Weasleys and that mudblood Granger, and people think that they are the heirs of Slytherin, they're not even in Slytherin, I don't think they have what it takes to be one" Malfoy said  
The other three agreed  
" But Draco you must have some idea who is the heir or heirs" Brenda said in a silky tone  
" I'm sorry Pansy but I don't, I told them that yesterday, they probably forgot about that already though" Malfoy said, " But my father said that the chamber was last open 50 years ago, the last time it was open, a mudblood died, now it's open again and it's attacking again, if it's killing mudbloods again, I hope the first one is Granger"  
All three of them got up, Ron because he was going to hit Malfoy, Harry because he was stopping Ron and Brenda who also was going to try and stop Ron  
" What's the matter with you three? You're acting very odd" Malfoy said  
" It's his stomachache" Harry said  
" So go to the hospital Wing" Malfoy said  
Malfoy then went to the table that had a present on it  
Brenda saw Ron's hair turning red and the outline of Harry's scar and the guys saw Brenda's scar showing  
" That's a good idea Draco, uh... we'll take Crabbe to the Hospital Wing, they shouldn't go alone, they might get lost" Brenda said trying to hurry them out  
" Good idea Pansy" Malfoy said  
They made it out just in time  
" That was close" Brenda said  
" Too close" Ron said," So that was all for nothing, Malfoy isn't the heir"  
" It wasn't all for nothing, we learned that the chamber was opened 50 years ago" Brenda said  
" We have so much information for Hermione" Harry said  
The three ran back into the girls bathroom  
" Hermione come on out we have loads to tell you" Harry said  
" Just go away" Hermione said  
" Hermione the potion wore off" Ron said  
" I said go away" Hermione said  
" Hermione what's wrong" Brenda said  
Moaning Myrtle came out laughing  
" Wait until you see, it's awful"  
She left laughing  
Brenda opened the stall and gasped  
The guys saw why she gasped, Hermione looked like an overgrown cat  
" the potion wasn't meant for humans to transform into animals, it was cat's hair I got off her robes... look at my face" Hermione said sad  
" Look at your tail" Ron said trying not to laugh  
" Ok, you need to go to the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey will help you, she doesn't ask questions" Brenda said  
It took the three of them an hour to persuade Hermione to come out of the stall and go to the Hospital Wing  
Hermione was still in the hospital wing after Christmas vacation was over, when people came back, there were rumors that she was attacked since she was muggle born. Everybody kept going to the hospital wing to see if she was petrified but Madam Pomfrey put a curtain up so nobody could see her. Her three best friends came and visited her everyday and Brenda always brought her homework  
" Why do your homework when you're in the hospital?" Ron asked  
" I have to be caught up for when I get better I want to be on the same page as everybody else" Hermione said  
Hermione was slowly turning back, most of her hair was off her face and her eyes were turning brown again  
" So have you guys found any more leads?" Hermione asked  
" No, we've been brainstorming but nothing has come up yet" Brenda said, " At least there hasn't been anymore attacks"  
" Don't jinx it" Ron said  
" Well we better get going, Snape gave us a lot of homework, we'll probably get it finished in our sixth year" Harry said gloomily  
" It's not that much, I'll help you" Brenda said, " Well Hermione, you better get some rest"  
" Thanks for coming you guys" Hermione said with a smile  
" We always come" Ron said, " Well, good bye"  
They all waved then left  
On the way up to the Gryffindor Common Room they heard Filch and he sounded mad. They went to investigate and saw on the floor a bunch of water and it lead to the girls bathroom  
" What's moaning Myrtle up to now" Ron asked  
" Only one way to find out" Harry said  
The three of them go and investigate and find a floating Moaning Myrtle crying  
" Come to throw something else at me?" Moaning Myrtle asked Harry  
" Why would I throw something at you?" Harry asked confused  
" Don't ask me" Myrtle said, " I was just minding my own business thinking about death when somebody threw a book on the top of my head"  
" Well it didn't hurt, you're dead, it would just go right through you" Ron said  
Myrtle got mad and floated fast at Ron  
" So you think it's funny do you? you want to make a game out of it. Five points if you can throw it at her stomach, 10 points if it goes through her head" Myrtle was mad  
" Ron, say sorry to her" Brenda commanded  
" What did I say?" Ron asked  
" You know what you said" Brenda said with her arms crossed  
" Ron do it" Harry said  
" I'm sorry Myrtle for... teasing you" Ron said  
" Myrtle we didn't do it, we just came to investigate what happened, do you know where the book is?" Brenda asked  
" It's right over there" Myrtle said pointing in a stall  
" Thanks" Harry said and he grabbed the book which happened to be a diary with the initials of T.M. Riddle  
Ron and Brenda looked at the diary with Harry  
" Hey I know that name, T.M. Riddle" Ron said  
" How do you know it?" Brenda asked  
" When I served my detention, Filch made me polish the trophy with that name on it about fifty times because I kept vomiting up slugs, he got an award for services for the school or something" Ron explained  
" Well we're not going to figure anything out here, lets go back to the common room and look at it" Brenda suggested  
The three of them left the bathroom before Filch showed up  
When they got to the Common Room they looked through the diary but there wasn't a thing in it  
" Why would somebody just throw away an empty diary?" Ron asked  
" I don't know" Brenda said  
A few weeks later Hermione was finally released from the Hospital Wing and many questions were asked about her and the three showed her the diary  
" Maybe it has some special powers" Hermione suggested  
" We tried everything we can think of but there is nothing in that book" Brenda said, " All we know is that it's T.M. Riddles book and it's 50 years old, we tried spells and a revealer"  
" I told Harry to get rid of it" Ron said  
" I don't want to, there's just something about it" Harry said  
" Well I don't see any harm with you keeping the diary, there's nothing in it" Hermione said  
They stopped talking about the diary  
That night Harry and Brenda stayed up late  
" There's something about that diary, I just didn't want to say anything earlier" Brenda said, " I'm glad you didn't get rid of it"  
" There's one thing we haven't tried yet" Harry said  
" Writing in it?" Brenda asked  
" Yes" Harry said  
The two of them went to a desk and sat in the chairs and Brenda gave Harry ink and quill. He dipped the quill in the ink and put it to the paper and hesitated. One small drop landed on the paper and it was soaked through  
" Ok that was weird" Brenda said and flipped the pages to see if it bled through but there was nothing  
" I'll write my name in it, and we'll see what happens" Harry said then wrote " My name is Harry Potter"  
All of a sudden his name disappeared and in it's place was " Hello Harry Potter. My name is Tom Riddle"  
" Wow" They said at the same time  
Harry wrote again  
" My sister Brenda is here too" Harry wrote  
" Hello Brenda" The diary said  
" This is a little creepy" Brenda said, " Ask him about the Chamber of Secrets"  
" Do you know anything about the Chamber Of Secrets?" Harry wrote and the answer was "Yes"  
" Can you tell us about it?" Harry wrote and the answer was " No"  
" Well it was a good try" Brenda said  
" But I can show you both" The diary said  
" Ok what's that mean?" Brenda asked  
The next thing the twins knew they were sucked inside the book  
" Wow that was strange" Brenda said, " You ok?"  
" Yah you" Harry asked  
" Yah" Brenda said and then looked around her surroundings and spots a boy, " Lets go ask him where we are"  
The two go up to the boy  
" Excuse me but can you tell us where we are?" Harry asked the boy  
The boy didn't even acknowledge them. He was looking at two wizards holding a stretcher with a body covered up  
" I think that's a dead body" Brenda gasped  
" Calm down Brenda, I think we're in the past" Harry said trying to calm his sister down  
All of a sudden somebody said, " Riddle"  
The boy turned around and faced a teacher  
" We are in the past, that's Tom Riddle" Harry said  
" Yes professor?" Tom said  
The twins turn around and see a younger looking Dumbledore  
"It's not wise to be wandering around this late, Tom" Dumbledore said  
" Yes, Professor. I suppose I - I just had to see for myself, if... the rumors were true" Tom said  
" Yes I'm afraid they are Tom" Dumbledore said sadly  
" And the school as well? They wouldn't really close Hogwarts would they professor?" Tom asked  
" I'm afraid the headmaster has no choice in the matter" Dumbledore said  
" What if all these attacks stopped, then would the school stay opened?" Tom asked  
" Tom is there something you wish to tell me?" Dumbledore asked curious  
Tom's face went blank and said, " No sir"  
Dumbledore studied his face, " Very well hurry along" Dumbledore leaves and Tom goes the other direction  
" We should follow him" Brenda said  
" I wonder how old Dumbledore is, he even looks old and this is fifty years ago in the past" Harry said  
" Worry about that later, we're supposed to figure this out" Brenda said  
They followed Tom to a secret corridor in the dungeons  
" I've been in here before" Brenda said  
" You have?" Harry asked surprised  
" Well I live with Snape" Brenda said, " It's hard dodging Slytherins without being seen or heard"  
They see Tom open the door and reveal a boy trying to put something in a box, Tom reveals his wand  
" Good evening Hagrid" Tom said  
" Hagrid" The twins said together  
" I'm going to have to turn you in, Hagrid. I don't think you meant it to kill anyone" Tom said  
" No you don't understand he didn't mean it" Hagrid explained  
" The girls dead parents will be here tomorrow, the least we can do is make sure the thing that killed her is also dead" Tom said  
" It wasn't him, he would never kill anyone, never" Hagrid said  
" Stand aside Hagrid" Tom commanded and blasted the box the creature was in, out came a huge spider that made Brenda scream a bit  
" What's wrong with you?" Harry asked  
" I'm not fond of spiders" Brenda said  
Tom tried killing the spider but it escaped  
" NOOOOOOOOOO" Hagrid yelled  
" It's Hagrid" The twins said together  
All of a sudden they were back in the Common Room  
" Wow" They said together then looked at each other and ran up to their Dorms and told Ron and Hermione that it was Hagrid who opened the chamber 50 years ago  
The next day Ron and Hermione were arguing that it couldn't be Hagrid  
" It just can't be him" Hermione complained  
" It sounds like this Riddle guy is some dirty rotten little snitch, all he wanted was the glory" Ron said stubbornly  
" But the monster killed someone, what would we do if that happened?" Brenda asked  
" Why don't we ask Hagrid about it?" Hermione suggested  
" Oh yes Hermione, hey Hagrid have you been setting anything loose mad and hairy around the castle lately? Sure that will go well" Ron said sarcastically  
" Mad and Hairy you wouldn't be talking about me would you?" Hagrid asked scaring the Second years half to death  
" NO" The four said at the same time  
Hagrid looked at them curiously and Harry spots a canteen in Hagrid's hand  
" Hagrid what do you got there" Harry asked  
" This is Flesh-eating slug repellent for the mandrakes, they still have some growing up to do but when they're done they'll be chopped up and stewed and the students will be unpetrified  
The four smile at that news but then Neville came to the group  
" Hello Neville" Hagrid said  
" Harry, Brenda you both better come quick up to your dorms" Neville said in a rush  
The four looked at each other and then ran up to the Gryffindor Tower and to their dorms  
" What on earth! Brenda gasped as she saw her bed and her belongings all messed up, " Who could have done this?"  
Harry came back from his dorm, " The same thing happen to you?"  
" Yes" Brenda said, " They didn't take anything" She looked through all her belongings  
" They took the diary" Harry said  
" Oh boy" Brenda said  
" It had to be a Gryffindor. Nobody else knows our password. Unless it wasn't a student" Hermione said  
" Who would want a ratty old book anyway?" Ron asked  
" Probably the one who threw it at Myrtle wanted it back" Brenda said, " There is no way I can get my homework done and fix the damages to my bed tonight, I can't even find my homework, I'm going down to Snape's"  
" Why would you want to go down there?" Ron asked " You're not grounded"  
" Because I'm behind on my homework because of this Tom Riddle stuff and I need no interruptions" Brenda said " I just don't go down there because I'm grounded you know"  
" That's a good idea" Hermione said, " I'll help you look for your homework, What all do you need?"  
" The Transfiguration research paper, My Charms book, My DADA book and my Potions notebook, and book" Brenda said  
" Wow you are behind" Hermione said  
" Been busy with this Chamber of Secrets stuff" Brenda said  
" What about you Harry? Are you behind as well?" Hermione asked  
Harry shrugged, " I'm going to work on it later"  
" We'll help you look for your school things Brenda" Ron said  
They started looking through Brenda's stuff that was all messed up and some ruined  
" Here's your potions notebook... I think" Ron said holding it up  
Ink was spilled on it  
" Aw man" Brenda said then took out her wand and got rid of the ink, " I love magic, thanks"  
Finally after a half hour of looking through Brenda's things they found everything she needed  
" Thanks you guys for helping me out" Brenda said  
" You're welcome" they said at the same time  
Brenda packed a bag to go down to the apartment  
" Good luck on your potions" Hermione said before Brenda left  
" Thanks" Brenda said  
" See you tomorrow" Harry said  
" Yah see you" Ron said  
" Bye" Brenda said and then walked out of the Common room and into the 7th floor corridor and down to the dungeons and to Snape's Classroom where Severus was  
" Ms. Potter, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Snape asked  
" Nobody else is down here Sir" Brenda said  
" Good, is something wrong" Snape asked  
" Yes, I was wondering if I could stay down here tonight, somebody ruined my things and my bed and I have so much homework to get done" Brenda said  
" What do you mean ruined your things?" Snape asked curious  
" Well my notebook was inked but that was fixed, I had to fix a number of my school books and time right now isn't on my side" Brenda said  
" Why would somebody do that?" Snape asked  
" I don't know, whoever did it also did it to Harry, it might have something to do with the heirs of Slytherin rumors" Brenda said  
" Yes that could be true, very well, you may stay down here... Brenda you never need to ask to stay down here, it's your home too" Snape said  
" Yes sir" Brenda said  
Brenda left for the apartment  
" Ah the heir of Slytherin, long time no see" The portrait teased  
" Gillyweed" Brenda said  
" What no comeback?" The portrait asked as it opened up  
" Not in the mood" Brenda said as she stepped inside and went to her room to get her homework done  
Two hours later Severus came in the apartment and a few after that checked on Brenda  
" How is it coming along?" Severus asked  
" Well I finished my reading for DADA and Charms, I'm working on my Potions assignment, I'm almost done actually" Brenda said  
" Do you have all the ingredients down for the Swelling solution that we will be making shortly" Severus asked  
" Puffer-fish eyes, yes" Brenda said with a smile  
" Ok do you have the ingredients for the deflating solution" Severus asked  
" Yes" Brenda said, " You can check it if you want"  
Severus took the piece of parchment and looked over his ward's work, it was perfect  
" Ok so how come you left this homework undone until the last minute?" Severus asked, " That is not like you"  
Brenda was scared for a minute but then she thought of an excuse, " I was worried about Hermione when she was in the hospital Wing and I was helping out Harry and Ron on theirs, you know trying to explain it again and... we had Quidditch practices, Wood is getting tougher with the practices"  
It was mostly the truth, just not the whole truth  
" Well I got it done now" Brenda said  
" Yes, well good job, you're cutting it a little close but you did get it done" Snape said, " Now I suggest you get ready for bed, as I understand it, you have a Quidditch match tomorrow"  
Brenda nodded and cleared away her homework and thought, " That was a close one"  
She got ready for bed and finally went to bed and had a nice dream about Quidditch  
The next day was Quidditch between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff  
" So Brenda did you get your homework done?" Hermione asked  
" Yes, it took me all night but I got it done" Brenda said smiling  
" All night, that's bad" Hermione said  
" No, no, no not all night like I pulled an all nighter, I'm saying it took me all night before bed at 10:00" Brenda said  
" So are you guys ready for the game?" Ron asked the Potters  
" Against Hufflepuff oh yah" Harry said  
" Don't get too cocky" Brenda warned her brother  
" It's Hufflepuff" Harry said, " Wood says we always beat them"  
" I'm just saying, don't get too cocky, you never know, every year is different" Brenda said  
All of a sudden it was back, the thing that kept saying, "kill, kill, kill" and the Potters heard it  
Ron looked at them funny, " What's up with you two?"  
" It's back" Harry said  
" You mean the voice?" Hermione asked  
" Yah" Brenda said  
" Where could it be coming from?" Ron asked  
That gave Hermione an idea and she left the group  
" Where are you going?" Ron called  
" I have a theory, good luck you guys, I'll see you after the game" Hermione called as she left  
" What kind of theory?" Harry wondered  
" Well I'm going to get a good seat, good luck you guys" Ron said as he left for the stands  
The Potters headed for the locker rooms to change into their uniforms and when everybody was changed they headed out to the pitch only to be stopped by Professor McGonagall  
" The match has been canceled" McGonagall said  
There were a lot of shocked faces  
" I suggest you all change back into your regular clothes and head up to the tower, Mr. and Ms. Potter I need to talk to both of you after you come out  
Brenda and Harry both had worried looks and they hurried themselves getting dressed, when they came back out Ron was with her  
" Follow me" McGonagall said  
They followed their teacher to the Hospital Wing where to their shock was lying a petrified Hermione  
Brenda gasped and the others were just shocked  
" She was found near the library. Along with this. Does it mean anything to either of you?" McGonagall asked. She was holding up a mirror that was in Hermione's hand  
The three of them shook their head no  
" Ok, we should be getting back to the Gryffindor Tower... Ms. Potter, I suggest you do not sleep down in the dungeons for a while, it is much safer for you up here" McGonagall said  
" Yes professor" Brenda said  
They all went up to the tower and McGonagall went back out to go to Dumbledore's office  
Closer to night time McGonagall came back with a long piece of parchment  
She read out loud to the students, " All students will return to their house common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No exceptions" She then rolled up the parchment and said, " I should tell you all this. Unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught, it is likely that the school will be closed"  
McGonagall looked sad and the room was silent then she left the Common Room  
After a few minutes of shock and silence people started talking about the Chamber Of Secrets and Slytherins  
" Hasn't anybody noticed that not one Slytherin has been petrified? Don't they know that it's a Slytherin and not the Potters?" Neville asked, " If you ask me, they should just get rid of the Slytherins, then our problems would be solved"  
" What are we going to do if they close down Hogwarts?" Seamus asked  
" There are more schools besides Hogwarts you know" Percy said  
" Yes that's true, but Hogwarts is the safest in the wizarding world" Brenda said  
" And two of them are private schools" Fred and George said  
" We all need to calm down, Hogwarts isn't closed yet and there is a chance that the culprit as McGonagall put it will be caught" Harry said  
" Harry's right, plus Dumbledore's here, he wouldn't let Hogwarts close down" Dean Thomas said  
" That's right, he's the greatest sorcerer in the world, he loves Hogwarts and his students, he won't let it close down" Brenda said then looked at her brother who was on the other side of the room and communicated through thought, " We need to see Hagrid, tonight, we need to discuss the Chamber of Secrets with him. we should use our cloaks, tell Ron that"  
Harry got the message and whispered to Ron, " We've got to talk to Hagrid, Ron. I can't believe it's him. But if he did set the monster loose last time even by accident he'll know how to get inside the Chamber of Secrets"  
" But what about the Curfew?" Ron asked  
" Invisibility cloaks" Harry said  
That night Brenda woke up at 11:30 and got out her invisibility cloak from her trunk and put it on and sneaked out of the girls dorm room and headed downstairs to wait for the other two  
5 minutes later Brenda heard footsteps coming down but nobody was there  
" Harry, Ron?" Brenda asked  
" Yah it's us" Harry said  
" Ok let's go" Brenda commanded as they headed out of the Common Room and scared the fat lady since she saw nobody coming out  
They headed down the 7th floor corridor and down to the entrance hall, dodging 5 prefects and Brenda was ahead of them by a few feet since she was the only one under the cloak and she spotted Snape only a few feet away from her  
" Oh crap" Brenda thought to her brother, " Be careful, go nice and slow, try not to make any noise, Snape is here"  
Harry got the message and put his index finger to his lips as a silence motion for Ron  
Brenda was standing perfectly still, she knew if she moved Severus would hear her walking  
After about 3 minutes the boys saw Snape and they stood still, they didn't want to bump in to Brenda and blow their cover  
Finally five minutes later Snape moved from his spot and headed towards the dungeons and the three 2nd years headed towards the door leading to the outside  
" We're not out of the woods yet" Brenda thought to her brother, " There are prefects out here also, so keep it down, tell Ron that, he almost blew our cover when he stubbed his foot, good thing that prefect sneezed at the same time he swore"  
Harry got the message and signaled for Ron to be quiet again but Ron rolled his eyes and mouthed, " Why do you keep doing that?"  
Harry mouthed, " Brenda is telling me to by thought"  
Ron rolled his eyes again  
Finally after dodging 10 more prefects they made it to Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door. Hagrid answered the door with a crossbow in his hand, scaring the 2nd years  
" Who's there?" Hagrid asked  
They took the cloaks off scaring Hagrid half to death  
" What's that for?" Ron asked  
" Uh... nothing, come in come in, I'll make tea" Hagrid said, he looked worried about something  
They came in and sat down on the couch  
" So did you hear about Hermione?" Brenda asked  
" Yah, I did" Hagrid said  
" Hagrid are you ok?" Harry asked  
" I'm fine, I'm fine" Hagrid said as he was pouring the tea  
" Good, so do you know anything about the Chamber of secrets?" Ron asked  
Before Hagrid could answer somebody knocked at his door  
" Hurry get under the cloaks and stand next to the fireplace" Hagrid ordered in a hushed voice  
The 2nd years did as they were told and Hagrid answered the door  
" Professor Dumbledore, Minister Fudge, come in come in" Hagrid said putting down his Crossbow  
" Terrible business Hagrid, terrible business, four muggleborns attacked this year, the ministry had to do something, I had to come" Fudge said  
" I never, Professor you know I" Hagrid started  
" I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence" Dumbledore said  
" Hagrid's record's against him. I've got to take him" Fudge said  
" Where? not Azkaban prison" Hagrid said angry  
" For a short stretch only. Not a punishment, Hagrid. More a precaution. If someone else is caught, you'll be released with a full apology" Fudge said  
All of a sudden there was another knock on Hagrid's door and Dumbledore answered it, it was Lucious Malfoy  
" Already here Fudge, good very good" Malfoy said  
" What are you doing here? Get out of my house" Hagrid was angry at Malfoy  
" Believe me, I have no pleasure at all in being inside your" Lucius Malfoy looked around the hut, "You call this a house? I simply called at the school and was told the Headmaster was here." Malfoy said  
" What do you want with me?" Dumbledore asked  
" The governors decided it is time for you to step down Dumbledore, you will see that all the signatures are signed, they are afraid you are losing your touch, with four muggleborns being attacked and all" Malfoy said and handed the minister the parchment with the signatures  
" All of them are signed" Fudge said, " But without Dumbledore who would be able to stop the attacks?"  
" That remains to be seen" Malfoy said  
" So Malfoy how many did you have to threaten to sign?" Hagrid said glaring  
" I hope you don't speak to the Azkaban guards like that" Malfoy said  
" Without Dumbledore the muggleborns don't have a chance, next it will be killings" Hagrid said  
" Calm down Hagrid, Lucius, if the governors want me removed then I will step down, but I won't truly leave this school if there are still people who are loyal to me, and help is always given to people who ask for it" Dumbledore said and his eyes moved to the fireplace at the exact spot where Brenda and Harry were standing side by side  
" That's creepy" Brenda thought to her brother  
" Yah" Harry thought back  
Malfoy nodded and left followed by Dumbledore  
" Coming Hagrid?" Fudge asked  
"If anyone wanted to find out some stuff, all they'd have to do is follow the spiders" Hagrid said to "Himself", Oh somebody needs to feed fang while I'm away"  
Hagrid and Fudge left and the door was shut behind them  
" We have to follow a trail of spiders? I don't like the sound of that" Brenda said  
" Me either" Ron said  
" Come on, we need to figure this out" Harry said  
" Why can't it be follow the butterflies" Ron asked  
" Or birds, or cats, dogs, not insects" Brenda whined  
" Come on, both of you stop your whining" Harry commanded  
" What spiders was he talking about anyway?" Ron asked  
" The ones we saw after somebody was petrified" Brenda said  
" Well nobody is petrified here, lets go" Ron said  
" No look" Harry said and pointed to the windowsill where a bunch of spiders were crawling out of the window  
" I don't like spiders" Ron said  
" Me either, they're too crawly... I don't like insects all too well" Brenda said, " But we must follow them, we're Gryffindors, we're supposed to be brave"  
" I'm bringing Fang though" Ron said  
The three followed the spiders into the forbidden forest  
" We're not supposed to be in here" Ron said  
" We break the rules all the time, whats one more to the list?" Harry asked  
Ron made a whining noise  
They went deeper and deeper into the forest and heard something rumbling and Fang growls  
" What is it boy?" Brenda asked Fang  
Both Potters got out their wands and said, " Lumos"  
They saw the Weasley car and then the lights turned on  
" So that's what happened to it, it turned wild" Ron said  
" Didn't know cars could do that" Brenda said more to herself  
" Come on lets keep moving" Harry said  
They walked on a ways and entered a hollow with shadows, huge trees towering over them, with strands of white webs all over the place  
" I think we found what we were looking for... or the place we're supposed to be at" Harry said  
They walk on further into the hollow and it was getting darker  
" Lumos" The Potters said, Ron wasn't trusting his wand at the moment  
They walk a little further and then stop dead in their tracks, only a few feet away is the biggest spider they have ever seen, it was at least the size of a baby elephant, maybe bigger  
" You three are not part of the forest, you three are human" The spider said  
" Yes, we are friends of Hagrid's" Harry said, " You must be... Aragog"  
" Hagrid has never sent humans into our hollow before" Aragog said  
" He's in trouble up at school, there have been attacks. They think it's Hagrid. They think he's opened the Chamber of Secrets Like before" Brenda said  
" That's a lie! Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets" Aragog said a little mad  
" Well if he didn't then that means, you're not the monster" Harry said  
" The monster was born in the castle. I came from a distant land, in the pocket of a traveler" Aragog said  
" But if you're not the monster, what did kill that girl fifty years ago? Brenda asked  
" We do not speak of it! It is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others" Aragog said  
" But you have seen it right" Brenda asked  
" I never saw any part of the castle but the cupboard in which Hagrid kept me. The girl was discovered in a bathroom. When I was accused, Hagrid brought me here" Aragog said  
That whole time Ron has been looking at the spiders that were coming down and he finally grabbed the twins  
" What" They asked annoyed  
Ron pointed at the spiders that were getting closer  
" Ok, well thank you for your time and information, we will be going now" Harry said smiling with fear in his eyes  
" Go? I think not. My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat when it wanders so willingly into our midst... Goodbye, friends of Hagrid" Aragog said and then left the three 2nd years and a cowardly dog against many, many spiders  
They start running out of the Hallow as fast as they could but the Spiders were surrounding them, they all got out their wands  
" Got any spells" Harry asked Brenda  
" Just one" Brenda said, " FLIPPENDO"  
Brenda shot it at a spider and it was knocked back and out  
The other two started using that spell, Ron was being careful though  
" There's too many of them" Ron said  
All of a sudden there was a rumble and out of nowhere the Weasley car, it ran over spiders and stopped in front of the 2nd years, they got in the car with a few more spells cast and Ron drove the car out of the Hallow, they weren't out of the woods yet... literally, the spiders were chasing them and one ran through the back window and got a hold of Brenda who was in the back  
" GET IT OFF ME GET IT OFF" Brenda yelled, she didn't like the feel of spiders, it creeped her out  
" FLIPPENDO" Harry said and the spider lost it's grip on Brenda  
" Thanks" Brenda said shaken  
" You're welcome" Harry said  
" Guys we have a problem" Ron said  
In front of them were thick trees that the car couldn't get through  
" We have to take it up in the air" Brenda said loudly  
Ron put the flying gear on but nothing was happening  
" It's jammed" Ron said panicking  
" Sit back", Brenda said  
" What are you doing?" Harry asked  
" A spell" Brenda said, " REPARO"  
The flying gear was fixed  
" Now get us up" Brenda commanded  
Ron put the flying gear on and finally they made it up into the sky  
" How did you? we never learned that" Harry said  
" I spent the summer with Professor Snape, he has me study, I like studying... I study a lot, studying helps a lot" Brenda said  
They finally made it to the ground and the car pushed them back out harshly again and went back into the forest  
" If Hagrid gets out of Azkaban, I'm going to kill him" Ron said with anger," What did we accomplish with that expierence besides finding out another way to die?  
" We found out that Hagrid didn't do it" Brenda said  
" Yah all he did was hide a monster spider into the forest that tried to eat us" Ron said  
" Don't blame this on Hagrid, he's innocent, he didn't open it, somebody else did, we need to figure out who" Brenda said  
" Well it's too late tonight, lets get back to the tower" Harry said and they put the cloaks back on and snuck up to the tower and to their dorms  
Brenda couldn't sleep, she just thought about what Aragog said, " The dead girl died in a bathroom... Moaning Myrtle"  
Brenda sat up and got up and was heading towards the boys dorms but Harry was also up  
" Moaning Myrtle" They said at the same time  
The next day the Potters told Ron what they thought about  
" Moaning Myrtle?" Ron asked  
" Yes" Brenda said smiling, " We're one step closer"  
" But we have a long way to go" Harry said  
" We could really use Hermione right about now" Ron said  
" Yah two very smart people are a lot better than one" Harry said  
" Let's go visit her, she could use the company" Brenda suggested  
" She can't hear us though" Ron said  
" I know, but still, maybe we can figure out why she had that mirror" Brenda said  
The three of them went to the Hospital Wing to visit their friend  
" Why are you three here? She can't hear you" Pomfrey said  
" We know, but she's our friend, we had to come" Brenda said a little sad  
" Very well" Pomfrey said with a sigh and left them alone  
" We wish you were here Hermione, we could use you" Harry said taking her hand  
" We found out a few things but we can't figure out what the monster is and how it's been getting around the school and why you had a mirror" Brenda said taking Hermione's other hand  
Brenda looked down at Hermione's hand, it looked like she was holding something  
" What's this" Brenda said as she took the thing Hermione was holding out of her hand, it was a piece of paper about the Basilisk  
" What's that?" Ron asked  
" I think we found our answer" Brenda said her eyes lighting up, " Listen to this, The Basilisk is a giant snake that spiders flee before, it can live for hundreds of years and the look in the Basilisk's eyes is deadly"  
" You think that a giant snake is what is petrifying the school?" Ron asked  
" Yes, it makes sense, Harry and I can understand it because it's a snake. Spiders flee before it" Brenda said  
" What about the students being petrified?" Ron asked, " They're not dead, just petrified"  
" Well, I believe that they looked at it in the eye, but not directly" Brenda said  
" What do you mean not directly" Ron asked  
" Well, Hermione had the mirror, Collin had his camera, Justin saw it through Headless Nick, Nick got the full blast of it but he's a ghost he can't die twice" Harry said  
" And what about Ms. Norris? She wasn't carrying a camera or a mirror" Ron said  
" Well there was water on the floor that night, she saw it through the reflection" Brenda said, " Any other questions?"  
" Yes, how is this snake getting around? People would see a giant snake" Ron said  
Brenda looked down at the paper and smiled and pointed to what she read  
" Pipes, the snake is using the plumbing" Ron said with a gasp  
" I believe we solved most of the mystery, now the hard part" Brenda said with a frown  
" Stopping the Basilisk" Harry said  
Brenda nodded  
All of a sudden McGonagall's voice could be heard, it was magnified by magic, " All students are to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers to the second floor corridor. Immediately"  
" That doesn't sound good" Brenda whispered  
" Let's go" Harry said getting up  
" Where?" Ron asked  
" Second floor corridor" Harry said  
Ron groaned, he knew Harry was going to say that  
They sneak up to the second floor corridor and see all the teachers there  
" As you can see the Heir of Slytherin has left another message. A student has been taken to the chamber itself by the monster. We're going to have to send the students home. I'm afraid Hogwarts is no longer safe" McGonagall said with sorrow and worry  
All of a sudden the DADA teacher joined the group  
" I'm sorry, I dosed off, what did I miss?" Lockhart said cheery  
" A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Your moment has come at last" Snape said  
" My moment" Lockhart asked not cheery anymore, a little nervous actually  
" Wasn't it just this morning when you said you knew exactly where the chamber is?" Snape asked with a little smirk  
" Then it's settled, we'll leave the monster to you Lockhart, after all your skills are legend" McGonagall said with a smile  
" Very well... I'll be in my office... getting ready" Lockhart said with a smile  
" While he's doing that, we should notify the students of what has happened" McGonagall said  
" Who was taken by the monster?" Sprout asked  
McGonagall looked sad and said, " Ginny Weasley"  
The teachers gasped and so did the three 2nd years and the Potters had to catch Ron because he lost his balance because of the news  
After the teachers left they read what was on the wall  
HER SKELETON WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER  
" Ginny, my sister" Ron said  
" Come on we must tell Lockhart what we know" Harry said  
The three run to the professors classroom and up to his office  
" Professor we have some information for you" Harry said  
The three look in his office and Lockhart was packing  
" Are you going somewhere?" Harry asked accusingly  
" Uh... yes, urgent call unavoidable" Lockhart said  
" What about my sister?" Ron yelled  
" About that... I'm sorry, nobody regrets it more than I do" Lockhart said  
" You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, you can't go now" Brenda said  
" When I took the job, nothing in the job description said anything about this" Lockhart said  
" You're running away? After all that you said you did in your books?" Brenda asked  
" Books can be miss leading" Lockhart said  
" You wrote them" Brenda yelled  
" My dear child, use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things" Lockhart told Brenda  
" You're a fraud! You've just been taking credit for what a load of other wizards have done" Harry said angry  
" So is there anything you can do?" Ron asked  
" Yes, now that you mention it. I'm rather gifted with Memory , you see, all those wizards would've gone blabbing and I'd never have sold another book. I'm afraid I'll have to do the same to you" Lockhart said as he grabbed his wand  
The three 2nd years pointed their wands at him  
" Don't even think about it" Harry said  
" You're second years" Lockhart said, " You do not know very much magic yet"  
" Do you really want to test that theory?" Brenda warned with a challenging smirk, " We've actually faced Voldemort twice in our lives, you haven't"  
Lockhart thought for a moment and put his wand down  
" Good, now follow us" Brenda said as she led the way to the Girls Bathroom  
" You heard her, now follow her" Ron told Lockhart  
Brenda led the way, followed by Lockhart and the boys taking up the rear with their wands pointed at Lockhart, he wasn't going to escape  
" Usually the girls are charmed by my looks" Lockhart said  
" You turned my bones into liquid, you lost my respect a long time ago" Brenda said with a glare  
They finally made it to the Girls Bathroom and saw a crying Moaning Myrtle  
" Who's there... oh... hi Harry, what do you want?" Myrtle asked  
" We want to ask you how you died" Harry said a little uncomfortable  
Myrtle smiled and said, " It was terrible, I died in this very cubical. It started when I was teased by Olive Hornby... she was teasing me about my glasses, I was crying and then I heard somebody come in"  
" Who was it?" Brenda asked  
" I don't know, I was still upset, but they said something funny, a different language and by that time, I figured out it was a boy so I unlocked the door to tell the boy to go away and then... I died" Myrtle said  
" Just like that? How?" Harry asked  
" No idea, I just remember seeing a pair of great big yellow eyes right there by that sink" Myrtle said and pointed  
Both Potters examine the sinks while Ron still guards Lockhart  
" Harry right here, I think this is the chamber enterance" Brenda said excitedly  
" Are you sure?" Harry asked  
" Theres a snake on this pipe" Brenda said excitedly  
" You guys say something in Parseltongue" Ron said  
The twins looked at each other and then at the sink and said, " open" in Parseltongue  
The sink opened into a big hole  
Lockhart looks down and whistles then says, " gGreat work you guys, now I'll just be on my way"  
" Not so fast" Harry said  
" You're going down first" Brenda said  
" What good will that do?" Lockhart asked  
" Better you than us" Ron said  
Lockhart was trapped  
" Well" Brenda asked  
" Ok ok, I'm going" Lockhart said as he walked to the hole and looked down  
" Get going already" Ron said as he gave Lockhart a push down into the hole  
Two minutes later  
" It's really quite filthy down here" Lockhart said  
" Shall we" Brenda asked  
" Ladies first" Ron said  
Brenda glared and rolled her eyes at Ron and jumped down into the hole clutching her wand that she put back on Lockhart who just glared at her  
Two minutes later the other two arrive  
" Ok, remember, any sign of movement, close your eyes straight away" Brenda said  
" Why?" Lockhart asked  
" Because the Basilisk's eyes kill on the spot" Harry said  
" Ok" Lockhart said nervous  
They walk a few yards and see something large up ahead, Lockhart closed his eyes straight away  
" What is it?" Ron asked  
Harry and Brenda go check it out  
" It's a snake skin" Harry said  
" It looks to be about 20-25 feet long" Brenda said  
All of a sudden Lockhart fainted and the three looked at him and rolled their eyes  
" Heart of a lion this one is" Ron said  
" Well good thing he wasn't in Gryffindor" Brenda said  
" What house was he in?" Ron asked  
Lockhart got up and grabbed Ron's wand  
" Ravenclaw... The adventure ends here. But don't fret. The world will know our story. How I was too late to save the girl. How you three tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body. This is the end. Say goodbye to your memories" Lockhart said to the three angry kids, " OBLIVIATE"  
The spell backfired on him and instead of obliviating the 2nd years, he obliviated himself and was knocked back by such a force that boulders and rubble were raining on top of them, the Potters went one way and Ron went the other way not to get killed  
" Brenda are you ok?" Harry asked  
" Yah, you?" Brenda asked  
" I'm fine" Harry said  
" Ron... Ron" They both yelled  
" I'm fine, so is Lockhart... but he lost his memory, the spell backfired" Ron said  
" Good, Ron you wait here, try to get rid of this rubble, we'll go on and find Ginny" Brenda said  
" Ok, please hurry back" Ron said  
" If by any chance we're not back in an hour... go get help" Harry said  
" So Lockhart was in Ravenclaw?" Harry asked surprised  
" Well it takes brains to pull off what he did" Brenda said, " Fooling the whole wizarding world that he did all those amazing things"  
The two Potters left to find Ginny, they walk and walked and then they see snake statues and then come across a door. They looked at each other and said in Parseltongue, " open"  
The door opened and there were more snake statues and on the other side of the room was Ginny  
They both ran to her  
" Ginny wake up, don't be dead" They both were saying  
" She won't wake up" A figure said and was coming towards them. It happened to be Tom Riddle  
" What do you mean? Brenda asked  
" She's not..." Harry started  
" She's still alive, only just" Tom said  
" What are you?" Brenda asked  
" A memory preserved in a diary for 50 years" Tom said  
Harry sees the diary in Ginny's arm and he places his hand on her arm  
" She's a cold as ice" Harry said  
" Tom you need to help us there's a basilisk" Brenda started  
" Oh don't worry, he won't come unless he's called" Tom said as he picked up Harry's wand that he accidentally dropped while worrying about Ginny  
" That doesn't sound good" Brenda thought to herself  
Harry spotted him with his wand, " Give me my wand Tom" Harry said as he extended his hand  
" Oh you won't be needing it, nor will you" Tom said and looked at Brenda  
" Tom we've got to save her and go, the Basilisk" Brenda said  
" I'm afraid I can't have you do that, you see, as Ginny grows weaker... I grow stronger" Tom said  
" But she's dying" Brenda said  
" Yes she is, she's been writing to me for many months now, I've been feeding on what she has written in the diary and I was getting stronger and soon I was strong enough to write back to her and I poured a bit of my soul into her" Tom said  
" That doesn't sound right" Brenda whispered to Harry  
" Yes it's true, It was Ginny who opened the Chamber of Secrets" Tom said  
" She couldn't, she wouldn't" Harry said  
" It was Ginny who wrote the threatening messages and sent the Basilisk after the mudbloods and that stupid cat, yes Potters, Ginny did it all" Tom said with an evil grin  
" Why" Brenda asked  
" Because I told her to" Tom said, " I'm very persuasive, not like she knew what she was doing though, she was... in a trance, but the power of the diary scared he so she tried to get rid of it, and who picked it up? None other then the two people I have been dying to meet"  
" Why do you want to meet us" Harry glared and said  
" Ginny told me all about you two, I just had to meet you both for myself so I decided to show you how I captured that brainless oaf Hagrid and had him expelled to gain your trust" Tom explained  
" HAGRIDS OUR FRIEND AND YOU BETRAYED HIM" Brenda yelled glaring daggers at Tom Riddle  
" Well it was my word against Hagrid's, only Dumbledore thought he was innocent" Tom said  
" I bet he saw right through you" Harry said smiling  
" Well he did keep an annoyingly close watch on me after that" Tom said with annoyance, " Anyway I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the chamber up again while I was in school, so I preserved my teenage self in a diary so I could one day finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work"  
" Well you haven't finished it this time, the Mandrakes are almost mature, all who have been petrified are going to wake up soon" Brenda said  
" Oh haven't I told you?" I stopped trying to kill mudbloods for a few months now. My new target is the both of you" Tom said, " I was disappointed when the diary was stolen from you and Ginny had it back"  
" Why?" Brenda asked  
" Because she was afraid you learned how to use it" Tom said  
Brenda and Harry glared at Tom and looked at Ginny who was getting paler by the minute  
" Now I have a question for the both of you I have been dying to ask for a long time" Tom said, " How is it that two babies with no extraordinary magical talent managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you both escape with nothing but scars, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?  
" Why would you care? Voldemort was after your time" Brenda said  
" Voldemort is my past, present and future" Tom said  
" That doesn't sound good either" Brenda thought to Harry  
Tom took out Harry's wand from his pocket and wrote his name in the air  
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE and then he rearranged the words  
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT  
" You, you're the heir of Slytherin... you're Voldemort" Harry gasped  
Brenda's eyes were wide  
" Surely you both didn't think I would keep my filthy muggle fathers name did you" Tom asked, " I fashioned myself a new name, one that would terrorize all of the Wizarding world when I become the greatest sorcerer in the world"  
" ALBUS DUMBLEDORE IS THE GREATEST SORCERER IN THE WORLD" The Potters said at the same time  
" No, Dumbledore has been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me, he's not the greatest" Tom said  
" HE'LL NEVER BE GONE, NOT WHEN THERE ARE PEOPLE STILL LOYAL TO HIM" The Potters said at the same time  
" You know that's getting annoying, stop saying the same thing at the same time" Tom said  
All of a sudden there was a flapping noise and out of nowhere a red phoenix appeared  
" Fawkes" Brenda said and smiled  
Fawkes dropped the Sorting Hat and left  
" So this is what Dumbledore gives his heroes, a songbird and an old hat" Tom said, " pathetic"  
Tom goes to one of the holes and says something in Parseltongue, out comes the monster everybody has been afraid of  
" Let us match the power between Voldamort heir of Salazar Slytherin against the famous twin Potters... Parseltongue won't help you now, he only listens to me  
" Don't look into his eyes whatever you do" Harry thought to Brenda  
Brenda nodded and they ran into a sewer tunnel  
They ran along the stone path, but the giant serpent was faster. Brenda tripped and fell on something slimy and Harry tried getting her up but they were too late The Basilisk rose to strike at both of them. all of a sudden Fawkes came screeching, soaring toward the Basilisk and circled its head, confusing it. The snake snapped furiously at the bird but Fawkes dropped down like a knife and drove his talons deep into the serpents glittering yellow eyes blinding it and making it roar and hiss in pain, Fawkes flew away, its talons dripping with blood and Harry turned and looked  
" Harry" Brenda thought  
" Shh, lets go, the basilisk is blind, his eyes can't kill" Harry thought to her  
" Your bird may have blinded my beast, but he can still hear" Tom yelled  
The twins run through the tunnel with the basilisk on their tails running into the walls blinded, Harry and Brenda run into a side tunnel but it was a dead end, they turned around and saw that the basilisk heard them coming in there  
" Oh no this is it" Brenda thought to her brother  
They were both very scared and the basilisk was getting closer and Harry found a rock  
" Shh" Harry thought and he threw the rock behind the basilisk and the basilisk turned around and went after that. They both sighed quietly then made sure the basilisk was out of sight and ran the other direction back to Tom and Ginny  
Ginny looked deathly pale and Tom looked stronger than before  
" Yes, pretty soon Ginny will cease to exist and I will be more than a memory and Lord Voldaemort will be very much alive and will continue his reign" Tom said  
Brenda came closer to Ginny and all of a sudden the Basilisk came back out and roared  
Brenda still had her wand and she shot all the spells she thought would work and all she knew at the beast but none of them even slowed it down  
" 2nd year spells cannot kill such a beast" Tom said and laughed  
Both Harry and Brenda dodged the beasts attacks and both wondered why they were brought the sorting hat, all of a sudden something came out of the sorting hat and Harry picked it up and his eyes lit up a bit  
" Now that's something we can use" Brenda thought  
" Stay with Ginny" Harry thought to Brenda and Harry began making noise for the Basilisk to follow him and not his sister  
Brenda snuck back up to Ginny and Tom and whispered EXPELLIARMUS at Tom so he dropped Harry's wand, " Accio Harry's wand" Brenda glared at the glaring Tom  
" Fine keep it, no use to you anyway, you all are dead" Tom said  
They both watched the fight  
5 minutes later Harry stabbed the sword up through the snake's mouth and into it's head but one of the snakes poisonous teeth pierced Harry's arm  
The serpent was roaring of pain and eventually died and Harry slowly came down and went to his sister and Ginny  
Brenda gasped, she was scared for her brother "Here let me help, I'm sure a potion can be made in time" Brenda helped pull the tooth out of Harry's arm  
Harry screamed in pain  
" There is no time, I suspect he has but a few minutes left to live, he will be back with your dear old mudblood mother soon" Tom said  
Both Potters glared at Tom and then both look at Ginny who was still clutching the diary, she looked as white as a ghost, Brenda looked at the diary again then at Harry. Brenda was pissed at Tom, she took the diary away from Ginny  
" What are you doing?" Tom asked  
Brenda glared at Tom then took the snake tooth and stabbed the diary  
" NO STOP" Tom yelled a bright light was forming  
" That was for our parents" Brenda said, then stabbed it again, more light shown through " That was for my brother" and this is for Ginny, " She stabbed it one more time and Tom exploded  
Ginny woke up breathing hard and sat up  
" It was me, I didn't mean too... I'm sorry, Riddle made me... Harry you're hurt" Ginny was starting to cry, she was scared and so sorry and afraid for Harry  
" You both need to get out of here" Harry said  
" You're coming with us" Brenda said stubbornly  
" Its too late for me" Harry said  
" No it's not, Severus can make a potion for you, Madame Pomfrey can heal you, we have the magic to save you" Brenda said  
Harry shook his head no, he thought it was too late  
" NO IT'S NOT" Brenda yelled with tears in her eyes  
All of a sudden there was a flap of wings and Fawkes was by Harry's side  
" You were great Fawkes, I just wasn't quick enough" Harry said  
" Stop saying that" Brenda said crying  
Fawkes began to cry on Harry's wounded arm and the wound went away  
" Of course remember, Dumbledore said that phoenix tears have healing powers" Brenda said happily drying her tears  
Harry looked at his arm and smiled at the girls  
" It's all right, it's just a memory" Harry said  
Both girls smiled  
The three of them head back the way the Potters came and made it to the rubble  
" Ron, Ron" Harry yelled  
" Harry, are you ok?" Ron asked  
" We're all ok, we'll help you with this rubble" Harry said  
" I cannot wait to get out of here, Lockhart is saying a bunch of nonsense" Ron complained  
10 minutes later they were through and the Weasleys and Potters hugged each other  
" What a lovely moment" Lockhart said, " Are you all dating?"  
Ginny looked confused  
" Lockhart lost his memory" Ron said  
" oh, can we get out of here now?" Ginny asked  
Fawkes lifted everybody in the air and out of the chamber and into the night sky, it was the only way out since the other way was blocked off by rubble  
" AMAZING THIS IS JUST LIKE MAGIC" Lockhart said  
" Gee I wonder why" Brenda said sarcastically  
The others laughed  
When they got back to the castle they were all stopped by Professor McGonagall and to Brenda's horror professor Snape  
" Ginny Weasley you're ok... explain yourselves all of you" McGonagall commanded relieved and angry at the same time  
" Uh... We found the chamber of secrets and stopped the monster and freed Ginny from Tom Riddle... AKA... Voldemort" Both Potters said at the same time  
" This is way out of my hands, you will have to speak with Dumbledore on this one, your families will be notified" McGonagall said  
" Mine already is" Brenda whispered looking at Snape who looked very scary at the moment  
Both McGonagall and Snape took them up to Dumbledore's office  
" Is he even here? The last thing I heard he was removed" Brenda said  
" He's back, after what the ministry heard about Ginny being kidnapped then you three missing, he was almost forced to return" Snape said in a somewhat harsh angry tone that made Brenda wince  
" Well I'm not going to see the light of day again" Brenda thought to Harry  
The professors left the four students in Dumbledore's office and took Lockhart to the Hospital Wing  
Ron and Ginny's parents were up there and they gave their children hugs and Mrs. Weasley began to cry because she was so happy her children were safe  
" Brenda may I see that diary please?" Dumbledore asked  
Brenda handed him the diary and the two Potters try to explain what happened  
" I believe Ginny has had a long night, I think a little rest will do her good, Ms. Weasley please go to the hospital wing and let Madam Pomfrey look you over, your parents may join you, Ron, Harry, Brenda, I still need to talk to you  
Ginny and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley left  
" You three realize, of course, that in the last few hours, you have broken perhaps a dozen school rules?  
" Yes sir" they said at the same time  
" And that there is sufficient evidence to expel you all?  
" Yes sir" they said together  
Brenda was almost in tears with him saying that  
" Therefore, it seems only fitting...That you all receive Special Awards for Services to the School. And let me see yes, I think two hundred points apiece, which, I believe, should be more than enough to secure Gryffindor the House Cup" Dumbledore said and smiled which made the 2nd years smile too  
" si... six hundred points sir?" Brenda gasped with joy  
Dumbledore smiled  
" Thank you sir" Harry and Ron said at the same time  
" Now, Mr. Weasley, if you would, have an owl deliver these release papers to Azkaban. I believe our game keeper needs to come back" Dumbledore said  
Ron took the papers and headed towards the owlery  
" First, I want to thank both of two must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you. Secondly, I sense you're both troubled by something. Am I right?" Dumbledore asked  
" It's just, you see, sir, We couldn't help noticing certain things, certain similarities, between Tom Riddle and us" Both Potters said at the same time  
" I like how you both do that, I think it's amusing," Dumbledore said with a smile, " You both can speak Parseltongue, because Lord Voldemort can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transformed some of his own powers to both of you the night he gave you those scars"  
" So he put a bit of himself in us" Brenda asked not liking the sound of that at all, it made her feel dirty  
" Well not on purpose but yes" Dumbledore said  
" So what sort of characteristics do we share with him" Harry asked interested  
" Oh... Resourcefulness, Determination, A certain disregard for the rules" Dumbledore said  
" So the sorting hat was right" Harry said  
" What?" Brenda asked  
" It wanted to put me in Slytherin, but I told it not too" Harry said  
" That is what makes you two different from him" Dumbledore said  
" It didn't ask me" Brenda said  
" The sorting hat knew that you would be better off with your brother so he knew you would do well in Gryffindor, the sorting hat thought you would do well in Slytherin also but decided that family is more important... do you understand" Dumbledore asked  
" Yes I do, family is more important" Brenda smiled  
" If you are still wondering about whether you should be in Gryffindor or not, take a look at the sword" Dumbledore said  
Harry picked up the sword and it said "GODRIC GRYFFINDOR"  
"Only true Gryffindors can pull that out of a hat" Dumbledore explained  
All of a sudden Lucius Malfoy enters with Dobby  
" Dobby" The Potters say together," This is your master, you serve the Malfoys"  
Malfoy looked down at the House Elf  
" I'll deal with you later" Malfoy said then walked up to the desk and pushed the Potters away, " Out of my way Potters... so you have returned Dumbledore"  
" Yes. When the governors heard that Arthur Weasley's daughter had been taken into the Chamber, they saw fit to summon me back... Curiously, several of them seemed under the impression that you would curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place, Lucius" Dumbledore said  
" That's crazy, my only concern is of the students of this school... I assume the culprit has been identified" Malfoy said  
" Yes" Dumbledore said  
" And... who was it" Malfoy asked  
The Potters smiled when Dumbledore looked at them then back at Malfoy and said, "Voldemort, this time he chose to act through somebody else, with the means of this diary"  
Dobby got the Potters attention and looked from the diary to Malfoy  
Brenda understood and nodded  
" Fortunately our young Potters discovered it and one hopes that no more things of Voldemort's finds their way into the innocent hands of these students. The consequences could be severe" Dumbledore said  
" Well lets just hope that those two Potters will always be here to protect the innocent" Malfoy glared at them  
" Don't worry we will be" They said at the same time  
" Come Dobby, we're leaving" Malfoy said and left the room with Dobby at his heels  
" What a jerk" Brenda whispered, " We have to do something for Dobby"  
" I have an idea" Harry said then went up to Dumbledore's desk, " Sir I wonder if I can have that diary"  
" Take it" Dumbledore said smiling  
" Thanks" Harry said and took it and ran off with Brenda not far behind, Harry took off one of his socks and put it in the diary then they both caught up to Malfoy  
" Mr. Malfoy we have something of yours" Brenda said as Harry handed him the diary  
" Mine, I don't know what you're talking about" Malfoy said glaring  
" Oh but you do sir, we believe you dropped it in Ginny's cauldron the day at Diagon Alley" Harry said  
" You do, why don't you prove it" He said and gave the diary to Dobby  
The twins were silent, that was all they needed to say and Malfoy smirked  
" Come Dobby, we're leaving" Malfoy said  
" Open it" Brenda said  
Dobby opened the diary and to his joy was a sock, " Master has given Dobby a sock, Master has given Dobby clothes, Dobby is free" Dobby was so happy  
" What I didn't give you..." Malfoy trailed off, Harry didn't have his right sock on  
" You... you lost me my SERVANT  
Malfoy took out his wand, " AVADA" He didn't finish  
" You shall not harm the Potters" Dobby said and used his powers to push Malfoy away  
" You both are fools, your parents were fools too, mark my words Potters, one day you will meet a sticky end, one day" Malfoy left the building  
" You freed Dobby, how can Dobby ever repay them" Dobby asked  
" Just promise us one thing" Brenda said  
" Anything" Dobby said  
Both Brenda and Harry smiled  
" Never try to save our lives again" Harry said and Dobby smiled and left with a pop  
" Ok now for the scary part" Brenda said not smiling  
" Now what?" Harry asked wondering what else they had to do today, they just saved the school from Voldemort and just saved their house elf friend, what else could there possibly be  
" Not for you, for me... facing Snape" Brenda said worried  
" Oh... yah... that... would you like me to go with you?" Harry asked  
Brenda smiled and nodded  
"Lets go up to the Gryffindor tower first and lets get cleaned up, I can't stand being this dirty" Brenda said  
" Good idea" Harry said  
" I'm never going to feel clean again, Dumbledore saying theres a bit of Voldemort in us, that just... icks me out" Brenda complained  
Harry sighed, " We're going to have to just live with it, there is nothing wrong with us, we just have some of his similarities like talking to snakes"  
Brenda sighed and nodded  
They walked quick to the Gryffindor tower and they went to their dorms and took showers then got ready to face Severus Snape  
" I have to face the music sometime, better sooner then later" Brenda thought to herself  
They went to the apartment  
" Are you sure he's not in the class room grading papers?" Harry asked  
" At this time in the morning?" Brenda asked shocked that he would think that, it was 4:30 in the morning, she was surprised he was up looking for them when they were still down in the chamber  
" Just checking" Harry said  
" I'll ask" Brenda said then turned to the portrait, " Is Severus inside?"  
" Yes and he's very mad at you" The portrait smiled evilly... so what's the password?  
Brenda glared at the portrait, " Cover your ears Harry, if you knew the password as well, I'd be in even more trouble"  
He did  
" Gillyweed" Brenda whispered  
The portrait opened and both Potters went inside  
Severus was at his desk when they came in  
" Didn't know how long it would take you to actually face me, you're braver then I thought" Severus said standing up then saw Harry, " Or maybe not"  
" She is, I just came for support" Harry said defending his sister  
" Now he knows the password" Snape accused  
No I don't, she made me cover my ears, and she only whispered it" Harry said  
" Brenda bringing your brother here won't lesson your punishment any" Severus said in an angry cold tone  
" I know... I just had to bring him... before my punishment, can we first explain it?" Brenda asked  
Severus looked at the 2nd years and thought of what they have accomplished  
" Ok you may explain" Severus said  
Harry started talking  
" Brenda may explain" Severus said  
" Ok, well first of all... nobody would have gotten in the chamber anyway besides Harry and I, the password was in Parseltongue, and there was another password in the chamber that was also in parseltongue. We felt we had to stop it since we were the only ones who could understand what it was saying and we were connected to the culprit somehow, it was... you know who and we learned that he transferred some of his powers to us on accident, we had to save Ginny, Lockhart wasn't going to do it, he was lying about everything, it just kind of fell into our laps" Brenda said  
There was a pause  
" So are you telling me that this whole year you haven't been researching anything on the Chamber of Secrets?" Severus asked  
" Uh... just a little bit" Brenda whispered  
" How much is a little it? Would it have anything to do with how Crabbe and Goyle found themselves in a broom closet and how Pansy Parkinson had no idea what Malfoy was talking about when he started talking about what they both did on Christmas when she wasn't even at school, or why on the same day Ms. Granger was in the Hospital Wing for a very long time?" Snape asked  
Brenda and Harry's eyes were wide  
Severus crossed his arms and leaned against his desk " I seemed to have noticed a few missing ingredients from my classroom... you wouldn't have by any chance made a... polyjuice potion would you, and then lied through your teeth Brenda when I asked you if you had anything up your sleeves"  
Brenda was in tears now and she was very scared  
" How did you figure that out sir?" Harry asked  
" I have my ways I don't plan on sharing with you two at this time" Severus said, " Now then, Brenda... do you have any idea how worried I have been when McGonagall said that you were missing? I thought you were also kidnapped by the monster, I almost tried a locater spell but then I saw you lot come through the doors, do you both have any idea what you put all of us teachers through tonight? We were all worried, I think you almost gave McGonagall a heart attack, I'm surprised Dumbledore didn't expel you, you lot certainly broke enough school rules"  
" He gave us special awards for services for the school" Brenda said  
" Of course he did, because he just couldn't see the dangerousness of this situation" Severus said angry  
" No it's because we stopped the monster that was petrifying everybody, we saved the school" Harry said  
" And you almost gotten yourself killed by doing so, the second time in two years I might add" Severus said  
" We're sorry" Brenda whispered  
Severus was silent for a minute  
" Ok, that is all I need to say, is there anything you two need to say?" Severus asked calmer  
They shook their heads no  
" Very well, Mr. Potter, I suggest you go wait outside for your sister" Severus said pointing to the portrait that led outside the apartments  
Harry's eyes were wide, he know what Snape was going to do  
" Don't hurt her" Harry commanded  
" Just wait outside, she'll be out soon" Severus said a little more firmly but not too harsh  
Harry looked at his sister  
" Just go" Brenda thought to him  
Harry glared at Severus and left the apartment  
" Ok Brenda, I hope you understand why I'm going to punish you" Severus said  
" I understand" Brenda said and looked down at the floor  
" Ok good" Severus said and then grabbed a chair and put it in the middle of the room, took Brenda by the arm, sat down and put her over his knee and spanked her  
Snape spanked Brenda until Brenda was in tears then he let up and got her off his knee  
" Ok I hope you realize what you did was dangerous" Severus said  
" I do, and we went through this" Brenda said not wanting to go over it again  
" Ok, go wash your face and go join your brother" Severus said, " I'll see you later"  
Severus left the apartment and Brenda went into her room to wash her face of tears then she joined her brother  
" Are you ok?" Harry asked worried, " I saw Snape coming out of the apartment alone and it scared me"  
" I'm fine, I knew he was going to do that, it doesn't hurt anymore, I know I can count on him to actually be a parent... it's kind of reassuring" Brenda said  
" That's creepy" Harry said, " Snape"  
Brenda chuckled  
" Lets get to the Great Hall for breakfast" Brenda said  
Later that day and into the night the people who were Petrified were better, The three 2nd years spotted Hermione at the enterance of the Great Hall and she came running towards them and hugged both Harry and Brenda and shook Ron's hand  
" Welcome back Hermione" Ron said  
" Thanks... Congratulations you solved it" Hermione was happy  
" With loads of help from you" Harry said  
" We couldn't have done it without you" Brenda said  
" Thanks" Hermione said  
All of a sudden McGonagall tapped her goblet so everybody went silent and Dumbledore said his speech  
" Before we begin our feast, let's give a round of applause to Professor Sprout and Madame Pomfrey, whose Mandrake Juice has been successfully administered to all those who had been petrified" Dumbledore said and everybody cheered, " Also, in the wake of recent events, as a school treat, all exams have been canceled" Everybody but Hermione cheered  
The Great Hall doors opened up and the room fell silent, Hagrid was the one who opened the door  
" Sorry I'm late, The owl delivering my release papers got all lost and confused, some bird called Errol" Hagrid said as he was making his way towards the Potters  
Ron looked sheepish  
I just want to say... that if it wasn't for you, Harry, Brenda, Ron and Hermione, well I'd still be... you know where, well I would just like to say thanks" Hagrid said with a smile  
The Potters looked at each other and stood up and said, " There's no Hogwarts without you Hagrid" Then they both gave him a hug and Hagrid got all teary eyed  
Dumbledore started a slow clap that got bigger and bigger as more people joined  
The rest of the term was great, no DADA though since Lockhart had to go to St. Mungos, everybody trusted the Potters again. After everything got back to normal it was time for the Summer Holiday  
" Brenda, you're coming home with us" Fred and George said happily  
" What are you talking about?" Brenda asked  
" Well Snape has to stay here and grade papers for a while and get ready for next year, he has already talked to our parents about it" Fred said  
" OK cool, sounds good" Brenda said as she left the Common Room and made her way down to the dungeons and to the apartment, " Gillyweed"  
" Well congratulations, you're no longer the heir of Slytherin" The portrait spat  
" Sorry, I know how much you wanted me to be the heir of Slytherin" Brenda grinned  
She walked in the apartment and met Severus there  
" Are you all packed?" Severus asked  
" Just about... am I really supposed to stay at the Weasley's for a while? The Weasley twins like to joke around a lot" Brenda said  
" Yes, just for a few days while I finish papers and get settled for next year" Severus said, " I will come and collect you when I'm finished"  
" Sounds good" Brenda said then went in her room and grabbed her things she left down there, " Well then I'll see you in a few days" She said akwardly  
Brenda hesitated for a moment then put her bag down, went up to Severus and gave him a hug, she really wanted this relationship to work out  
Severus was kind of surprised but gave her a hug back, " I'll see you in a few days, you better finish packing, tomorrow the train leaves"  
" Yes sir" Brenda said smiling and headed out the door  
Severus went back to his desk and on his desk was the adoption papers  
The train stopped at Kings Cross station and all the students got off at platform 9 3/4  
" Well this is it, another school year has gone by and I have to go back to the Dursleys" Harry said miserably  
" I'll write to you as much as possible over the summer" Brenda said  
" Yah mate so will I" Ron said  
Harry smiled, " Hopefully this time we'll actually get the letters"  
Brenda laughed a bit, " We should, unless terrible things start happening at Hogwarts again"  
" With our luck, who knows" Harry said  
" Oh whatever happens we'll get through it together as a foursome" Hermione said  
They did a group hug then went their own ways  
" Come on Brenda my parents are over there" Ron said hurrying Brenda along  
Mrs. Weasley gave both Ron and Brenda big welcoming hugs  
" I was so worried, I swear this was the most frightening experience Hogwarts has ever had" Mrs. Weasley said, " And you guys got rid of it, I nearly fainted when I heard what happened"  
" Well it's all in the past, lets put it behind us Molly, I'm sure they don't want to relive it" Mr. Weasley said, " Lets get them home"  
The Weasleys and Brenda went to a magical building that had a fireplace and they used Floo powder to get back  
" You will share Ginny's room Brenda just like last year" Mrs. Weasley said  
Brenda smiled, " Thanks"  
" Come on Brenda, let's go unpack" Ginny said and they started up the stairs  
" After you all unpack, will you please go denome the garden?" Mrs. Weasley asked  
The Weasleys groaned  
" Yes Mrs. Weasley" Brenda called, she sounded excited  
" Brenda" Ron groaned  
" What? I never did that before, it sounds kind of fun" Brenda said with a smile  
" Yah right, these aren't the Santa Clause looking ones muggles have in their yards" Ron said  
" No, these are wrinkly little buggers" Fred said  
" And they bite if you hang on to them too long" George said  
" Well your mum was going to make us do them anyway, why not just say yes" Brenda asked  
They didn't say anything else  
Brenda helped Ginny unpack when they got to her room  
" Aren't you going to unpack?" Ginny asked  
" I'm only here for a few days, until Severus gets ready for next year he's going to pick me up" Brenda said  
Oh" Ginny said and they left the room and headed downstairs to help denoming  
" I still can't believe that Snape is your guardian, it's bad enough having him as a teacher" Ron said  
" It's not that bad, it can be a bit scary sometimes because... well he is scary but we're getting along" Brenda said  
" Even when he punishes you?" Ron asked  
Brenda's face fell  
" It's not like he uses his wand or the whip, that's illegal, all he mostly just gives me a lecture and grounds me for a few days" Brenda said  
" I still don't get it, I wonder what his house is like" Ron said  
" Well, it's pretty big with lots and lots of rooms, it's a mansion, there are rooms he hasn't been in, most of the doors are locked because dangerous things live in there, didn't we talk about this already?" Brenda asked  
" I'm still surprised you like living with him" Ron said, " I mean what is it like, does he make you do potions all day or clean cauldrons all day or what?"  
" Uh... no, he only has you clean cauldrons for detentions in school, he has me on a reasonable schedule" Brenda said  
" Well what is the schedule? Does he make you do research assignments 24/7" Ron asked  
" I would have thought you would have asked me these questions when you first found out he was my guardian, not 9 months later" Brenda said  
" Well I just got over the shock" Ron said  
" It took you 9 months to get over the shock? Brenda was surprised  
" Yes" Ron said  
" Well to answer your question, I only had to do one assignment all summer last year and that was only because I was being punished, it wasn't a research assignment, just sentences, and my schedule is reasonable. If you want to know it, I'll tell you... I have the thing memorized my 24 hour schedule is wake up at 7:00, be down at breakfast at 8:00, read from 8:30 to 10:30, then go outside and get some fresh air from 10:30 to 12:30, come in for lunch and go back outside from 1:00 to 2:00, come in and study from 2:00 to 4:00, from 4:00 to 6:30 do whatever I want, 6:30 is Dinner, bath time at 7:00, from 8:00 to 10:00 quiet time, 10:00 bed, see and there is nothing in there about researching  
" What about that quiet time and that reading? Ron asked  
" Well I like doing that stuff and he wants me refreshed for the next year, it's a very reasonable schedule" Brenda said  
" I think it's weird that he has you on a schedule, it sounds like military or something" Fred said  
" Yah it sounds so... controlling" George said  
" Well he is Severus" Brenda said," I just got used to it, it's not that bad really and at least I'm out of trouble for at least 3 months out of the year"  
They finally finished denoming the yard  
" I won't be surprised that you end up like Severus come the beginning of term" Ron said  
" You mean black greasy hair, pale complexion, big hooked nose and a sour look most of the time on my face? No thank you" Brenda said  
" So you think all of that too" Ron said  
" Of course I do, even Draco Malfoy thinks that and he idolizes the man" Brenda said  
" How can you think of him like that and still like him?" Ron asked  
" Well, he did take me in when I had no place to go, he acts like a father to me, he is the first decent one I remember" Brenda said  
" He isn't your dad, the James Potter was" Fred said  
" I know that, but... I don't know... it's complicated" Brenda said  
" I understand what you're saying" Ginny said with a smile  
" You do?" All three Weasley's asked  
" Of course, women understand each other better, She doesn't want to replace her real parents, but they're not around anymore, she needs a parent, she's only 12, Snape took her in and acted like a father to her, I think Snape is a good choice. We might not know him as well as Brenda does, because we don't live with him, but if Brenda thinks he's good enough then he's good enough" Ginny said  
" Thanks Ginny" Brenda said and smiled, " How would you guys like to try my schedule? It might help you with your school work come next term"  
The Weasley boys looked at each other and they looked scared  
" We'll do it" Ginny said smiling  
" Ginny" The boys complained  
" Well it can help us for the future" Ginny said  
Brenda smiled, " Good, we start tomorrow"  
Brenda was at the Weasley's house for three days and Severus finally picked her up  
" Thank you for watching Brenda for me while I planned for next year" Severus said  
" You're welcome Severus" Mr. Weasley said  
" She wasn't any trouble was she" Severus asked  
" Not at all, actually she put my kids on a very good schedule that I'm going to keep them on, they seem to be more disciplined on the schedule" Mrs. Weasley said  
" Good, I always think the schedule works best with young adults" Severus said  
" I want you to write to me a lot, I would really like to know how the schedule idea is coming along, I still think it will help for the future" Brenda told Ginny  
" Don't worry, I'll make sure we all stay on it, it kind of grows on you once you get used to it" Ginny said  
" yah it does" Brenda agreed and smiled, " Well I better get going, don't want Severus waiting all day for me"  
She gave Ginny a hug, said bye to the boys, gave Mrs. Weasley a hug and said bye to Mr. Weasley  
" Good luck Severus" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley said  
" Thanks" Severus said  
Both Brenda and Severus left using floo powder  
" What was that about?" Brenda asked  
" Nothing to worry about...So I hear you put your schedule on the Weasley kids" Severus said  
" Yah, when I told them about it, they thought it was weird, so I convinced Ginny about the schedule who convinced her brothers and they were on it for a few days, Mrs. Weasley likes it so she's going to make them follow it" Brenda said  
Severus smirked," We'll see if it works come next term"  
Brenda smiled, " Well I better go unpack"  
She headed up the stairs  
" After you unpack, I need to talk to you about something" Severus said  
" Ok" Brenda said  
Severus had the adoption papers in his pocket and he put them on the desk in the living room  
Brenda opened her bedroom door and smiled  
" Home sweet home" Brenda said to herself  
She put away all her school clothes in the closet and her books on the book shelves and a little house elf popped in  
" Hi Minnie" Brenda said  
" Hi Ms. Brenda, Minnie was going to help you" Minnie said  
" That's ok, I got it, thanks for offering though" Brenda said, " uh... Minnie do you know what Severus wants to talk to me about?"  
" No Ms. Brenda, Master didn't tell Minnie anything" Minnie said  
" That's ok, I'll just have to figure it out in a bit... it's good to be home, did you hear what happened at Hogwarts?" Brenda asked  
" Yes Ms. Brenda, Ms. Brenda and her brother are very brave, they took on the Basilisk all by themselves, Minnie is glad that Ms. Brenda is safe, Minnie knows Master was worried" Minnie said  
" Yah I know, he was really mad" Brenda said, " I hope I'm not still in trouble for that"  
" Minnie don't know Ms. Brenda, Minnie is sorry she can't be more of help" Minnie said  
" That's ok Minnie, I don't expect you to know everything, you're a really good friend" Brenda said  
" Minnie is Ms. Brenda's friend?" Minnie looked happy and shocked  
" Of course you are, we talk all the time" Brenda said," Friends talk all the time"  
Minnie looked really happy  
" I mean it's ok for us to be friends right? I don't want to be braking any rules or anything" Brenda said  
" Ms. Brenda didn't break any rules" Minnie said happily  
Brenda smiled, " Well I better get downstairs and see what Severus wants to talk about"  
She put the last few things away and headed downstairs and into the living room where Severus was waiting  
" Are you done unpacking?" Severus asked  
" Yes, I told Minnie that she's my friend, that's not bad is it?" Brenda asked  
" No, it's perfectly all right" Severus said  
" So what did you want to talk to me about?" Brenda asked  
" Right, getting to the point" Severus said and paused  
" He looks nervous" Brenda thought  
Severus was pacing around  
" I don't know how to bring this up" Severus thought  
" Severus are you ok?" Brenda asked  
" I'm fine" Severus said  
" You're pacing a lot" Brenda said  
Severus stopped  
" Ok, I just don't know how to bring it up" Severus said  
" Bring what up?" Brenda asked  
" We have a father daughter relationship right?" Severus asked  
" Yes, we're still working on it, but yes" Brenda said confused  
" Yes, well, for a while I've been thinking about this" Severus said  
" Thinking about what?" Brenda asked  
" How would you like to have a real father daughter relationship?" Severus asked  
" What do you mean?" Brenda asked confused  
" I want to adopt you" Severus said  
Brenda wasn't expecting this, she had a surprised look on her face, her jaw dropped and her eyes wide and she was speechless. Severus was waiting for an answer  
" Ar... are you serious" Brenda finally asked  
" Yes, I have the papers right here" Severus said and he went to his desk and grabbed them  
Brenda took the papers and read them, Severus has already signed them  
" All you need to do is say yes and sign them in the right places" Severus said  
" I will have a real father that won't make me be raised by a nanny" Brenda thought and said, " This is... wow... I really want this, but I can't forget my real father"  
" I know that, nobody can replace him, I don't want to, I just want... to be your father also" Severus said  
Brenda looked up from the paper and smiled. She was so happy she was crying. She got off the couch she fell on to when she heard the news and went over to Severus's desk and signed her name in all the right areas, her birth date in the right place, today's date, her wand type, and all the other information the Ministry needed, when she was done, it magically disappeared  
" It's complete" Severus said smiling  
Brenda was speechless, she didn't know what to say but she was also smiling. She got up from Severus's desk and gave her new father a big hug and Severus returned it.  
Brenda was very happy that she finally had a father that she would remember and wouldn't ignore her  
" Can I go write to my friends? They'd like to know" Brenda asked  
" Yes you may" Severus smiled and corrected  
Brenda smiled and walked quickly to her room and got out parchment, quill and ink and began writing to her brother It took her a while to figure out how to start the letters she did Harry's first  
Dear Harry,  
This will be my first letter to you this summer, and bro do I have some news for you. Please don't get mad, I'm very excited about this. Today when Severus picked me up from the Weasley's he had a surprise, he had adoption papers and he adopted me. I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, I'm not going to become a Snape, that is too weird I'm keeping our last name. And I am not forgetting about our real father in case you were wondering. The adoption thing isn't bad, Severus and I have a father daughter relationship no matter how weird you or Ron might think it is, and Severus thought we should make the relationship as real as it could get, I hope you're not too mad or worried because everything will be fine and I think for the better. Good luck at the Dursley's and I hope you write back soon.  
Your sister,  
Brenda  
It took her an hour to finish all the letters  
" They are going to be surprised" Brenda thought, " I can just picture it now, Ron would be surprised and probably mad and shocked that I would agree to it, Harry… would probably be the same even though I told them both not to worry or anything but Hermione would think that it is nice that I now have a father. The Weasley twins will probably tease me when they find out, oh well, this is one of the best things that has ever happened to me, they just don't understand, they have family, Harry just doesn't like Severus and like it or not he lives with family, I was stuck in an orphanage then kicked out, they'll eventually see that this is for the better"  
Brenda went to Angel and tied the letters to her feet  
" Bring these to Harry, Ron and Hermione" Brenda told her owl  
Angel's response was a hoot and she was off  
Brenda fell on her bed and thought, " I have a father, it feels like a dream but it's not, I actually have a real family, he's not my guardian any more, he's my father. Wow Severus Snape my father… That sounds a little weird. I hope I don't have to call him dad right away, I'm not ready for that yet.  
A week passed and nothing has changed much, Severus agreed with Brenda about not calling him dad, he wasn't ready for that part either. Brenda finally got the letters and she was right both boys were shocked and mad and confused that Brenda would actually agree to it. Hermione was excited for Brenda and wished her luck. Ginny wrote that she was excited for her also and that the schedule was still working even though the boys didn't like it. Harry asked if Brenda called Severus dad  
" At least the girls are happy for me" Brenda thought and began writing the 2nd letters of the summer in which Brenda wrote that she doesn't call Severus dad even he thinks it's weird she also put in Harry's letter that he should be happy for her for finally having a real father daughter relationship with Severus


	3. Chapter 3

Nothing changed now that they were officially family, the schedule was the same as it has been when Severus was just the guardian and Brenda kept getting letters from her friends and brother. Ron wrote that his family were vacationing in Egypt because they won a Galleon draw and got 700 Galleons, most were spent on the vacation but Ron was going to get a new wand.  
" Wow, a vacation in Egypt, I bet they're having lots and lots of fun" Brenda thought after she read the letter.  
A month later she got her school list and permission slip third years get to go to Hogsmead. Severus would not sign it  
" Come on please" Brenda begged holding it up  
" No, for the tenth time" Severus said getting annoyed  
" Why?" Brenda asked  
" I have my reasons" Severus said  
" What reason is that?" Brenda asked  
" Do you realize there is a killer on the loose?" Severus asked  
" No, you won't let me see the Daily Prophet" Brenda said with a pout, every morning after Severus read the paper, he burned the paper so Brenda couldn't see it, it was quite annoying actually  
" And there is a reason for that, there is a killer on the loose and I don't want you to get nightmares" Severus said  
" Ron and Hermione got permission to go to Hogsmead" Brenda said  
" Ron and Hermione are not my kids" Severus said  
" It's not fair" Brenda stamped her foot  
" Is this really the way thirteen year olds act when they don't get there way? Severus asked  
Brenda stopped and remembered what she got for her birthday, she got the Monster Book of Monsters from Hagrid, that was the most unusual gift  
" Good now you're acting your age, now I know what's best for you and signing that slip is not a good idea this year" Severus said  
" I faced you know who twice and a Basilisk, but it's not safe to go to Hogsmead because theres a killer on the loose, is that right?" Brenda asked  
" Yes" Severus said, " Now go pack, you're going to the Weasley's tomorrow"  
" Are you sure they're back from Egypt?" Brenda asked  
" Yes, they got back a week ago" Severus said  
Brenda sighed and went upstairs to her room  
" She is such a handful" Severus thought  
Brenda started packing her things to take to the Weasley's and Hogwarts and Minnie popped in  
" Hi Minnie" Brenda said depressed  
" Don't be sad Miss Brenda, Master knows what's best for Miss Brenda, Master does" Minnie said  
" I just don't like it that everybody else gets go to Hogsmead and I have to stay at school, it's just not fair both Harry and I did more than the other third years that get to go. There's a killer on the loose, what does that have to do with Harry and I?" Brenda asked  
" Minnie doesn't know" Minnie said  
" You don't know or you can't tell" Brenda asked  
" Uh... Minnie has to go... make supper... got to go" Minnie said  
" Minnie what do you know?" Brenda asked  
Minnie popped out of the room  
" Cheater, she knows I can't do that until I'm of age" Brenda said to herself then finished packing and laid down on her bed. She figured Severus was mad at her for throwing a fit  
An hour later Severus knocked on Brenda's door " Are you calmed down enough to come down to supper?" Severus asked  
Brenda opened the door and nodded  
" Good" Severus said  
They ate in silence, Brenda was still disappointed  
" I know you are disappointed and I'm sorry, I think it's dangerous for you to be in Hogsmead with a killer on the loose, I'm sure other parents feel the same way and I'm sure they are keeping there kids from going as well" Said Severus  
Brenda thought for a moment and said, " I understand"  
" Ok good, so are you all packed" Severus asked Brenda nodded  
The next day Brenda and Severus flooed to the Burrow and Fred and George were waiting for Brenda to come through so they could catch her  
" Ha ha very funny guys, I'm used to flooing now" Brenda said when she got through with her belongings and didn't fall or anything  
" We just wanted to make sure" Fred said wiyh a wink  
" yYah we don't want you to hurt yourself" George said  
" Well thank you for caring" Brenda said with a smile  
Severus came through " Good morning Professor" The Weasley twins said together  
" Good morning" Severus said in his professor like way  
Mr. and Mrs Weasley came to greet them " Good morning Severus, Good morning Brenda" Molly said  
" Good morning Molly" Severus said  
" Good morning Mrs. Weasley" Brenda said  
" How was your trip?" Severus asked  
" Very fun thank you" Mr. Weasley said  
" Good, well I better be getting to Kings Cross, now Brenda do you have everything you need?" Severus asked  
" Yes" Brenda said  
" Are you sure?" Severus asked  
" Yes dad I'm sure" Brenda said then her eyes went wide and so did Severus's. It was quiet in the room which now all the Weasley's were in  
" Uh... very well, I'll see you all at school then, Molly, Arthur" Severus said then went into the fireplace, " Be good Brenda" he said then flooed back to his house to grab his things  
" You called Snape dad" Fred said  
" You now think of him as your dad?" Ron asked  
" Well he did adopt me" Brenda said  
" Yes but you called him dad, he looked shocked" George said  
" I know what he looked like George, I was standing in front of him" Brenda said, "He was shocked as much as I was and as much as you all were, since that was the first time I called him dad... I kind of like it"  
" I thought you said you weren't ready to call him dad, you wrote that in your letters" Ron said  
"Well at the time I wasn't, it just sort of slipped out" Brenda said, " Ok enough about me, what about you and the Egypt trip?  
Ron smiled big and got the clipping of his family in Egypt " We went through many tombs and saw many mummies, pyramids, some tombs mum thought was too scary for Ginny to go through, Ginny wasn't happy about that. I got your present from Egypt, the Sneakoscope. My brother Bill doesn't think that the Sneakoscope is real, because it is supposed to light up and spin when there is someone untrustworthy around. It was spinning for him so he thought it was broken, but Fred and George put some dung-beetles in his soup"  
" And he still doesn't know that we did it" Fred said with a big smile  
" Yah he figured they just flew into his soup by themselves" George said  
" I now have a new wand" Ron said, " Its 14 inches, willow with one unicorn hair"  
" Now don't drive a car through the whomping willow again little Ronny, don't want you to break that one" Fred and George said at the same time  
" Don't you guys ever get tired of saying the same thing at the same time" Ron asked  
" No" They said at the same time  
" Harry and I say the same things all the time" Brenda said  
" And you two have that psychic connection that only some twins have" Fred said  
" That connection saved us a few times while facing you know who" Brenda said  
Ginny came up to them, " Hey who wants to play Quidditch?"  
They smiled at her and got up, grabbed their brooms, went outside and played a game of Quidditch then they had to degnome the garden which took all afternoon  
" I see you guys stopped using the schedule" Brenda said accusingly  
" Uh... yah, about that" Fred started  
" Forget it, I just wanted to see how long you all could last with it" Brenda said smiling  
Mrs. Weasley came out and yelled, " Time to come in for dinner"  
They all hurried back into the house  
Brenda was at the Weasley's for a week and it was dinner time again  
" Tomorrow we are going to Diagon Alley to get your books" Mrs. Weasley said  
" Be careful with the Monster Book of Monsters, its one of the books on the school list, Hagrid gave me it for my birthday, that thing could have bitten my hand off" Brenda said  
" There are dangerous books?" Ron asked surprised  
" You didn't know that?" Brenda asked surprised, " of course there are, just don't open it when you get it, I'm just warning you"  
" Ok" Ron said  
The next day they flooed to Diagon Alley, Fred and George were still there to catch Brenda  
" We just like catching you" Fred said  
" We're thinking of making it a tradition" George said smiling  
They first went to Gringotts and got their money then they went their separate ways, Ron and Brenda shopped together. They shopped for an hour and then met Hermione  
" Hi Hermione" Brenda said and gave her friend a hug  
" Hi you two, did you get everything on the list?" Hermione asked  
" Mostly, I'm afraid to get the Monster Book of Monsters" Ron said  
" I haven't bought that one yet either" Hermione said  
" Whatever you do when you do get it, don't open it, Hagrid gave me one for my birthday" Brenda said  
" Well lets go and get it now, the sooner the better I think" Hermione said  
The three of them went into Flourish & Blotts and the two of them purchased the Monster Book of Monsters which were all in a cage fighting  
" I got bitten today at least five times by these things" The manager said  
After they left Flourish & Blotts they went to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and found Harry there " Harry" The three called  
Harry looked up from the Daily Prophet and saw his two best friends and his sister and he got a big smile on his face " Hey you guys" Harry said  
" We were wondering when you would turn up mate" Ron said, " You're staying at the Leaky Cauldron right"  
" Yes, how did you know?" Harry asked  
" Well my dad told us, since he works in the Ministry he found out what you did to... Aunt Marge" Ron said  
" Another aunt" Brenda asked  
" uh... Uncle Vernon's evil sister... trust me you don't want to meet her" Harry said  
" I would have loved to see you blow her up though, it sounds so funny" Ron said  
" It's not funny Ronald, Harry's lucky to not have been expelled" Hermione said  
" I'm lucky to not be arrested" Harry said with a serious tone  
" So are we ready to shop some more" Brenda asked changing the topic  
" Lets go to Magical Menagerie, I need to get an owl" Hermione said  
" Sounds good" Harry said  
They headed over to the store and looked at all the magical animals, Hermione didn't get an owl, she wound up getting a ginger cat that had a squashed face  
" I just had to get him, the owner said he's been there for more than a year, nobody wanted him, poor Crookshanks" Hermione said  
" Just keep that fur ball away from Scabbers and everything will be fine" Ron said glaring at the cat  
" I take it you're not a cat person" Brenda said  
" No I'm not" Ron said  
That night everybody spent the night at the Leaky Cauldron since they were close to Kings Cross then at the Burrow, the supper at the hotel was very good  
" Harry, Brenda may I have a word with you please" Mr. Weasley asked  
The twins looked at each other and got up from the table, Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat and looked at her husband with a glare but Mr. Weasley glared back and led the two to a private area "What's up" Brenda asked  
Mr. Weasley looked at a wanted poster of Sirius Black and sighed "There are some within the Ministry who would strongly discourage me from saying what I'm about to tell you two. But I think you both need to know the facts. Because you're in danger. Grave danger."  
" Does this have anything to do with that guy on the wanted poster... Sirius Black" Brenda asked  
"What do you know about him" Mr. Weasley asked  
" Well he's a killer and he's on the loose, that's all Severus told me about him" Brenda said  
" He escaped from Azkaban prison, isn't that supposed to be impossible to break out of?" Harry asked  
" Yes it is," Mr. Weasley said "ok, twelve years ago when you stopped... you know who... Black lost everything. But he remains a loyal servant to this day. In his mind, only the two of you stand in the way of... You know who returning to power. That's why he's broken out of Azkaban. To find you. And..."  
" Kill us" Brenda finished  
Mr. Weasley nodded, " I want you both to swear that whatever you might hear you won't go looking for Black"  
" Mr. Weasley, why would we go looking for someone who wants to kill us?" They asked at the same time  
" You two do that also" Mr. Weasley asked, "saying the same thing at the same time" They nodded "Good so you won't go looking for trouble?" Mr. Weasley asked  
They shook their heads no  
" Good, just watch yourselves then" Mr. Weasley said then went back to the supper  
Mrs. Weasley made them all go to bed early  
The next morning they were rushing with last minute packing and racing down the narrow stairs with their trunks and animals in cages  
" Come on you all, it's time to get in the cars" Mrs. Weasley called They hurried and loaded up the cars and headed towards Kings Cross  
" Hurry we have 20 minutes to make the train" Mr. Weasley said  
They hurried to Platform 9/34  
" Ok we should go in pairs, Harry, Brenda you first" Mr. Weasley said  
They made sure no muggles were looking and hurried into the wall and onto the platform  
It took two minutes to get everybody on the platform and they had to hurry to the train. Mrs. Weasley stopped them and gave everybody a kiss on the forehead and gave them all a sandwich and they all got on with only two minutes to spare  
" That was close" Ron said  
They waved good bye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley until they couldn't see them anymore  
" Lets go find a compartment" Hermione suggested  
They looked and looked but couldn't find an empty one, they found one that only had one person in it and he was asleep  
" Come on everywhere else is full" Brenda said  
" You think he's asleep?" Ron asked  
" Seems to be" Hermione said  
" Who do you think he is" Ron asked  
" Professor R.J. Lupin" Hermione said  
" How do you know these things?" Ron asked  
" It's on his suitcase Ron" Brenda said and pointed  
" Wonder what he's going to teach" Ron said  
" Think about it Ron, what is the only class open" Hermione asked  
" Defense Against the Dark Arts" Ron said Hermione nodded  
" We have something to tell you" Harry said  
Brenda shut the compartment door and said, " Yah, it turns out that Sirius Black escaped because he is looking for Harry and me"  
" Yah he thinks that by killing us V" Ron cringed, " Sorry Ron... You know who will return" Harry said  
" Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban to come after the two of you?" Ron asked surprised  
The twins nodded  
" But they'll catch Black won't they... eventually right?" Hermione asked scared  
" Of course they will, no one has ever broken out of Azkaban before and he's a mad murderous lunatic" Brenda rolled her eyes  
In the afternoon it started to rain  
A few hours later the train stopped  
" Why are we stopping, we can't be there yet?" Hermione said  
" What's going on?" Brenda asked  
" I don't know, maybe we've broken down or something" Harry said  
" A magical train breaking down... that's new" Brenda said  
Harry and Brenda opened the compartment door and looked out into the hall, heads from other compartments were doing the same thing, all of a sudden all the lights in the train went out and everybody was in total darkness  
" Ok that's creepy" Brenda said and sat back down on her seat and Harry closed the door Ron went up to the window  
" Ouch Ron that was my foot" Hermione said  
Ron was looking on the window and there was frost on it  
It was getting really cold on the train  
" There's something out there" Ron said in a panicked voice  
All of a sudden a slimy and scabbed hand opened the compartment door and pushed it aside and revealed a cloaked figure, its face hidden beneath its black hood. Crookshanks' hair rose and she hissed. Harry and Brenda didn't look too good. Both of them heard an eerie and painful noise of a woman screaming. they both passed out. Lupin woke up and said a spell and a bright white light from the tip of his wand sent the cloaked figure out of the compartment  
A few minutes later both Harry and Brenda sat up with bad headaches  
" Are you two all right?" Hermione asked  
" Yes, what was that thing?" Harry asked  
" A Dementor, one of the guards at Azkaban" Lupin said and then handed them both chocolate, "It's chocolate, eat it, it will help, I need to have a word with the driver" Lupin left the four teens alone  
" It was searching for Sirius Black" Hermione said  
" What happened?" Brenda finally asked  
" Well the both of you looked like you were having a fit or something and you both passed out" Ron said  
" Did either of you pass out" Harry asked a little embarrassed  
" No, but I felt weird like I'd never be cheerfull again or something" Ron said  
Hermione shook her head no " I felt strange though but Lupin made it go away" Hermione said  
" So who was screaming?" Brenda asked  
" Nobody was screaming" Hermione said looking worried  
" Are you sure? Because I heard screaming also" Harry said  
" Nobody was screaming" Ron said looking worried  
They didn't talk about that anymore for the rest of the train ride, they didn't talk that much either, they just listened to the rain, they couldn't wait until they got to Hogwarts  
Finally the train stopped at the right spot and everybody got out of the train and on the horseless carriages  
" Yes we finally get to ride in these" Brenda said and smiled thinking back to last year when they didn't get to  
They went up to the castle and waited for the sorting to begin then there was a song sang by the choir that was really good and interesting because there were toads in the song also and then finally Dumbledore made his speech  
" Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say, First, I'm pleased to welcome Professor R.J. Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Good luck to you, Professor" Dumbledore said  
There was a loud applause  
" That's how he knew to give you two the chocolate" Ron said  
" As some of you may know, Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher for many years, has decided to retire in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs. Fortunately, I'm delighted to announce that his place will be filled by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid" Dumbledore said  
The four third years applauded the loudest out of them all Hagrid stood up and nearly toppled the whole teachers table but thankfully it didn't fall  
" Now then, Finally, on a more disquieting note, Hogwarts at the request of the Ministry of Magic will, until further notice, play host to the Dementors of Azkaban" Dumbledore said not very happy  
" Potter" Malfoy whispered Both Potters glared at Malfoy " Is it true you both fainted on the train when the Dementors came?" Malfoy asked with a sneer  
The Slytherins were laughing  
They glared at Malfoy and turned around " How did they find out?" Harry asked  
" I don't know, just ignore them" Hermione said  
" The Dementors will be stationed at the entrances to the grounds. While they are under strict orders not to enter the castle itself, you will on occasion see them as you go about your daily activities. Under no circumstances are you to approach them. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving" Dumbledore said  
After the feast the students went to their common rooms, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Brenda were the first ones to the fat lady  
" Fortuna Major" Harry said the password  
The fat lady wasn't listening, she was busy trying to sing  
" Fortuna Major" Harry said again  
" Wait wait wait" The fat lady said trying to break a glass  
" Fortuna Major" Brenda said  
" In a second" The fat lady said and screamed to break the glass and then she just smashed it,  
" Look with my voice I broke the glass" The Fat Lady said  
" Fortuna Major" Both Harry and Brenda said  
" Yes all right, go in" The fat lady said and opened up  
" Thank you" Harry said annoyed  
The Gryffindors walked into the common room and Harry sighed " Home sweet home"  
The next day the Gryffindor third years had Divination for their first class  
" What kind of class is that?" Harry asked  
" The kind with a crystal ball and seeing into the future" Brenda said  
" This should be interesting" Harry said  
" Well we better go if we want to get there on time, it's a ten minute walk to the north tower from here" Ron said  
" Don't want to be late for the first class like you were during first year" Brenda teased  
" Oh stop it" Harry said and rolled his eyes  
Brenda laughed, " Come on lets go"  
" So has anybody seen Hermione anywhere?" Ron asked  
" Not since early this morning" Brenda said  
They hurried to what they thought was the North Tower  
" Are you sure you're going the right way" Ron asked Brenda  
" Well this is North is it not?" Brenda asked  
" Just making sure, I'm getting kind of tired" Ron said  
They were on their seventh row of stairs  
" I can't believe we use magic but nobody has ever put in a lift in this castle" Harry said  
" That would make things a lot easier" Ron said  
" Oh stop your complaining, this is good exercise" Brenda said  
" I think this is what happens if you live with a greasy git for most of the summer" Ron whispered to Harry  
" I heard that" Brenda turned around and glared at Ron then whispered so nobody else could hear her, " For your information that greasy git is now my new dad, if you haven't noticed I called him dad when he dropped me off at your house... and it has nothing to do with that, I just don't like complaining and I want to get up there as quickly as possible because there are too many steps." She turned around and started running up the steps, " We only have five minutes before class, I suggest you hurry up"  
The two boys started running after her  
They finally stopped when they saw other people  
" So where's the classroom or the teacher?" Seamus asked  
Everybody looked around to see where the door might be but there was no door or classroom  
Ron looked at the ceiling and read Divination on the door that was on top of them  
" There it is" Ron said  
" How are we supposed to get up there?" Neville asked  
All of a sudden the door opened up and a ladder came down  
" Well that answers that question" Brenda said  
Nobody wanted to climb the ladder  
" Fine I'll go first" Brenda said and started to climb and when she got to the top she turned around, " NEXT"  
Everybody eventually got up  
" This is a classroom?" Harry asked to nobody in particular  
" Looks more like an attic or someplace somebody might buy tea... it does smell like tea leaves in here" Brenda said  
" So where's the teacher?" Ron asked  
Right on cue a lady with glasses that magnified her eyes and wore many beads entered the classroom, " Welcome my children to Divination, I am Professor Trelawney... now please sit down"  
Everybody sat down on the poufs that were there instead of chairs  
" Now then, I am glad that you chose to take Divination this year, Divination is one of the hardest of the magical arts, if you don't have the gift for it, then there is very little I can teach since books only go so far, this year we are going to study tea leaves, crystal balls, and palm reading, today we will start with tea leaves, I want you all to come to my desk and I will give you tea, you need to drink it and then stir the leaves inside" Trelawney said  
" Well this sounds interesting" Brenda said  
Everybody got in line and was handed a tea cup full of tea and everybody sat down and drank it down then they stirred their leaves inside the cup  
" What a load of rubbish" Hermione said  
" When did you get here?" Ron asked  
" I've been here the whole time, this tea is not very good" Hermione said  
" Now give your cup to your partner" Trelawney said  
The four Gryffindors passed there cups counterclockwise  
" Now look into the cup and tell your partner what you see" Trelawney said  
" I see a brown soggy substance" Harry joked  
" Harry use your imagination, or inner eye, whatever it's called" Brenda said  
" I'll go first, Harry it looks like you got a wonky sort of cross" Ron said  
" That's trials and suffering according to the Unfogging the Future book" Brenda said pointing to the page  
"But this lot here could be the sun and according to the book that's great happiness" Ron said  
Ron was looking at Brenda's book  
" So you're going to suffer but be very happy about it" Ron said  
Trelawney came over to the group, " Have you made a prediction?"  
" Harry's going to suffer but he's going to be very happy about it" Ron said  
" Let me see the cup" Trelawney said  
Ron handed over the cup and Trelawney looked down at it for a moment and dropped it and screamed  
" What's wrong" Brenda asked  
" My dear Harry... you have the grim" Trelawney said  
" What's the grim" Seamus asked  
Brenda took her book from Ron and found the Grim, "The form of a giant spectral dog, it is among the darkest omens in our world. It is an omen of... of death"  
Harry took his cup back from Ron and saw the dog in the cup then Hermione took it away from Harry and put Brenda's down, Brenda took her cup back  
" I don't think it looks like the grim" Hermione said  
Brenda looked at her cup and she also saw a dog shape  
" Hermione what would you call it?" Brenda asked  
" A load of rubbish" Hermione said  
" I see very little aura around you my dear, I fear you do not possess the sight" Trelawney said, she then looked at Brenda who looked upset, " Is something troubling you my dear?"  
" Well yah, her one and only brother has the grim, why wouldn't she be upset" Ron asked  
" Did you see something you didn't like in your cup?" Trelawney asked  
Brenda didn't say anything  
" Can we move to a different topic please?" Harry asked  
" Let me see your cup my dear" Trelawney said  
Brenda handed it over and Trelawney looked down at it and she was just as startled as she was when she looked in Harry's  
" Let me guess, she has the grim also" Hermione said bored  
Trelawney nodded  
" Harry I think you and I are cursed... It's the Potter curse" Brenda said  
" That's not funny" Harry said  
" Who's laughing" Brenda asked  
" Well my dears, that is all for now, you are dismissed early, until next time we meet" Trelawney said  
Everybody left the classroom and the tower, it was a lot easier going down then it was going up, the next class was Transfiguration and they were almost late to that class because it still took forever to get out of the North Tower  
" You were almost late you lot" McGonagall said  
" Sorry we were in Divination" Brenda said  
" Oh, so who is going to die this year" McGonagall asked  
" Both Harry and I" Brenda said  
" I see, well don't fret, I have known Trelawney for a very long time and she always predicts somebody will die, nobody has died, it's just her way of greeting and scaring the new students" McGonagall said  
That made everybody feel better  
After Transfiguration was lunch then it was the class they all been waiting for... Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid, they had to grab there monster book of monsters and nobody wanted to open those  
They went down to his hut and saw a bunch of green and silver robes  
" Looks like we have class with the Slytherins" Ron said gloomy  
" I predict there will be a bunch of Dementor jokes mostly from Malfoy and his friends" Brenda said  
" Are you becoming a seer?" Ron asked  
" No, it's just obvious" Brenda said  
" So do you believe that nonsense Trelawney was talking about?" Hermione asked Brenda  
" I don't know... I find it strange that both Harry and I had dog shapes in our cups... I'm sure Trelawney isn't the real thing, she's a little weird, but the grim did scare me" Brenda said, " I saw a black dog this summer when I was looking outside my bedroom window, it was looking up at my window when I was looking at it, it was looking at me... it gave me the creeps"  
I thought there are spells around the manor where you live where you cannot be detected" Hermione said  
" There is... that's another reason why it gave me the creeps" Brenda said  
" I saw a black dog when I ran away from the Dursley's, right before the Night bus came and took me to the Leaky Cauldron" Harry said  
" They both could be strays, not the grim, there are such things as black dogs you know" Hermione said  
" Ok enough talk about this, it's giving me the creeps and we're getting close to the Slytherins don't want them to know about the grims, they'll have more to tease us about" Brenda said  
They finally reached Hagrid's hut and saw the Slytherins and Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were in the front of the Slytherins  
Finally Hagrid showed up, " Come on now, get a move on! Got a real treat for you. Great lesson Follow me.  
They went into the forbidden forest  
" We're not supposed to be in here" Malfoy said  
" You've been in here before Malfoy, and now you're two years older and it's daytime, we're not going all the way in" Hagrid said  
Hagrid remembered detention with the four Gryffindors and Malfoy in their first year  
They walked for 10 minutes on a trail into the forest  
" Ok now gather around here and open your books to page 25" Hagrid said  
" How exactly are we supposed to do that" Malfoy asked in a snippy tone  
" What do you mean? haven't any of you opened your books yet?" Hagrid asked  
" NO" Everybody said  
" All you have to do is stroke the spine" Hagrid said like it was elementary  
Everybody stroked the spine then took the belts off the books it came with  
" I think they're funny" Hermione said  
" Oh yes very funny, until they rip somebody's hands off" Malfoy said, "boy this place has gone to the dogs, wait until my father hears that Dumbledore let that giant oaf teach class"  
Brenda and Harry go up to Malfoy, " SHUT UP MALFOY"  
Malfoy glared at both of them then looked behind them with wide eyes, " D-Dementor! Dementor  
All the Gryffindors looked back but there was no dementors and the Slytherins took there black cloaks and put on the hoods and went ooooh  
" So immature" Brenda said  
All of a sudden Hagrid came back and he wasn't alone, with him was a bird like creature, only it had the body of a horse  
" This is a Hippogriff, of course now, first thing you gotta know is they're proud. Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, because it might be the last thing you do. Right then who wants to come and say hello to Buckbeak?  
Everybody stepped back except for Harry who was mesmerizedby the Hippogriff  
" Well, good job Harry, thanks for volunteering" Hagrid said  
" What" Harry asked and then looked around, apparently everybody stepped back. Harry carefully moved towards the Hippogriff  
" You want to let him make the first move. It's polite, see? Just take a step forward, give him a bow, and if Buckbeak bows back, you're allowed to touch him" Hagrid said  
Harry went closer to the Hippogriff and bowed real low and waited, he really didn't want to expose his neck to the creature though  
Buckbeak made a weird noise  
" Back off Harry, back off" Hagrid sounded serious  
Harry backed up but stepped on a stick and both Hermione and Brenda gasped  
Buckbeak bowed to Harry  
" Well done Harry, now go pet him" Hagrid said  
Harry cautiously went up to the Hippogriff and petted his beak. Everybody but the Slytherins started clapping and cheering  
" Will you look at that, now I think he'll let you ride him now" Hagrid said  
Harry's smile dropped, " What"  
" Come on Harry" Hagrid said and he picked Harry up and set him on Buckbeaks back, " Don't pull any of his feathers, he won't like that" Hagrid slapped the birds backside and Buckbeak started galloping and then went up into the air  
" Wow that looks like fun" Brenda said  
" I prefer the ground" Hermione said  
Everybody watched Harry ride Buckbeak and he went out of sight but they could hear him cheering woohoo  
" He's having so much fun" Brenda said smiling  
Hagrid whistled for them to come back and Buckbeak landed two minutes later very nicely  
" Well done Harry, Well done Buckbeak" Hagrid said then threw a dead ferret at the Hippogriff and got Harry off him, " How am I doing Harry"  
" Brilliant... professor" Harry said with a smile  
" Oh please if Potter could ride that thing then anybody else can" Malfoy said and he went up to Buckbeak, " You're not scary at all are you, you overgrown chicken"  
" Malfoy NO" Hagrid yelled  
Too late, Buckbeak reared up and slashed Malfoy's arm and Malfoy fell down  
Hagrid got in front of Buckbeak and sent him away with a dead ferret, then turned and looked at Malfoy, " I... It's just a scratch"  
" It killed me It killed me" Malfoy kept saying  
" It's just a scratch" Hagrid said again  
" Hagrid he must be taken to the Hospital wing" Hermione said  
" Ok, I'll do it, I'm the teacher... Class dismissed" Hagrid said and everybody but the Potter twins left  
Harry was petting Buckbeak and Brenda was a good eight feet away from Buckbeak  
" Malfoy shouldn't have done that" Brenda said  
" Leave it to him to screw up a perfect lesson" Harry said  
" Hagrid better not get into any trouble for this" Brenda said, " I wish I could have ridden him, I would have volunteered next"  
" Well you can bow down to him and then pet him" Harry said  
" I hope he'll bow back" Brenda said  
Brenda went a few feet closer and bowed nice and low, she was very nervous  
Buckbeak bowed back and Brenda released the air she was holding and cautiously went up to the Hippogriff and petted it  
They left five minutes later  
" That was cool" Brenda said  
" Flying on him was cool, we went everywhere" Harry said with a smile  
They didn't see Malfoy until dinner that night  
" Does it hurt terribly Draco" Pansy Parkinson asked  
" It comes and goes, Pomfrey says if I came a minute or two later I could have... lost my arm" Draco said dramatically  
" What a drama King, Harry and I had worse wounds than a scratch and we were in the Hospital Wing for more than a few hours" Brenda said glaring at the Slytherin table  
" At least Hagrid didn't get sacked" Harry said  
" I hear that Malfoy's father is furious... I doubt we heard the end of this" Brenda said  
" You're probably right" Harry said  
The next day they had double Potions with the Slytherins  
" Why do we always have Potions with the Slytherins? Why not the Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs?" Ron asked  
" It's because we're enemies" Brenda said  
" Huh?" Ron asked  
" The school wants the Gryffindors and Slytherins to get along, that's why the Slytherins are always in our classes" Brenda said, " It just never works out"  
Malfoy entered the classroom 15 minutes late and Professor Snape was lecturing, everybody was now making noise  
" Settle down class" Professor Snape said  
" He would never tell the class to settle down if we were late, he'd just give us detentions" Ron complained  
" He's the head of Slytherin, you have five brothers, you've been in school for two years and beginning your third, you know what he's like" Hermione said  
" When did you get here?" Ron asked  
" I've been here the whole time" Hermione said  
She began taking notes  
" Today class we are going to make a shrinking solution" Professor Snape said  
He wrote the ingredients on the board  
" You have until the end of class" Professor Snape said  
Everybody got up and grabbed the ingredients and their cauldrons  
Malfoy sat in the middle of Brenda and Harry and grinned  
" He's up to something" Harry thought to Brenda  
" I know, lets just see what that something is" Brenda thought back  
Malfoy raised his good arm, " Professor I can't cut these daisy roots because of my arm"  
" Very well... Ms. Potter cut up the roots" Professor Snape said  
" So that's what he's doing" Brenda thought to Harry then took Malfoy's roots and cut them up in little pieces, she made sure that some were a bit bigger than others, but also made sure Malfoy couldn't tell that much difference  
" I also need this shrivilfig skinned" Malfoy said with a grin  
" Mr. Potter skin the Shrivilfig for Mr. Malfoy" Professor Snape commanded  
Harry took the fig and skinned it then thrust both the fig and the skins at Malfoy, the skins hit his face  
Brenda handed the roots over to Malfoy, " Your arm is not broken you git"  
Malfoy smiled evilly, " So have any of you seen that oaf Hagrid lately? My father is upset about my injury, I won't be surprised if that oaf is sacked by the end of the month"  
" You keep talking Malfoy, I just might have to give you a real injury, one that makes Buckbeak look like a kitten" Brenda said with a glare that almost looked like Severus's  
" Is that a threat?" Malfoy asked not seeing the resemblance  
" Maybe it is, maybe it isn't" Brenda whispered  
" Ms. Potter less talking more potion brewing" Professor Snape said  
Brenda got back to work with cutting her dead caterpillars  
" I hope I never have to drink this stuff" Harry thought to Brenda  
" You and me both brother" Brenda thought  
" So who's going to cut my caterpillars?" Malfoy asked with a grin  
" Do it yourself, they're not hard" Brenda said  
" Ms. Potter I told you to be quiet" Professor Snape said and went over to the group  
" We're talking potions sir" Brenda said looking her father straight in the eye  
" She won't cut up my caterpillars" Malfoy complained  
" I told him that they're not hard to cut up, somebody can easily do it with one hand" Brenda said  
" Draco, Ms. Potter is right about that one, cut them up yourself" Professor Snape said  
Malfoy's jaw dropped  
" Close your mouth Draco and get to work" Professor Snape said then went over to the other tables and stopped at Neville Longbottom's cauldron, " Orange Longbottom? Tell me does this look like the potion we are trying to make here?"  
" N-No" Neville stuttered  
" Didn't you hear me say quite clearly that only one rat spleen and only a dash of leech juice is all you need to make the potion the right color?" Professor Snape asked  
" Ye-Yes s-sir" Neville stuttered  
" What am I going to do with you?" Professor Snape asked  
" Uh... Professor, I can help him with his potions" Brenda said  
Professor Snape looked up and glared at Brenda, " You want to help him so you can boast about your potion making?"  
" No I just want to help him out like a good friend" Brenda said a little annoyed at her fathers attitude  
" No, he has to learn how to make it by himself, so no help from you or Ms. Granger" Professor Snape said, " Now stop talking and get to work", since you think this potion is right Mr. Longbottom, I want you to give a few drops to your toad, and we'll all see what happens" He went back to his desk  
Brenda gasped, she knew what would happen because she made that mistake during her first summer at Severus's when she was practicing her potions, Severus had her test the potion on a rat and it got very sick " Professor"  
" I told you to stop talking didn't I Ms. Potter" Professor Snape said  
" Yes but I know what will happen, don't put him through that sir" Brenda said  
" Mind your own business Ms. Potter" Professor Snape said a little angry  
" DON'T HAVE HIM POISON HIS TOAD! THAT IS WRONG" Brenda yelled  
" ENOUGH" Severus yelled, " 10 points from Gryffindor and you have detention with me tonight after dinner, now sit down Ms. Potter and stop talking"  
Brenda finally sat down and glared at her father  
Professor Snape ignored her  
" What's up with Snape?" Harry thought to Brenda, "I thought he would at least be nice to you"  
" It's an act, he has to keep it up" Brenda thought back, nobody but my closest friends are to know that he's my dad... but I think all of Gryffindor knows... so much for trying to defend Neville" Brenda turned to Hermione and mouthed, " Help him out"  
Hermione began whispering to Neville what to do  
There was only a few more minutes of class  
" Ok everybody fill up a vial of what you have created and put it on my desk, then come circle around Mr. Longbottom's cauldron and we'll see what happens to his toad, it will either turn into a tadpole or as Ms. Potter said it will poison him" Professor Snape said  
Everybody vialed up their potions and put them on Severus's desk then everybody gathered around Neville's desk. Neville looked very nervous  
" Give me your toad Mr. Longbottom" Professor Snape said  
Neville nervously handed over Trevor and Professor Snape spooned a little of the now green potion down Trevors throat and the toad turned into a tadpole  
" Looks like the potion is correct... but seeing how you sit with Ms. Granger, and your potion was orange, I know Ms. Granger helped you out when I told both Ms. Granger and Ms. Potter to not help you out, so I will take away five points from Gryffindor, for disobeying my directions" Professor Snape said and then dropped a few drops of ageing potion on the tadpole and it turned back to a toad, " class dismissed"  
Everybody left potions in a hurry because it was now lunch time  
" What a greasy git, just because you were trying to help out Neville we lost house points" Ron complained, " And you have detention with him Brenda"  
" Don't remind me" Brenda said  
They finally got out of the dungeons and headed to the Great Hall  
Everybody was eating and talking and having a good time when Seamus ran to the middle of the Gryffindor table shouting, " He's been sighted he's been sighted"  
" Who has?" Ron asked taking the paper away from Seamus  
" Sirius Black" Seamus said  
Hermione looked at the paper and gasped, " Achintee... that's not far from here"  
" Y- You don't th-think he'll come here d-do you" Neville asked with a stutter  
" With dementors at every entrance to the school grounds?" Lavender asked, " I think not"  
" Dementors? He slipped by them once already, who's to say he won't do it again?" Seamus asked  
" That's right, Black could be anywhere, it's like trying to catch smoke, it's like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands" Dean Thomas said  
Harry and Brenda looked at the picture of Black, he looked crazy  
After lunch was Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Lupin  
" Good morning class, I'm Professor Lupin your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, you may put your books away, we don't need them today, today all you need is your wand" Lupin said  
Everybody put there books away and got out their wands  
" Good now if you will stand back while I clear the room of desks and chairs we will get on with the lesson" Lupin said and took out his wand  
Everybody stood back and watched Lupin get rid of the desks and chairs then he said, " Accio wardrobe"  
A rattling wardrobe appeared in front of the classroom  
" Now can anybody tell me what is in here?" Lupin asked  
" That's a boggart" Dean Thomas said  
" Very good Mr. Thomas, now can anybody tell me what a boggart looks like" Lupin asked  
" Nobody knows" Hermione said next to Ron  
Ron jumped and whispered to Harry and Brenda, " When did she get here?"  
" Boggarts are shape shifters, they take the form of anything a person fears the most, that is what makes it so terrifying" Hermione said  
" Yes, luckly there is a simple charm to repel a boggart, that is what we will do now, we are going to say the spell, now without your wands please repeat after me... Riddikulus" Lupin instructed  
" Riddikulus" The class said  
" Very good" Lupin said  
Brenda heard Malfoy saying about how this class is ridiculous  
" Ok that was the easy part, now a more hard part is laughter, you need to force the scary creature into something that is funny... how about a volunteer?" Lupin asked  
Nobody volunteered  
" Ok... Neville how about you" Lupin asked  
Neville went up to the professor really slowly  
" Ok so what is the thing that you fear most" Lupin asked  
Nevil stuttered and was very soft, " Profsr Snp"  
" Sorry, I didn't catch that" Lupin said  
" P- Professor Snape" Neville said louder  
Everybody laughed because they knew he was scary  
" Poor Neville" Brenda said with a chuckle  
" Yes well, I think he scares all... you live with your grandmother don't you?" Lupin asked  
" Yes but I don't want that Boggart to turn into her either" Neville said  
" It won't trust me" Lupin said, " What I want you to do Neville is to only picture your grandmothers clothes"  
" She carries a red handbag" Neville said  
" Don't tell us, only picture it in your mind" Lupin said, " If you see it, we will too" Lupin then whispered in Neville's ear, " Picture Snape in your grandmother's clothes"  
" What'd he say?" Ron asked  
" I don't know, we'll soon find out" Brenda said  
Neville's eyes went wide  
" You can do it Neville" Lupin said and then he opened the wardrobe  
Nothing came out right away and then a hand came out and then Professor Snape stepped out and he was walking towards the class  
" Picture it Neville picture it" Lupin said  
Neville was scared but he took out his wand and yelled... "Riddikulus"  
instantly Snape was in a green lacy dress, with a moth eaten black hat, a fur scarf and a red handbag  
Everybody was laughing except for the Slytherins  
" So that's what Snape looks like in a dress" Ron said  
" This cheered me up a bunch" Brenda said laughing  
" Should you really be laughing at him?" Hermione asked Brenda  
" Oh lighten up Hermione, this is funny, he gave me detention remember?" Brenda said  
" Ok next" Lupin said, " Ron Weasley"  
Ron stepped up and the Snape turned into a giant spider  
Harry, Brenda and Hermione exchange worried glances at each other  
" Riddikulus" Ron said nervous  
The spider now had skates on its feet and it was going crazy  
" Next, Parvarti you're up" Lupin said having fun  
Parvarti's turned into a giant snake  
" Riddikulus" She said  
The snake turned into a giant jack in the box clown  
" I think that clown is scarier then the snake" Brenda whispered to Harry  
" Yah but we faced the snake larger than that" Harry reminded her  
" I'm just saying" Brenda said  
" Next" Lupin said  
Harry got to the front and the boggart was going to turn into something bad  
Lupin got in front of Harry and the boggart turned into a full moon  
" Riddikulus" Lupin yelled and the full moon turned into a balloon and was locked back into the Wardrobe  
" Uh... that's all for today, can't have too much fun... class dismissed" Lupin said  
" What was that about?" Harry wondered  
Everybody left the classroom

That night Brenda grudgedly went down to the dungeons and knocked on Professor Snape's classroom door for her detention  
" The worst he'd have me do is clean the cauldrons" Brenda thought  
" Come in Ms. Potter" Severus called  
Brenda entered and Severus wasn't alone, there was a 2nd year Ravenclaw and a fourth year Hufflepuff also in detention  
" Good, now everybody is here, good, now Mr. Smith you will clean the cauldrons, Ms. Lovegood you will write sentences, and Ms. Potter you will restock my stores" Severus said  
He gave everybody the supplies they needed to complete the task that has been assigned to them  
" Ms. Potter I will escort you to my stores" Severus said  
" I know where the stores are" Brenda whispered to Professor Snape when he was escorting her, he ignored her  
They got to his stores and he handed her the key and a note  
" You have my permission to use WINDGADRIUM LEVIOSA for the very high shelves, remember to lock up after you are finished" Professor Severus said and then left her. Brenda opened the note that said, " Come down to the apartment when you are finished, your other punishment will begin... don't fret I'm not going to spank you... the password is Wolfsbane" Brenda sighed, she was most likely grounded to the apartment, she started stocking the shelves  
When she was half way finished, which took her an hour and a half she saw a few new ingredients she didn't notice last time she had to do this, they were the ingredients for the potion wolfsbane  
" Ok this is a little weird, why would he have to make wolfsbane?" Brenda thought to herself, " Maybe it's just random ingredients for other potions, there are more uses then one for these ingredients, I'm just jumping to conclusions since that's the password to get into the apartment"  
She finished in another hour  
" Great now for my other punishment" Brenda thought  
She got out of the closet and locked the door and headed down to the dungeons and to the apartment  
" Ah... I see you're back Brenda" The portrait said  
" Yes I am... Wolfsbane" Brenda said  
The portrait opened up and she walked inside. She found her father at his desk  
" Good you're finished, did you lock the door?" Severus asked  
" Yes" Brenda said  
" Good" Severus said  
Brenda handed him the key  
" Well I better be going before curfew, don't want Filch catching me" Brenda said trying to avoid punishment  
She was heading out the door  
" Not so fast young lady" Severus said  
" So close" Brenda thought  
Brenda turned around and faced her father  
" You only served the professor student punishment, now it's the father daughter punishment" Severus said  
" Isn't one punishment enough?" Brenda asked  
" No" Severus said  
Brenda sighed, " So how long am I grounded for?"  
" As long as I see fit" Severus said  
" You know I only yelled because you were going to have Neville poison his toad" Brenda said  
" Do you actually think I'm that heartless? Do you actually think I'd have him kill his toad? I had an antidote for both solutions whether the toad was poisoned or turned into a tadpole" Severus said  
" Well I didn't know that and Neville was very very scared" Brenda said in a snippy tone, " The rat that we tested the potion on when I made it wrong the first time died  
" That was a mere field rat that kept eating my potion plants outside in the garden, and by the way it didn't die, I fed it the same potion I was going to feed to Longbottom's toad, it thought twice about coming around my garden again though. You young lady need to think before you speak" Severus said, " Teachers are not aloud to kill anybody's pets, I wanted Longbottom to be taught a lesson, one that he should learn on his own without interference from you or Ms. Granger, but she helped him anyway"  
" You had Harry and I help Malfoy" Brenda said  
" That's different, his arm is broken" Severus said  
" No it's not, he's faking it," Brenda said, " Madam Pomfrey can mend bones in a heart beat, he's just milking it because he wants Hagrid fired, it was Malfoy's fault that he got hurt, Hagrid said that Hippogriffs are proud creatures and if you show disrespect they attack, but once you bow and they bow they're really gentle"  
" I can't believe he let you students meet a hippogriff" Severus said  
" Harry rode him, I was going to go next but the Malfoy inncident ended the class" Brenda said  
" You were going to ride that thing?" Severus asked surprised  
" Yes" Brenda said  
" BRENDA LILLIAN POTTER THOSE THINGS ARE DANGEROUS, ONE FALSE MOVE AND YOU HAVE NO ARM, OR NO LEG OR NO... WHATEVER! I FORBID YOU TO RIDE ON ONE OF THOSE THINGS! I CAN'T BELIEVE HE DID THAT" Severus yelled  
" Hagrid said that they're fine, I petted Buckbeak and he was very gentle once he trusted me" Brenda said backing up to the portrait  
" Hagrid thinks that dragons are fine, or probably a Basilisk is fine, you are not to go pet the Hippogriff anymore, If I find out that you do, I'm taking you out of that class and you will not ever go up to the Gryffindor tower again, you will stay down here permanently" Severus said in a stern voice  
" YOU CAN'T DO THAT" Brenda cried  
" For your information I am your father, I can and I will if I have too" Severus said, " Now tomorrow night after dinner you pack your things and come down here"  
" Fine... are we done talking dad" Brenda asked angry  
" I don't like your attitude young lady" Severus said  
Brenda rolled her eyes  
" Fine... your grounding begins tonight" Severus said  
" What?" Brenda asked shocked  
" Go to your room" Severus said pointing towards her room  
" No, I'm going up to the Gryffindor Common Room" Brenda said stubbornly  
" No, your grounding starts tonight, you're going to stay down here" Severus said firmly  
" I have to get my stuff" Brenda said  
" I'll get your things" Severus said  
" You're Slytherin you can't get into Gryffindor" Brenda said  
" All teachers can get in the other houses" Severus said  
" Ok that's scary since Quirrel wanted to kill Harry and me during first year" Brenda said  
" Let me re fraise that, teachers who have been here for at least five years can get into the houses" Severus said, " Quirrle has only taught that one year"  
" Oh" Brenda said then turned around and tried getting out of the apartment, "Come on open up... Wolfsbane Wolfsbane" Brenda commanded to the portrait  
Brenda banged on the portrait for five minutes but the portrait wouldn't move  
" Are you quite finished?" Severus asked boredly, " He's not going to open, he knows that you're grounded... and he doesn't like you"  
" I figured that out last year" Brenda said finally giving up, " Who is that guy anyway?"  
" My grandfather Severus" Severus said  
Grandfather Severus went into the blank portrait above the fireplace  
" I still can't believe you adopted her Severus" Grandfather Severus said, " She's a pain in the butt if you ask me"  
" Nobody did ask you grandfather" Severus said, "Now Brenda I want you to go to your room, I'll grab your things, your punishment starts now, be lucky I'm not spanking you tonight, with the fit you just had, you deserve it"  
" I don't want to start my grounding tonight, you said tomorrow night" Brenda said  
" Then you threw a temper tantrum, I've changed my mind" Severus said  
Brenda crossed her arms over her chest and pouted not moving toward her room  
" Well she does have your stubborness Severus" Grandfather Severus said with a smirk  
" Be quiet grandfather" Severus said rolling his eyes, he went over to Brenda, gave her two swats on the butt, picked her up with her yelling, "STOP" carried her to her bedroom, dropped her on her bed, took her wand and locked her in her room  
Brenda got off her bed and started banging on her door, " SEVERUS LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!"  
Grandfather Severus went into one of the portraits in her room, " He left to get your things, wow you're just like he used to be when he was little"  
Brenda glared at him  
" You even have his glare" Grandfather Severus mocked  
" Why don't you like me? I've been here for a year" Brenda asked  
" It's not you personally, it's Gryffindors" Grandfather Severus said  
" Well you might as well get used to me, I'm going to spend a lot of time down here" Brenda said  
" I know" Grandfather Severus said, "And a lot of time at Severus Manor... I have a few portraits there also"  
" Funny I never see you" Brenda said  
" I don't go there much... but maybe I will during the summer holidays... just to bug yah" Grandfather Severus said  
Brenda rolled her eyes and went and sat down on her bed and pouted  
Severus finally got up to the seventh floor and to the Fat Lady  
" What's the password Severus" The Fat Lady asked  
" Is Minerva McGonagall in there?" Severus asked  
" Yes she is Severus" The Fat Lady said  
" ok then... Fortuna Major" Severus said  
The Fat Lady opened the portrait  
" Thank you" Severus said and then walked in  
When he got up the stairs that led to the common room everybody was shocked  
" Harry, Snapes in here" Ron said  
Harry and Ron were playing a game of Wizard's chest, Harry's back was facing Snape  
Harry turned around and gasped, Snape went to the three third years, Harry, Ron and Hermione, " Have you seen McGonagall?" He asked  
" She's in the 5th years girls dorm" Hermione said  
" Thank you Ms. Granger" Severus said and then went up to the dorm  
Nobody was making a sound since Severus was in the common room... everybody just looked at him and Neville was shaking and holding his toad real tight  
Severus entered the dorm without knocking, McGonagall was helping out with Transfiguration  
" Minerva may I have a word?" Severus asked  
" Of course Severus... I'll be right back Victoria" McGonagall said  
They went out in the hallway  
" I am having Brenda stay down in the dungeons for a while, it is part of her punishment, I wanted to let you know, I need her things and I just wanted your permission to go into the third year girls dorms" Severus said  
" It is all right, may I ask when she will return?" McGonagall asked  
" When I see fit and if she behaves, I also want her to get used to calling me dad, she finally started... But I think it just slipped... We have been fighting for a while because I do not give her my permission to go to Hogsmead" Severus said  
" Well you know where the dorms are, I give you permission to get her things... you may ask Ms. Granger for help" McGonagall said  
" I think I will, thank you Minerva" Severus said and then went back down the stairs to fetch Hermione  
" Ms. Granger" Severus called  
Hermione looked up and went over to her professor  
" Yes professor?" Hermione asked  
" Will you please help me pack Brenda's things? She is going to be down in the apartment for quite some time"  
" Oh... ok" Hermione said a little sad that Brenda's grounded  
They headed up to the third year dorms and Hermione pointed to where Brenda's things are at  
" Thank you Ms. Granger" Severus said and they both began packing Brenda's things and then Severus shrunk the trunk down to pocket size, " I thank you for helping me out with her things Ms. Granger"  
" Uh... you're welcome professor" Hermione said awkwardly  
They both walked out of the girls dorm and Severus left  
" What did that greasy git want?" Ron asked  
" He wanted me to help him pack Brenda's things, she's grounded for a while" Hermione said dissapointed  
" It's only the second day and he grounds her? All because she was trying to help Neville with his potions" Harry asked  
" Snapes strict" Hermione said  
" There is no place to hide from that guy" Fred acted scared  
" We thought we were safe, but no, he can get in" George acted scared  
"What are we going to do" They acted at the same time  
" Actually we knew he could get in" Fred said with a smile  
" Yah it hasn't been the first time" George said  
Severus went back down to the dungeons and went up to his grandfather's portrait and said, " Wolfsbane"  
" She's pouting in her room" Grandfather Severus said  
Severus rolled his eyes, " Does she think it's the end of the world or something?"  
" I don't know" Grandfather Severus said  
" She's a teenager now... this is how teenagers act, they sulk" Severus said  
He went to Brenda's door, unlocked it and went inside  
Brenda was laying on her stomach with a pillow propped up against her chin and she was reading her potions book she had in her backpack when she came down for detention  
" I was wondering where that was" Severus said," We couldn't find it in the dorm"  
Brenda turned around and looked at her father, " So... where are my things?" She asked  
Severus took out her trunk from his pocket, put it on the floor and said, " Engorgio" The trunk became regular sized, then he took out her wand and gave it back  
" Thanks" Brenda said sadly  
" So what potion are you looking at?" Severus asked  
Brenda sighed softly, " Wiggenweld potion"  
" Yes very usefull, we make the Wiggenweld potion after the Christmas holidays" Severus said  
" Cool" Brenda said not that amused  
Severus was trying to figure out a way to cheer her up  
" Well you'll be happy to know that you got an O on your potion" Severus said, Thinking, " This will make her happy, she loves my class"  
Brenda half smiled at that  
" Well I got a half smile, that's something" Severus thought  
Brenda still looked very sad and had her knees to her chin  
" Oh great, I need to do the father daughter talking thing" Severus thought  
He went closer to Brenda's bed and sat down, Brenda did not look up, she was looking at the bed sheets  
" Hey what's wrong? You can't be this depressed because you're grounded" Severus said  
" Stupid reason" Brenda whispered  
" What" Severus asked  
" I'm grounded for a stupid reason" Brenda said and glared like Severus  
" Wow she really does glare like me" Severus thought  
" I was just trying to help out a friend...Things would be a whole lot easier if everybody just knew the truth and not just the Gryffindors and a few teachers" Brenda said  
" Do you realize we have been arguing since you got your permission slip" Severus asked  
" Yes, and do you realize that me calling you dad was just a slip of the tongue Severus?" Brenda glared at her father  
" Are you still upset because I won't let you go to Hogsmead?" Severus asked  
" Yes" Brenda said  
" Brenda, Sirius Black is after you and Harry, This man is a murderer" Severus said  
" So is you know who, but Harry and I stopped him when we were one, and we stopped Quirrel when he had you know who on the back of his head, that was disturbing and disgusting but Harry and I defeated him, Harry and I went down to the Chamber of Secrets, faced a Basilisk and faced Tom Riddle who is You know who... I don't get why people are still scared to say his name, he's destroyed" Brenda said  
" There was no body found" Severus said, and I'm not letting you go to Hogsmead because I don't want to take the chance of you winding up dead in an alley somewhere, Black is after you and your brother... if you won't listen to me for your own sake, then how about your mother's, she sacrificed her life to save you and your brother, she didn't sacrifice herself to just have her children dead"  
That speech shocked Brenda into tears, Severus was right, her parents didn't just sacrifice themselves just so their children could wind up dead  
Brenda brought her knees up to her chin again and she started to cry, thinking about what her father just said  
" Oh great now she's crying... I guess I hit a sore spot" Severus thought, " Ok if I remember correctly in the parental handbook, I'm supposed to confort the child until he or she calms down... Examples: hug, rub back, pat on back... In this case I think I should hug her"  
Severus leaned over to Brenda and gave her a hug and she was now crying into his shoulder  
" It's ok Brenda, I didn't mean to hit a sore spot" Severus said softly trying to calm his daughter down  
" You've gone soft with her Severus" Grandfather Severus said He watched the whole thing  
Brenda stopped crying but kept hugging her father, she liked it, " No offense... dad... your grandfather's a jerk"  
" She called me dad, I hope that wasn't a slip of the tongue" Severus thought  
They finally separated the hug  
" That wasn't a slip of the tongue" Brenda said with a smile  
After the father daughter talk, they were on better terms, they weren't glaring at each other much anymore, of course Severus still glared at Brenda and Harry in class, but that was just an act. He glared at everybody now since he found out that the Boggart turned into him and he ended up wearing a dress, everybody tried not to laugh when they saw him, but it was hard, even for the Slytherins. Brenda called Severus dad now and the only one glaring in the apartment was Severus's Grandfather Severus, who didn't like Brenda and was mad because Brenda called him a jerk.  
" Are you still mad that I called you a jerk? Get over it it was two weeks ago and you were being a jerk" Brenda said to Grandfather Severus  
" You have been a very bad girl, Why did he let you play Quidditch?" Grandfather Severus asked  
Severus came in the apartment  
" Are you two still bickering?" Severus asked  
" If she's grounded why do you let her play Quidditch? That is supposed to be a privilege" Grandfather Severus said  
" If I didn't let her, she'd never forgive me and it would be too suspicious since nobody is to know I'm her father except for the Gryffindors" Severus said  
" You've gone soft Severus" Grandfather Severus said  
" Why can't you two just get along?" Severus asked with a sigh  
" She's Gryffindor" Grandfather Severus said  
" Well the sorting hat almost put her in Slytherin, she is more Slytherin then you realize" Severus said  
" Wow... dad... no offense but don't say that" Brenda said startled  
Severus smirked  
" How in the world is that Gryffindor like a Slytherin" Grandfather Severus asked  
" This Gryffindor has a name, and you're both talking like I'm not here... though it is kind of amusing... please go on I want to hear this" Brenda said  
" Well, she speaks Parseltongue, she's resourceful, determined, has a certain disregard for the rules" Severus said  
" Did you get that from Dumbledore? That's what he said to us last year" Brenda said  
" Well he's right" Severus said  
" Well we all know where I got the parseltongue speaking from" Brenda said rolling her eyes  
" Then why is she in Gryffindor? If she could speak Parseltongue?" Grandfather Severus asked  
"I'm Brave, Bold, Nobel, never liked the Dark Arts at any time, would never call somebody mudblood"  
" Ok that's getting a little close to comfort" Severus thought and said, " Ok we get it, enough"  
" One more reason" Brenda said, " And why would I want to be in the same house that the murderer of my parents was in?"  
It was quiet in the apartment  
Brenda looked around from her father and his grandfather, they were both looking at her  
" Maybe I shouldn't have dissed Slytherins, since they are both in Slytherin" She thought but said, " I'm not trying to dis Slytherins or anything, but I do have a point"  
Nobody said anything  
" Ok this is awkward" Brenda thought and said, " I'll be going to my room now"  
She got off the couch she was on and walked fast to her room  
" Are you just going to let her get away with insulting Slytherins" Grandfather Severus asked  
" She does have a point, he was a Slytherin and nobody would want to be in the same house as the murderer of their parents" Severus said, "And Slytherins call people mudbloods a lot, mostly Draco calling Ms. Granger that, Ms. Granger is one of Brenda's best friends, mostly all the wizards gone bad were from Slytherin, I think she thinks she made me mad by saying that"  
" Well it made me mad" Grandfather Severus said  
" Yah well, you need to give it a rest and stop arguing with my daughter, like it or not you're now her Great Grandfather" Severus said with a smirk  
Grandfather Severus glared at his grandson  
" Hey, it's true" Severus said with a smirk, " Try to get along"  
Severus knocked on Brenda's door then came in, Brenda was reading her Charms book  
" Hey is that a good book?" Severus asked  
" It's ok... not the best though" Brenda said, " Am I in trouble?"  
" No, you were just stating your opinion, really good facts to back up said opinion though" Severus said, " But not all Slytherins are evil"  
" I know" Brenda said with a smile  
" Hey I talked to Grandfather Severus and I told him that you and him need to get along better, It's going to take the both of you to fulfill that accomplishment" Severus said  
" I'm ready to cooperate when he is, it's kind of boring staying down here all day or night with nobody to talk to when you're grading papers or potions... speaking of grading papers..." Brenda started  
Severus smirked  
" You have an O" Severus said  
Brenda smiled  
" Ok, I'm going to cut you some slack, since tomorrow is Hogsmead and not a school day, I will let you hang out with your friends who are not going and you can spend the night in Gryffindor Tower, your punishment is not over, but I'm letting you have a break" Severus said  
Brenda's smile was big and then it turned into a grin  
" All of this bickering is getting on your nerves isn't it" Brenda said  
" Yes" Severus said, "but after Hogsmead day is over, you are going to come back here the next night, got it"  
" Got it" Brenda said glad to have some freedom and a night when she doesn't have to dodge the Slytherins to get to the apartment  
" Severus you have gone too soft on her, now you're letting her leave, with what she just did? She insulted us Slytherins" Grandfather Severus said  
" Why do you always come in here?" Brenda asked  
" My business is not your concern young lady" Grandfather Severus said  
" I just asked a simple question" Brenda said  
" The both of you really need to get along, like it or not you both are family" Severus said  
That startled both of them  
" She is not my granddaughter" Grandfather Severus said  
" That's right, she's your great granddaughter" Severus said with a smirk  
" I haven't even thought of that" Brenda whispered  
" She is not my family" Grandfather Severus said  
" She is now since she is my daughter and you are my grandfather" Severus said, " It will benifit everybody if you two just got along"  
" I'm willing to if he is" Brenda said  
" Good, Grandfather?" Severus asked  
" Oh all right, I'll try to get along with her" Grandfather Severus said then rolled his eyes  
" Good then we are all one big happy family" Severus said with a smirk  
The next day was Hogsmead day, Brenda woke up early and sighed, today was the day she got to go back to Gryffindor Tower, even if it was only for a day and night, it was still freedom  
Brenda got dressed then started packing everything she will need for today and the next school day  
Severus came in to wake her up before she was done packing  
" Wow you're up earlier than usual" Severus teased  
" Just packing what I will need for today and tomorrow" Brenda said  
" You need it shrunk down to size?" Severus asked  
" No thanks, it all fits in my backpack" Brenda said putting her last book she will need in her bag then zipped it up  
" So are you all ready?" Severus asked  
" Yah, I think I'll leave now... the sooner the better chance I have dodging the Slytherins" Brenda said  
" Another Slytherin insult" Grandfather Severus said  
" No actually it's hard dodging the Slytherins all the time when I come down here and up from here, nobody is to know remember?" Brenda said, " I already had close calls this year and a few last year"  
" Ok then I will see you in the Great Hall later today" Severus said  
" Bye" Brenda said then went to the portrait but it wouldn't open  
" Grandfather" Severus said  
" Oh all right" Grandfather Severus said and went to that portrait and opened up  
" Thank you... Great Grandfather" Brenda said with a smirk that looked like Severus's  
" Hey" Grandfather Severus said  
" I had to say it" Brenda said then hurried to leave the dungeons  
She didn't get caught by any of the Slytherins and she was glad  
She hurried up to the Gryffindor Tower and went up to the Fat Lady  
"Fortuna Major" Brenda said  
" Welcome back Brenda" The Fat Lady said then opened up  
" It's good to be back inside the tower" Brenda said when she stepped inside  
She was the only one up, or just the only one down from the dorms. She went up to the 3rd year girls dorms and put her things on her bed  
" Brenda you're back" Hermione gasped  
" Just for today, I have to go back down tomorrow" Brenda said, " He's giving me a break  
" That's still good to know" Hermione said, " So are you going to Hogsmead?"  
" No" Brenda said, " Severus didn't sign my form, he's not going to because of Sirius Black"  
" I'm sorry to hear that" Hermione said  
" It's ok, maybe next year" Brenda said with a smile, today I now have time to do some flying or something, I've been couped up in the apartment forever"  
" Yah I guess you have, being grounded is no fun" Hermione said  
" Nope" Brenda agreed  
They headed downstairs and met up with the two boys  
" Brenda you're back" Harry gasped  
" Just for today" Brenda said  
" Are you going to Hogsmead?" Ron asked  
" No, Snape wouldn't sign my form, because of Sirius Black" Brenda said  
" I can't go either, the Dursley's didn't sign mine either, I tried getting McGonagall to sign it but she wouldn't either" Harry said  
" Well at least now we can hang out" Brenda said looking for a bright side  
" Yes you're right" Harry said  
" Don't worry, we'll bring back a lot of candy for you" Ron said  
The Potters smiled  
The four hung out until it was time for the two to go to Hogsmead, Filch was making sure nobody got past him who wasn't on the list  
Harry and Brenda watched as the carriages left for Hogsmead  
" So now what do you want to do?" Brenda asked her brother  
All of a sudden Professor Lupin came up in back of them and scared them  
" Sorry, hey would you two like to have tea with me?" Lupin asked  
" Sure why not? Have nothing better to do" Harry said  
" Great, follow me" Lupin said  
The two third years followed their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and half way there they were stopped by Severus  
" Good afternoon Severus" Lupin said with a forced smile  
" Lupin" Severus said, " I was bringing your potion up here for you"  
" Thanks" Lupin said with a forced smile and taking the potion  
" Might I ask what you are doing with these two young Gryffindors?" Severus asked  
" I invited them for tea, seeing that they didn't get their permission slips signed by their parent/guardians" Lupin said, " would you like to join us?"  
Brenda knew that question was forced  
" Unfortunately I will have to pass on the invitation seeing that I have a lot of papers to grade" Severus said  
" Very well, well thank you for the potion" Lupin said  
Severus nodded and left  
" He always has papers to grade" Brenda thought to Harry  
" Well come along then you two" Lupin said  
" So professor why did you have Snape make you a potion" Harry asked  
" Well I'm not very good at potion making" Lupin said getting uncomfortable  
" So what kind is it?" Brenda asked  
" uh... it's a vitamin potion, I didn't take my vitamins when I was younger and so I now have to pay for it in my older age" Lupin said nervously, " Too bad it wouldn't work with sugar though, I'd put a lot in it... ok now how about some tea? I'm afraid I don't have any tea leaves, just the bags"  
" That's ok, we're not very fond of tea leaves" Brenda said  
" Yah they keep predicting our deaths" Harry said jokingly  
" Yes that's what McGonagall said" Lupin said witha chuckle  
It took them 10 minutes to make their tea  
" Professor I have a question that has been bothering me" Harry said  
" Let me guess, does it have anything to do with the Bogart we had in class?" Lupin asked  
" Yes" Harry said  
" You want to know why I didn't let you have a turn" Lupin said  
" Yes" Harry said  
" I would think that it was obvious, Voldemort... I thought the image of Voldemort would scare everybody else" Lupin said  
" Oh my gosh, you said his name" Brenda gasped  
" Oh sorry" Lupin said, " I'll be more careful"  
" No it's not that, most people don't say his name, I know only a few who do" Brenda said  
" Oh" Lupin said  
" Well I was thinking of Voldemort, but Brenda and I both have beaten him three times in our lives, he doesn't really scare us that much" Harry said  
" Just makes us angry" Brenda finished  
" The Bogart was going to turn into a Dementor" Harry said  
" Yah same with me" Brenda said, " So far we are the only ones who passed out when near them, we heard a woman screaming, we think it was our mother"  
" The night she was murdered" Harry finished  
" She was a great woman, your father was great too, I knew who you both were right when I first saw you on the train, not by your scars, but by your eyes, Harry yours are like Lily's and Brenda, yours are like James', it's amazing how much you both look like your parents, it's like walking into the past when I see you two, Harry with your jet black hair that never cooperates and Brenda with your beautiful long red hair, the same length as your mother's, you both have the traits of your parents, you both can see the good in most people, you get that from Lily and you get your trouble making from your father. According to my old potions professor, Lily was good at potions, Brenda I hear you have talent in that department" Lupin said  
Brenda smiled  
" And Harry we already know your father was a great Seeker, and you are a great Seeker" Lupin said  
That made Harry smile  
" So speaking of Quidditch how is the Quidditch season?"  
The Potters started talking about Quidditch  
Lupin waited until the twins left to take the nasty potion  
A few hours later the people who went to Hogsmead came back and Brenda and Harry were waiting for them at the door  
" Here you go you two, we got as much as we could carry" Ron said  
" Thanks" Harry and Brenda said at the same time  
" So what's Hogsmead like" Brenda asked  
" Well there are about 200 different owls at the post office and they all sit on different color coded shelves, you just pick the owl on the shelf depending on how fast you want your letter to go" Hermione said  
" Honey dukes is brilliant, they have sugar quills, Flaming Wizbees, and for Halloween those blood flavored lollipops, oh I can go on and on" Ron said  
" Sounds like a real fun time" Harry said sad he couldn't go  
" uh... but after a while it just got boring... right Ron?" Hermione said nudging Ron  
" What? Oh yah right" Ron said  
" Thanks for trying to cheer us up, it's ok, we didn't have a boring day, we had tea with Lupin and talked about Quidditch" Brenda said with a smile  
" Before that, Snape stopped us and gave Lupin a goblet of potion" Harry said, " The goblet was smoking"  
" What kind was it?" Hermione asked  
" He said it was for vitamins, but I never heard of a vitamin potion that smoked" Brenda said  
" How many vitamin potions have you heard of?" Ron asked  
" A lot... vitamin A, B, C, D, E... I can go on and on and none of them are to end up smokey" Brenda said  
" How can you hear of all of those, we haven't been taught" Ron started  
" Well I happen to live with the potions professor and I read potion books a lot" Brenda said with a grin  
" Well then what do you think it is?" Hermione asked  
" I don't know, There are many types of potions that smoke, I just wonder why Lupin lied to us that's all" Brenda said  
That night after dinner the four were climbing the stairs to get to the Gryffindor Common Room and there was a big line of people just standing there  
" What's the hold up? Did Neville forget the password again?" Ron asked  
" Hey I'm standing right here" Neville said  
" Oh... sorry" Ron said  
All of a sudden they could hear Ron's older brother Percy pushing through and bragging that he's head boy and when he got to the front he was shocked  
" Nobody is to go in the common room until it has been searched" Percy announced  
" WHAT'S GOING ON" Ron shouted  
Ginny ran to them, " The Fat Lady... She's gone"  
" She's probably screaming her head off again, and this time without an audience" Ron said  
" No you don't understand" Ginny started  
Hermione and Brenda gasped, they saw what happened  
" What's wrong?" Harry asked  
" Look" Hermione said pointing to the portrait  
The portrait had three slashes on in it  
" Somebody should get Dumbledore" Brenda said  
Right on cue Dumbledore appeared along with McGonagall, Snape, Lupin and Filch and they all saw the slashes  
" Mr. Filch round up the ghosts and tell them to search every painting to find the Fat Lady" Dumbledore said  
" There's no need for ghosts professor, she's right there" Filch said pointing to a portrait not her own  
Everybody ran closer to that portrait  
" Dear lady who has done this" Dumbledore asked  
" It was him Headmaster, the one everybody's talking about... Sirius Black"  
A few people screamed at that name and everybody was talking loudly  
" SILENCE" Dumbledore yelled, " secure the castle Mr. Filch, Everybody else will go to the Great Hall, Heads of houses will bring their students to the Great Hall"  
" Gryffindors calm down, and in an orderly fashion calmly go down to the Great Hall and await for further directions" McGonagall said to her students  
It was not a calm manner, everybody was rushing to get down to the Great Hall where they would be safe from Sirius Black. The Gryffindors were joined in the Great Hall by the rest of the houses and their Heads of Houses, but they all looked confused  
" What's going on here? Why are we being dragged back to the Great Hall" Malfoy asked  
" Quiet Draco, Sirius Black has been spotted inside the school" Snape said glaring at Lupin  
That startled most of the Slytherins and a lot of the Hufflepuffs who were in ear shot and that got everybody whispering and yelling  
" SILENCE" Dumbledore yelled, " We are all safe in here, the castle is going to be searched. Everybody will spend the night in the Great Hall"  
Dumbledore waved his wand and many purple sleeping bags appeared  
" Everybody grab one and find a spot on the floor" Dumbledore said,  
Nobody moved  
" The teachers are going to search the castle and the head boys and girls are going to watch everybody while we are gone, nobody will or will be able to leave, any disturbance needs to be reported immediately, you will send word to the ghosts and they will find us" Dumbledore said, " I now wish you good night"  
Dumbledore shut the door and everybody started talking  
" EVERYBODY GRAB A SLEEPING BAG AND FIND A PLACE TO SLEEP, LIGHTS GO OUT IN TEN MINUTES" Percy yelled over the commotion  
Everybody started grabbing sleeping bags and found places to sleep but they were still talking  
" LIGHTS ARE GOING OUT NOW, NO MORE TALKING" Percy yelled  
The only lights were the candles lit and the glow of the ghosts  
A teacher came in and checked on the students every hour to make sure everything was ok. About three in the morning when almost everybody finally went to sleep Dumbledore came in the Great Hall  
" Any sign of him Professor?" Percy asked  
" No, how is everything here?" Dumbledore asked  
" Fine sir" Percy said  
" Good, well there's no need to move them back now, let them rest and we'll move them back tomorrow" Dumbledore said  
" So is the Fat Lady going to be returning?" Percy asked  
" No, she won't move out of her portrait" Dumbledore said, " She was really scared, we will find a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor Tower"  
Percy nodded  
" I suggest you get a sleeping bag and get some sleep" Dumbledore said  
" I still need to keep watch sir, I'm head boy" Percy said  
" I will stay in here and keep watch, you all did very good and deserve some rest" Dumbledore said  
The rest of the head boys and girls agreed and grabbed sleeping bags  
A half hour later Severus came in  
Both Harry and Brenda were awake and listening to the conversation  
" I have done the dungeons and there is no sign of Black" Severus said, Trelawney did the Astronomy tower and her room, Filch did the Owlery and the third floor, Flitwick did the third floor and the Ravenclaw area, Sprout did the Hufflepuff area and there is no sign of him  
" I wasn't really expecting him to linger for long" Dumbledore said  
"Don't you think it's remarkable how he got into the castle without anybody detecting him?" Severus asked  
Dumbledore didn't say anything so Severus went on  
" Remember before the start of term when I expressed my concerns when you hired professor" Severus was cut off  
That got Brenda interested  
" Harry you awake" Brenda asked through thought  
" Yah," Harry thought, "This is getting interesting"  
" I do not believe a single professor would want to help out Sirius Black inside the castle Severus" Dumbledore said, " I feel quite confident that the castle is safe, we will be moving back the students tomorrow, for now let them sleep, now will you be so kind and watch the students? I have to go talk to the Dementors and tell them the whole castle has been searched"  
" Yes of course Headmaster" Severus said  
Dumbledore nodded and left the Great Hall  
" Why would Snape suspect Lupin letting in Sirius Black" Harry asked in thought to Brenda  
" I don't know" Brenda thought back  
Finally it was morning and when everybody got up Dumbledore got rid of the sleeping bags with a wave of his wand  
The Gryffindors really didn't want to go back up to Gryffindor tower  
" It is perfectly all right to go up to the tower" McGonagall said  
" But what about Sirius Black?" Lavender asked  
" He is not here" McGonagall said  
" Then what did the Fat Lady see professor?" Dean asked  
" He is not here anymore" McGonagall said, " Now everybody to the tower"  
Everybody went to the tower but they didn't see the Fat Lady, in her place was a picture of a knight  
" What villains are these that trespass upon my private lands" The portrait asked then he took his sword and started waving it at the Gryffindors, " Who dares challenge Sir Cadogan! Back, you scurvy braggarts! You rogues"  
" This guy is mad" Seamus said  
" Well what would you expect? After what happened to the Fat Lady, I guess none of the other pictures would take the job" Dean said  
" So how are we going to get in?" Ron asked  
Brenda rolled her eyes and went up to the portrait, " Sir what is your name?" She asked  
" Sir Cadogan" Sir Cadogan said  
" Well, sir Cadogan, we are Gryffindors and the password is Fortuna Major"  
" Very well young Gryffindor, you all may enter" Sir Cadogan said and he opened up  
" Well that was easy" Brenda said to the group and smiled  
Everybody hurried in the tower and ran to their dorms to get ready for the school day  
Everything was not easy with Sir Cadogan, he changed the password every day, Neville was having the hardest time, since he's not the best at remembering things  
" He keeps changing the password. It changes every day. I've taken to keeping a list, You're lucky Brenda you don't have to sleep in the tower" Neville told her one day  
" Oh yah I'm lucky, I just have a portrait of my great grandfather and professor Snape for company. One nags all the time about Gryffindors and the other is grading this and that" Brenda said sarcasticly  
" Oh... yah... sorry Brenda" Neville said remembering where she is when she's not in the Gryffindor Tower  
" That's ok, so it looks like we have Defense Against the Dark Arts today" Brenda said with a smile  
" Good way for a day before a Quidditch tournament" Harry said with a smile  
" Playing the Slytherins" Brenda said with a smile  
Wood came over to them, " Change of plans, we are now playing Hufflepuff tomorrow"  
" Hufflepuff!" Gryffindor Quiddich players echoed  
" What's wrong with playing Slytherin?" Fred asked  
" It appears that their seeker's arm is still injured" Wood said glaring at the Slytherin table  
" Their is nothing wrong with Malfoy's arm" Harry said  
" They're making it an excuse because they don't want to play in the rain" Brenda said  
" Anyway, I hear they have a new captain who is also the seeker, Cedric Diggory" Wood said  
There were a lot of whispers of he's the cute one, tall and handsome  
" Girls" Wood said to himself and said to the group, " Anyway Slytherin or Hufflepuff we play our very best"  
Finally breakfast was over and the third years went into the Defense Against the Dark Arts room and everybody began talking, everybody liked the class, it was very interesting. All of a sudden it got really quiet when the professor came in. It wasn't Lupin as everybody thought, it was Snape  
" Why is dad here" Brenda thought  
Snape was using his wand to shut the windows and it got very dark  
" Turn to page 394" Snape said with a glare  
Brenda looked at Neville and he looked scared  
Snape saw the look on Neville's face and went up to him, " I am not a Bogart Mr. Longbottom"  
That got the Slytherins laughing  
Brenda rolled her eyes, " That was mean" Brenda thought to herself then raised her hand at the same time as Harry  
" What" Snape asked bored to both of them  
" Where's professor Lupin" Both Potters asked  
Snape glared at both of them and said, " That really isn't your concern is it Potters? Let's just say Lupin has fallen ill and cannot teach at the present time, now turn to page 394"  
Everybody got to the pages  
" Werewolves" Ron gasped  
" But sir, we only begun learning about red caps and hinkypunks, we're not ready to start on Nocturnal Beasts for weeks" Hermione said turning to the right page  
" Quiet" Snape said with a warning  
" When did she come in? Did you see her come in?" Ron asked Harry and Brenda  
Snape turned on the screen that was in front of the class and it had an ancient picture of a horrific beast, " Now which one of you can tell me the difference between an animagus and a werewolf?"  
Both Brenda and Hermione's hands shoot straight up, but no one else's do  
" No one, how disappointing" Snape said  
" Please sir, an animagus is a wizard who chooses to turn into an animal. A werewolf has no choice and responds only to the call of its own kind" Hermione said  
Malfoy howled out loud and made the Slytherins laugh  
" Quiet, Malfoy! Though one must admit to feeling your pain. That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger. Tell me. Are you incapable of restraining yourself? Or do you take pride in being an insufferable know-it-all? There is a reason why I don't always call on you, it's called letting somebody else have a turn, it's always you and Ms. Potter who always raise your hands. Do you both think that everybody else in the classroom are dumb? That they can't have a turn at answering a question? Well?" Snape asked  
The two girls didn't say anything  
" Five points from Gryffindor" Snape said, " Oh and from all of you I want two rolls of parchment on werewolves by Monday, with emphasis on recognizing it"  
" Sir it's Quidditch tomorrow" Harry said  
" Then I suggest you get busy Mr. Potter" Snape sneered, " I see you're passing notes in class Mr. Potter" He snatched it out of Harry's hand, " Hmm, well you're not exactly Picasso are you? Well let us hope that you play better Quidditch than you do at drawing, if not... well then I guess you will perish giving to the bad weather we are to have tomorrow, you still need to do your homework, but if you die, don't worry, you won't have to turn it in"  
Snape handed it back and went back to his desk  
" Malfoy drew a picture of me getting hit by lightning on the playing field" Harry thought to Brenda when she looked curious  
Nobody was happy about the homework assignment the day before the Quidditch match  
" I can't believe that greasy git gave us this much homework and we only have the weekend to work on it" Ron complained, " And half the weekend is Quidditch"  
" Well we need to work on it during our free period" Hermione said  
" Free period in the library, ooh how fun" Ron said sarcastically  
" It's not supposed to be fun" Brenda said  
" Why don't you tell your dad to lay off?" Ron asked  
" Gee Ron say that a little louder next time, I don't think the Slytherins heard you" Brenda spat  
" Things would be a whole lot easier if everybody knew the truth about you and Snape, what is he hiding anyway?" Ron asked  
" I don't know but he doesn't want the Slytherins finding out about me, I know it's hard but it's all just an act" Brenda said  
" Well taking away points is no act" Harry said  
" I know, I'm disappointed about that and about the long homework but most of it is just an act" Brenda said  
" Keep telling yourself that Brenda" Ron said  
" What's that supposed to mean?" Brenda asked getting mad  
" Well you've been living with him for what? A year and a half now? Has he ever treated you nice?" Ron asked  
" What do you think a father daughter relationship is? Brenda asked mad  
" Yah there's that, but he spanks and grounds you forever when you haven't done much, I tell you, you have the worst parent ever" Ron said  
Brenda was shocked that Ron Weasley would say a thing like that  
" RON" Harry and Hermione said together  
" What" Ron asked  
" Ignore him Brenda, he's just letting off steam" Hermione said  
" Yah, we don't know Snape like you do" Harry said  
" That's right, none of you do, yes he's the strictest man I know, and has a lot of rules, but he is really nice once you get used to everything about him" Brenda said wiping away her tears  
The next day was very stormy and was the Quidditch day against Hufflepuff  
" How am I going to be able to see out their" Harry asked  
" That is a problem mate" Ron said  
" No it's not" Hermione and Brenda said together  
" What" Harry asked  
" Hold still" Hermione said, " Impervious"  
" What was that" Harry asked  
" A spell that makes it so you can see in the most dreadful weather with glasses" Hermione said  
" Your glasses will not fog up or get splattered by rain" Brenda said  
" That's a cool trick, we never learned that though" Ron said  
" It's called reading" Brenda said, " Well lets go down to the Great Hall and get some breakfast, big day today. They don't cancel Quidditch when it's raining"  
They headed down to the Great Hall and sat at their house table  
" We are going to beat those Hufflepuffs today" Fred said happily  
" There is no way we're going to let them win" George said  
" That's the spirit boys" Wood said  
Finally it was time to get ready for the big match  
" Man this weather is horrible" Brenda said to herself  
The match started and it was hard to fly with the roaring winds and the rain beating down on everybody, the Quaffle was hard to throw and catch because it was slippery on the wind made it go a different direction  
" Let's hope that brother of yours catches the snitch fast Brenda" Fred said after he hit a bludger away from her  
" Yah no kidding" Brenda said  
Somebody from Gryffindor threw Brenda the Quaffle but had bad aim, nobody could see five feet away from them and the Quaffle went far away and almost hit the ground but Brenda grabbed it and shot across the Quidditch pitch to the Goal post and threw the Quaffle in and made it. Gryffindors were cheering but then fell silent as a lightning bolt came near  
" This is too dangerous for flying" Brenda said to herself  
Brenda looked up at her brother and saw Harry looking at something in the clouds. Brenda went up to Harry and saw it too, it was the Grim  
" That's a bad sign" Brenda whispered to her brother  
All of a sudden Harry saw the Snitch, " Maybe not" He went after it  
Cedric Diggory also went after it  
" Go Harry Go Harry" Brenda thought to her brother  
Cedric got hit by a lightning bolt and fell  
Another Quaffle was thrown to Brenda but this was a really high one and she met the height that Harry was at, it looked like he almost caught the snitch but then to both the twins horror, Dementors were on their tails  
Brenda screamed  
She dropped the Quaffle letting a Hufflepuff catch it and score and both Harry and Brenda flown for their lives, but it wasn't working the Dementors were getting them and sucking their souls. A minute later they passed out and fell off their brooms falling to their deaths. The last thing they hear is the cry of their mother with her last dying breath  
Snape got out his wand to say a spell but Dumbledore was faster  
Evenesco Momentum" Dumbledore yelled above everything  
The two Potters floated down to the ground, couldn't say that for their brooms though  
The Potters woke up in the Hospital Wing with all the Gryffindor team with them  
" Do they look a bit peaky to you?" Ron asked  
" Peaky? What do you think you would look like when you fell from 100 feet in the air" Fred asked  
" Let's go Ron, up to the Astronomy tower and I'll drop you and then you'll see what you look like after that" George said  
" Well he'll look a whole lot better than he does now" Harry said and he sat up  
" Harry how are you feeling?" Hermione asked  
" All right" Harry said  
" You gave us a good scare mate" Fred said  
" Has Brenda woken up yet" Harry asked  
" No, you're the first" Ron said  
" So what happened?" Harry asked  
" Well you both fell off your broom" Ron said  
" Really Ron I didn't notice" Harry said, " I meant the match, so who won?"  
" Nobody blames you or Brenda, The dementors aren't supposed to come into the grounds, Dumbledore was furious, after he saved you two he went straight off to have a word with them" Hermione said  
" So what happened to our brooms? We didn't actually land with them" Harry said  
The Gryffindors all looked uncomfortable  
" How beat up is it" Harry asked worried  
Fred and George showed him the pieces to the broom  
" We think this one is yours, they don't have a girly touch to them" Fred said  
" A girly touch?" Hermione asked  
" Yes, she charmed her bristles on the broom a light shade of purple" George said  
" And charmed a few flowers on the handle of the broom" Fred said  
" Are people aloud to do that?" Hermione asked  
" Oh yah, you can decorate your broom howeve?r" Fred said  
" I mean for Quidditch" Hermione said  
" Yes you can" George said, " It makes it more personal"  
" Why isn't Brenda waking up?" Harry asked glancing at his sister  
" Maybe she's just not ready to" Fred suggested  
Brenda did not wake up for a long time, Madam Pomfrey made everybody get out of the Hospital Wing because visiting hours were over and Brenda was still not awake yet  
" Is Brenda going to be ok?" Hermione asked  
" She will be fine dear, it's just taking her a longer time to wake up is all" Pomfrey said, " Now Harry really needs his rest, so you must get out"  
The Gryffindors left the Hospital Wing  
" Madam Pomfrey will she be all right?" Harry asked  
" She will be fine, don't fret" Pomfrey said  
An hour later Severus came in the Hospital Wing  
" How is she?" Severus asked  
" She hasn't awakened yet Severus" Pomfrey said  
" Why is that?" Severus asked  
" I think too many dementors got close to her at once" Pomfrey said  
" So that's why she won't wake up?" Harry asked  
" You're supposed to be asleep young man" Pomfrey scolded  
" I can't sleep knowing that my sister will not wake up" Harry said  
" What exactly happened out there Potter?" Severus demanded  
Well I was close to the snitch and she caught the Quaffle and... the dementors started chasing us, we didn't care about the game anymore, just getting away from them, we were surrounded a bunch of the time and then we were separated by them" Harry said  
Brenda finally woke up  
" Why does that always happen when we're around those things?" Brenda asked groggy  
" Brenda" Harry, Severus, Pomfrey said together relieved she was awake  
" How are you feeling?" Pomfrey asked  
" Like my soul has been taken out and put back in" Brenda said  
" That's kind of what happened" Harry said  
Brenda smiled, " I know" she said, " So does anybody know what happened with the game?"  
" We lost" Harry said disappointed  
" To Hufflepuff?" Brenda couldn't believe it  
" I'm afraid so... that's not the worst of it" Harry said  
" There's more bad news? What can be worse than losing to Hufflepuff?" Brenda asked  
" Our brooms" Harry said  
" What about our brooms?" Brenda asked a little worried  
" Well, they landed in the Whomping Willow" Harry said  
" Are the damages beyond reparo?" Brenda asked not wanting the answer  
" I'm afraid so" Harry said  
Brenda looked down sad  
" How long are we supposed to stay in here" Brenda asked  
" At least for the weekend" Pomfrey said  
" The weekend? But we have to get to the library" Brenda protested, " We have an assignment on werewolves do on Monday"  
Severus sighed, " I will extend the homework to next Monday. Don't worry, you can relax Brenda"  
" You both should get some rest" Pomfrey said  
" Madame, I just woke up less than five minutes ago" Brenda said  
" That's from being knocked out, now you need rest" Pomfrey said  
" I'm not tired" Brenda said stubbornly  
" You will be after this" Severus said  
He took out 2 vials of potion from his robes and handed one to Brenda and one to Harry  
Brenda looked at the vial and could tell that it was a sleeping potion because of the purple color  
" I don't want to take it" Brenda said  
" I'm not taking it either, I don't know what it is" Harry said  
" It's a sleeping potion" Brenda said  
" You both will take it or you will be punished" Snape warned  
" But" Brenda began  
" No buts" Snape said  
" Lets just take it" Harry thought to Brenda  
" fine... cheers" Brenda thought  
" Cheers" Harry thought  
They took it at the same time and handed the vials back to Severus and laid back down on their pillows, Severus tucked Brenda in and kissed her forehead before Brenda went to sleep  
" I have more potion down in the lab, I will bring it up for your stores" Severus told Pomfrey  
" Thank you Severus, I'm glad you have this relationship with Brenda" Pomfrey said with a smile  
" Yes well, I'll get the potion" Severus said and left the Hospital Wing

Harry and Brenda did not tell anybody about what they saw on the Quidditch pitch, Ron would freak out and Hermione would think it was ridiculous. The Gryffindor team came to see them twice during the weekend and Hermione and Ron wouldn't leave their sides until Madame Pomfrey told them to get out and that's when Severus would visit Brenda and give them both sleeping potions since they were both being stubborn about sleeping  
"Why do we have to sleep so much?" Brenda complained  
"You had a busy day with your friends today, and now you need your rest" Pomfrey answered  
"You make us go to sleep at 7:30" Harry said  
"And won't let us wake up until 9:00" Brenda finished, " That is way more sleep then the average person needs, it's almost twice as much"  
" Well you need your sleep when you're sick" Severus said  
" Dad, we're not sick" Brenda said  
" You blacked out from about 100 feet in the air" Severus said lifting an eyebrow  
" That was" Harry started  
" Two days ago" Severus finished, " Now take the potion"  
" 7:30 is still too early" Brenda said with a glare  
" This is the last time I'm going to say it, you won't like the next time I have to" Severus warned  
Brenda looked worried for a moment then glared at her dad, took the vial out of her father's hand and drank the potion, Harry did the same thing  
" Relax you two, this one isn't as strong, you'll wake up at 7:30 tomorrow and you will be able to get out of the Hospital Wing later on" Severus said  
Severus tucked Brenda in who ended up having her covers in a knot from being restless, then he kissed her forehead  
" Good night you two" Severus said and left Brenda's side  
" I still think that's sweet" Pomfrey said  
" Don't you dare tell anybody I do that" Severus said with a glare  
" Don't worry, I will take it to my grave" Pomfrey said with a smile  
The next day the Potters finally got to get out of the hospital, the bad news is that it was a Monday  
" I'm glad to be out of there" Brenda said with a stretch  
" Yah I hate being cooped up in bed all day" Harry said  
They hurried to the Great Hall for breakfast  
" How are you two feeling?" Hermione asked  
" A whole lot better" They said at the same time  
" Too bad you couldn't get your Defense Against The Dark Arts homework done" Ron said  
" Snape's postponing it until next Monday" Brenda said  
" I didn't hear about that" Ron said, " I worked so hard on it too"  
" You spent all of last night on it" Hermione said, " You should never cram things like that"  
" Well we were visiting Harry and Brenda all weekend, Hermione" Ron said  
" We were kicked out of the Hospital Wing at 7:15 every night, Ronald" Hermione said  
" Fred challenged me in Wizards Chess, I couldn't back down" Ron said  
" These two bicker like they were married" Brenda thought to Harry  
Harry chuckled  
The third years went to Defense Against the Dark Arts  
" If Snape is teaching us again, I'm going to freak out" Ron said  
Brenda rolled her eyes and checked who was going to teach them today  
" It's Lupin, Ron, don't worry" Brenda said  
Ron ran inside the classroom and up to Lupin  
" Well good morning Mr. Weasley, what can I do for you?" Lupin asked  
Ron started complaining about Snape subbing for him  
" He made us do two rolls of parchment on werewolves" Ron complained  
" Well did you tell him you haven't covered that yet?" Lupin asked  
" Yes we did" Hermione said coming in  
" He was going to have it due today but he changed his mind" Brenda said, " It's due next Monday"  
Lupin smiled, " Don't worry you guys, you don't have to do the essay, I'll speak with Professor Snape when I see him"  
They had a fun class that day, of course every Defense Against the Dark Arts is fun, well Harry, Brenda, Ron and Hermione think so. But sadly fun comes to an end  
" Harry, Brenda can you stay after? I would like a word with you" Lupin said  
They waited until everybody left the classroom  
" I heard about the match, and I'm very sorry about what happened to both your brooms" Lupin said, " By any chance is there a chance on fixing it?  
" No" The Potters said together, " The tree smashed them to bits"  
" I tried Reparo on them even when I was told it wouldn't work" Brenda said  
" So did you hear about the dementors too professor?" Harry asked  
" Yes I did" Lupin said  
" I don't get it, why do they affect Brenda and me like that? Nobody else passes out when they get near them" Harry said, What are we? Weak?"  
"Dementors are among the foulest creatures around. they feed on every good feeling, every happy memory, until a person is left with nothing but his or her worst feelings. Dementors affect you most, because there are true horrors in your past. Horrors your classmates can scarcely imagine... you both have nothing to be ashamed of"  
" I'm scared professor" Brenda said  
" Yah me too" Harry said  
" I would call both of you fools if you weren't afraid" Lupin said  
" We need to learn how to fight them... you could teach us professor, Brenda said, " You made that dementor on the train go away"  
" There was only one that night Brenda" Lupin said  
" Yes but you made it go away" Brenda said  
" Can you teach us Professor?" Harry asked  
Lupin hesitated for a moment but then said, "I don't pretend to be an expert, but yes, I can teach you both. Perhaps after the holiday. For now, though, I need to rest. I'm feeling... tired"  
Brenda and Harry smiled  
After Dinner Brenda went down into the apartment and she was in a cheery mood, Somehow Severus beat her down there  
" Just because Lupin said that you don't have to do the werewolf homework, doesn't mean that you don't have to do it for me" Severus said  
He was in a foul mood  
" I do not want my daughter behind in school" Severus said, " I want you in your room working on the parchment, I want you to hand it to me by next Monday... Understand"  
" Yes... I understand" Brenda said, She was disappointed that she still had to do it, " I guess it will help me in the future if I ever encounter a wear wolf" She thought  
Brenda turned in her homework the next Monday morning before school started  
" Did you put in everything I asked" Severus asked  
" Yes" Brenda said, "Check it over after classes today if you wish"  
" I'll do that" Severus said, " You better hurry up to the Great Hall before the Slytherins come out"  
" Oh yah, I'll see you later" Brenda said and left the apartment  
" I can't believe he made you do that assignment" Ron said, " I mean what is the use of doing that assignment? It's not like we're going to meet a werewolf or something"  
" You never know Ron" Brenda said, " I'm kind of glad I did it, it gives me a feeling of accomplishment"  
" Yah I know how you feel, I finished mine last week when they were supposed to be due" Hermione said  
" I didn't like the way mine turned out" Ron said  
" Well then it's a good thing we didn't have to turn them in" Harry said  
That night after dinner Brenda went down into the apartment again like always, she was getting a little tired of being grounded for so long, but her father didn't say anything about her punishment and she wasn't going to bring it up because that would just make him mad. She didn't bring up the werewolf parchment either, she knew that he'd get to it on his own time, right now he was grading potions  
Brenda was reading her charms book when Severus finished grading his last potion for fourth years then he opened his desk and got out the parchment and looked over it  
" It looks like you covered everything I wanted you to put in the parchment" Severus said still reading  
Brenda smiled, put down her book and watched her father  
" Well, if I was your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, I would give this parchment an O" Severus said  
That made Brenda smile  
Grandfather Severus went to his frame in back of Severus's desk and looked over it  
" I still think you're too soft on her, I would give it an A at the most" Grandfather Severus said  
" What's wrong with it?" Severus asked lifting an eyebrow  
" Well, her... uh... I got nothing" Grandfather Severus said  
" Exactly, What have I told you about getting along" Severus asked  
" Yah yah yah" Grandfather Severus said  
Severus glared at his grandfather, " Well, Brenda you did very well, I suggest you keep this in a safe place, it might be useful in the future"  
" Right, thank you" Brenda said with a smile and took her work and put it in her room  
" I believe she has been punished long enough" Severus thought and he got up and went into Brenda's room, " You may go back to the Gryffindor Tower tomorrow, your punishment is over" He said  
Brenda smiled and gave him a big hug, " Thank you"  
" You're welcome" Severus said returning the hug  
Halloween and Thanksgiving came and went and it was getting close to the holiday season, there was another Hogsmead outing before the holidays took place  
Harry and Brenda watched with gloomy faces as they saw their friends in warm cloaks walk towards the carriages that would take them to Hogsmead  
" Brenda lets go" Harry whispered  
" Where to" Brenda whispered back  
" To Hogsmead" Harry thought  
" But we don't have permission" Brenda thought  
" We'll use our invisibility cloaks" Harry thought  
Brenda looked at her brother and smiled and they both hurried towards the Gryffindor Tower to retrieve the cloaks  
They made it out the door in their cloaks and were on their way but then they were stopped by two other twins, Fred and George Weasley, George dragged Harry by his armpits and Fred did the same to Brenda, they were dragged to a secret room  
" What are you guys doing, leave us alone" Harry said  
" Clever you two" Fred said as he took Brenda's cloak off of her  
" But not clever enough" George said as he did the same to Harry  
" We're going to miss the carriages" Brenda said  
" We have a better way" Fred said  
" And faster" George put in  
Fred and George both took something out of their pockets and handed the items to the other twins  
" What's this rubbish" Harry asked looking down at the worn out parchment  
" Rubbish he says, Harry this is not rubbish" George said  
" Then what are they? They look like worn pieces of parchment" Brenda said  
" Right there in your hands are the secrets to our success" George said  
" It was a hard decision giving them to you, but your needs are greater than ours, and we have it memorized, we don't need it anymore" Fred said," Right there in your hands are the Marauders maps, George if you will demonstrate for our young friends"  
" I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" George said and pointed to Harry's map and writing was now on it  
" Read it" Fred said  
"Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present the Marauders map" Harry read  
" Ah yes, we owe them so much" George said  
" We think that there used to be four maps the same since there are four Marauders, but we only found two" Fred said  
" Where did you get these?" Brenda asked looking at them  
" We snatched them from Filch's office during first year" Fred said with a grin  
Brenda was looking at Harry's, " Hang on. This is Hogwarts. No, it can't be... is that really" Brenda didn't finish her sentence  
" That's really Dumbledore" Fred said  
" In his study" George said  
" He paces a lot" Fred said  
" Do you two mean that this... this map shows everyone" Harry asked  
" Everyone" Fred said  
" Of every day" George said  
" Of every time" Fred said  
" Where they are" George said  
" And what they're doing" Fred said  
" Brilliant" Harry and Brenda said together  
" Now listen you two, there are seven secret passage ways" Fred said  
" But two are blocked off" George put in  
" To get to Hogsmead, we suggest this one, it leads you to a cellar right under Honeydukes" They both pointed at the same time  
" The one eyed witch?" Brenda asked  
" Yes" The Weasley twins said, " But you better hurry, Filch is coming that way"  
" Oh and when you're done with the map, make sure to say" Fred said  
" Mischief managed, otherwise anybody could read it" The Weasley twins said together and the map went back to the old parchment state  
" That's wicked" Brenda said with a grin  
" Thanks you guys" Harry said with a grin  
" You're welcome" The Weasley twins said  
Fred winked at Brenda and she blushed  
" Come on Brenda, we better go" Harry said  
" Good luck you two" The Weasley twins said  
The Potter twins headed toward the one eyed witch statue but they were both under their cloaks  
" Ok now what?" Harry asked  
Brenda got out her map, " I solemnly swear that I am up to no good"  
The map was revealed and Brenda found the two of them on the map and in a speech bubble it said "Dissendium"  
" We have to say... Dissendium" Brenda said and the one eyed witch opened up  
The twins walked past the one eyed witch statue and ended up in a dark room  
" Lumos" Harry and Brenda said together  
Their wands lit up and they found a ladder leading to a door  
" Let's go" Harry said eagerly  
They both climbed the ladder and they were in a building that smelled really sweet  
" Must be Honeydukes" Brenda said  
They snuck out of Honeydukes kind of slow, they were looking at everything and were in aw, there were all kinds of sweets  
" We better go find Ron and Hermione" Harry thought to Brenda  
" You're right" Brenda thought back  
They left the store  
" Mischief managed" Brenda said to the map  
" So where do you think they would be?" Harry asked  
" Didn't they say something about the Shrieking Shack?" Brenda asked  
" Oh yah, lets try to find that" Harry said  
They only had to look for a little while, because they heard voices that sounded like Ron, Hermione and Malfoy  
Brenda and Harry walk closer to the group and they both hear Malfoy call Hermione a mudblood  
" Ok that's it" Brenda said  
She picked up a bunch of snow and threw it at Malfoy  
Malfoy turned around in shock  
" Who's there?" Malfoy asked  
Another snow ball was thrown and it hit his face  
" Nice one Harry" Brenda thought  
" Well don't just stand there you idiots, get them" Malfoy said indicating to Ron and Hermione  
" Not while we're here" Harry thought to his sister  
They got out of their hiding place and under their cloaks fought the Slytherins  
" What's going on?" Crabbe asked  
" This area's haunted" Goyle said  
The Slytherins ran away and Ron and Hermione were laughing  
All of a sudden they stopped when something began to play with Ron's cap and Hermione's hair  
" You guys quit it" Hermione said through laughs  
Harry and Brenda took off their cloaks laughing  
" Bloody Hell you two, that... that was not funny" Ron said through laughs  
" Then why are you laughing?" Brenda asked  
Ron didn't say anything  
" How did you two get here anyway?" Hermione asked  
" The Marauders map" Harry and Brenda said together  
" Fred and George gave them to us" Brenda said  
" That's not fair, why didn't they give one to me? I'm their brother" Ron complained  
" It doesn't matter, Harry and Brenda are going to give them to a teacher, aren't you" Hermione said with a look  
Brenda and Harry didn't say anything  
" Of course they are, and with that they're going to give the teacher their invisibility cloaks" Ron said and rolled his eyes  
They walked back to the town and heard Minister Fudge  
" Rosemarta my dear, how are you" Fudge asked  
" A lot better if you didn't send Dementors into my pub every other night" Rosemarta said  
" Oh look it's Madam Rosemarta, Ron fancies her" Hermione teased  
" I do not" Ron said  
" We have a killer on the loose my dear" Fudge said  
" And what would bring Sirius Black to Hogsmead may I ask?" Rosemarta asked  
" Harry and Brenda Potter" Fudge whispered  
" Harry and Brenda Potter?" Rosemarta gasped  
" Shh, not so loud" Fudge said  
" Ok why would they be talking about us" Brenda thought to her brother  
" I don't know... let's go" Harry thought  
They both got under their invisibility cloaks and snuck into the pub  
" Harry, Brenda... where did they go?" Hermione asked  
" I'll give you one guess" Ron said  
They hurried to the pub and opened the door  
" Hey no kids are allowed in here today, get out... get out" A talking head said  
" So rude" Hermione said  
" Thick Heads" Ron said  
" Thick heads, now who's being rude" A head said  
Harry and Brenda follow Rosemarta, Fudge and McGonagall into a room and make it into the room right before Rosemarta closed the door  
" Ok let's hear it, why is Black after the Potter twins?" Rosemarta asked  
" Years ago, when the Potters' parents were marked for death, they went into hiding. Few knew where they were. One who did was Black. And he told You Know Who" McGonagall said  
" I've heard this rot. It was all over The Daily Prophet back in the day. And I'll say now what I said then, Of all the boys that came here from Hogwarts, Black's the last who would've gone over to the dark side" Rosemarta said  
" Tell that to Peter Pettigrew" Fudge said  
" What does Peter Pettigrew have to do with anything?" Rosemarta asked, " That boy did not have a brave bone in his body, I'm still trying to figure out why he was in Gryffindor"  
" Sirius Black went to Azkaban because of Pettigrew's death" Fudge said  
" You mean Sirius Black killed Pettigrew?" Rosemarta asked  
" Killed him? No... HE DESTROYED HIM... left nothing but a finger" Fudge said " That's not the worst he has done my dear" Fudge said  
" What's worse than killing people?" Rosemarta asked  
" You remember him from Hogwarts right?" McGonagall asked  
" Didn't I just say that" Rosemarta asked  
" Just checking... do you remember who his best friend was?" McGonagall asked  
" Of course James Potter... Why" Rosemarta asked  
" Because, Sirius Black was the one who led You Know Who to the Potters where abouts, and the worst part of all... Sirius Black... is and will always will be both Potters' godfather" McGonagall said  
Harry and Brenda silently gasp and not caring run out the door  
" What was that" Fudge asked  
" Must be the wind" Rosemarta said  
McGonagall had another suspicion  
Harry and Brenda run out of the pub, past their two best friends and into carolers without apologizing and ran to a large bolder outside of the town and cried  
Ron and Hermione followed their footprints to a large bolder and heard the crying. They both went up to them and pulled off their friends' cloaks  
" What's wrong, what did you find out?" Hermione asked  
" He was their friend... and he betrayed them" Harry said  
" HE WAS THEIR FRIEND" Brenda yelled  
" WE HOPE HE FINDS US, BECAUSE WHEN HE DOES, WE'LL BE READY... WHEN HE DOES WE'RE GOING TO KILL HIM" Harry and Brenda said at the same time with rage  
Harry and Brenda were angry for a week  
Finally the Holidays were over and Harry and Brenda were excited about learning how to get rid of Dementors  
" Harry, Brenda, today during your free period, if you won't mind, can you come back here?" Lupin asked after class was over  
The twins looked at each other and smiled  
" Yes we will professor" Brenda said  
A few hours later was their free period  
" There you are. Ok the spell that you two are going to learn today is called the Patronus charm, so have either of you heard of it?" Lupin asked  
The twins shook their heads no  
"A Patronus is a kind of positive force. For the witch or wizard who can conjure one, the Patronus works something like a shield. The Dementor feeds on it instead of the person casting it, but in order for it to work, you must think of a memory, not just any memory. This memory needs to be a very happy one and powerful  
The twins nod  
" Ok do you guys have something? Then you need to speak without your wands please, Expecto Patronum" Lupin said  
" Expecto Patronum" Harry and Brenda said  
" Ok, in this trunk there are two Bogart's, one for each of you, when it comes out I want you two to say the spell and block it, you got it?" Lupin asked  
" Got it?" They said together  
" Ok... spread apart" Lupin said  
They did as they were told  
" Ok... Wands at the ready... one... two... three" Lupin said and the trunk opened up and two bogarts in shapes of Dementors appeared  
" Expecto Patronum... Expecto Patronum... Exp... Expecto" Both of them fainted and woke up a few minutes later  
" What memories were you thinking of may I ask?" Lupin asked  
" The first time I rode a broom" Harry said  
" When I got my first O in potions" Brenda said  
" Those are happy memories, but they're not powerful enough" Lupin said  
Brenda and Harry looked at each other for a minute and then smiled at each other, they were thinking the same thing  
" We have one more memory" Brenda said  
" Both of you? Is it powerful?" Lupin asked  
" Very" Harry said  
" Let's give it a try" Lupin said, " Wands at the ready... one, two, three"  
The Dementors came out and both Harry and Brenda thought of the memory and got a silver mist but that is it  
" Very good, very good, well done both of you, you would give your father a run for his money, that's all I have to say about that. That will be all for today" Lupin said, " What were your memories if I may ask?"  
" Family" The Potter twins said,  
" Meeting each other for the first time" Harry said  
" Knowing we have family left, And not everybody is gone" Brenda said  
" Family is the most important thing" They said together  
" You're right, it is... family is very powerful" Lupin said agreeing  
That night when everybody was in bed, somebody entered the Gryffindor Tower with the right password and headed up to the boys' Dorm, the man has a knife in his hands and he goes into the third year room and stands over Ron's bed with the knife  
Ron woke up and screamed which woke everybody else up  
Harry grabbed his wand and yelled, " EVERYBODY OUT"  
Everybody got out of the room except Ron  
" Ron, Ron where are you" Harry asked  
Ron poked his head out from under the bed  
" Is he gone?" Ron asked  
" He's gone" Harry said, " Let's go get McGonagall"  
They headed down to the common room and the girls were down there as well, woken up by all the commotion  
" What happened?" Brenda and Hermione asked  
" Sirius Black got in and he had a knife above my head" Ron said  
" Oh my goodness" Hermione gasped  
McGonagall came up to the group and asked, " WHAT HAPPENED"  
" Sirius Black was in the Boys' Dorm and he had a knife above my head" Ron said  
"That's nonsense, Mr. Weasley. How could Sirius Black possibly have got through the portrait hole?" McGonagall asked  
" I don't know, I was busy dodging the knife to figure out how he got in, but he did get in" Ron said  
McGonagall went to the portrait hole and talked to Sir Cadogan  
" Sir Cadogan. Is it possible that you let a mysterious man enter Gryffindor Tower tonight?" She asked  
" Certainly, good lady! He had the password. Had the whole week's, in fact. On a little piece of paper" Sir Cadogan said  
" Which foolish person wrote down the passwords and then proceeded to lose them?" McGonagall asked mad  
" I... I'm afraid that was... me professor" Neville said  
McGonagall sighed, "While we know Sirius Black is gone tonight, I think you can safely assume he will, at some future time, attempt to return. Let me be clear,you are not to move about the castle alone, and you are not to write down the password. Understood?"  
Everybody nodded  
" Well then, I suggest you all go back to bed" McGonagall said  
The next day the four friends visited Hagrid who got back from the Hearing about Buckbeak  
" So how did the hearing go?" Brenda asked  
Hagrid was in the water throwing stones  
"Well, I got up and said my bit, You know, how Buckbeak was a good Hippogriff always cleaned his feathers and as long as you treated him with respect, he'd treat you the same. Then Lucius Malfoy got up and said his bit you know, how Buckbeak was a deadly and dangerous beast that no teacher in their right mind would expose their students to..." Hagrid cut off  
" And then what happened?" Ron asked  
Hagrid threw another rock  
" Let's just say... Buckbeak will not be going back into the forest" Hagrid said  
" Where is he going?" Harry asked  
"He asked fer the worse, you see, Lucius Malfoy did. And the Committee granted it" Hagrid said  
What did they grant?" Brenda asked dreading the answer  
" Buckbeak's... Buckbeak's been sentenced to death" Hagrid sobbed  
"THEY CAN'T DO THAT" Brenda yelled  
" THEY SHOULDN'T PUNISH BUCKBEAK, IT'S DRACO THEY SHOULD PUNISH, HE DIDN'T SHOW BUCKBEAK ANY RESPECT" Ron yelled  
" There's not... nothing we... we can do, they made up their mind" Hagrid said through tears  
" I'm so sorry Hagrid" Harry said  
" Yah me too" Hermione said  
" We all are" Brenda said  
They kept Hagrid company until it was time for lunch and he insisted they leave for it  
Brenda got a note from Severus during lunch and it said, " Brenda I heard what happened last night, Black can get in again, so I know that you are safe, I want you to move back into the apartment  
Dad"  
Brenda silently groaned

After lunch Brenda headed up to Gryffindor Tower and began packing her belongings and shrank them down to bag size  
" I think dad's over protective" Brenda thought  
She packed everything including the Marauders map  
" Hey, It's something fun to look at" Brenda thought  
She put it in her bag and headed down to the Common room and then out of the portrait and snuck down into the dungeons and into the apartment  
" So you have returned Brenda" Grandfather Severus said  
" Did you miss me?" Brenda asked with a cheeky grin  
" No not really" Grandfather Severus said, " So what kind of trouble did you get in this time?"  
" None, there was a break in in the Gryffindor Tower, Dad thinks its safer here" Brenda said and went into her room and Grandfather Severus followed  
" Who broke in?" Grandfather Severus asked  
" Sirius Black" Brenda said with venom in her voice  
" I see you don't like him much" Granfather Severus said with a smirk  
" I don't like anybody who betrayed or killed my parents" Brenda said  
She finished unpacking her things and headed back up to her friends  
" He's making you stay down in the Dungeons?" Ron asked  
" Yes, for the... 7th time Ron, he's worried something bad will happen to me" Brenda said  
" Sounds to me he's over protective" Ron said  
" Yah that's what I think too" Brenda said  
That night Brenda couldn't sleep, she had a nightmare about Sirius Black so she got up and rummaged through her things and picked up the Marauders map  
" I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" Brenda said and opened up the map and began looking at it, " Percy's pacing around the seventh floor making sure nobody gets back into the tower, Dumbledore's pacing, honestly doesn't that guy sleep? McGonagall is in bed, most of the teachers are in bed, except for dad of course, when does he ever sleep? He's outside doing his nightly rounds"  
Brenda was just getting drowsy when she spotted something, on the map it said Peter Pettigrew  
" That's odd, he's supposed to be dead" Brenda thought  
She got up and grabbed her night robe, her wand, got her shoes on, left her room and the apartment  
" Lumos" Brenda whispered to her wand  
She went to the corridor that Peter Pettigrew was at and she ran into Harry  
" You were looking at it too?" Harry asked  
" Yah, I saw" Brenda started  
" Peter Pettigrew?" Harry asked  
" Yes" Brenda said  
They started looking for Peter Pettigrew together and were puzzled because on the map he should be right in front of them but he wasn't  
" This is really odd" Brenda thought to Harry  
They looked on their maps again and to both their horror, Snape was coming their way. They looked at eachother and said, " Mischief Managed... Nox"  
Their wands went out and they stuffed the maps in their pockets, but they were too late, Snape saw them and he lit up his own wand  
" Brenda and Harry Potter, why am I not surprised?" Snape asked  
They didn't say anything  
" Well, Brenda I'm not surprised you're out here at night, Grandfather notified me you snuck out, But Harry... I guess the apples don't fall far from the tree, this is what James always did, sneaking out at night and getting in trouble" Snape said  
" Can you please lower your wand sir" Brenda asked shielding her eyes from the light  
Snape hesitated for a moment but lowered his wand and looked down at the twins pockets, there were bulges in both of them  
" Both of you turn out your pockets" Snape said  
Brenda's eyes go wide with fear but they don't move  
" I said TURN OUT YOUR POCKETS" Snape said commanding  
They both took out the maps but they were blank  
" What are these?" Snape asked  
" Parchment from the other day" Brenda said  
" Really... We'll see about that... reveal your secrets" Snape said to Brenda's map  
To the twins horror, writing was revealed on it  
" Go on and read it, it's one of your favorite activities Brenda" Snape said  
"'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs offer their compliments to Professor Snape and..." Brenda stopped and read the rest to herself and gasped  
" Go on" Snape said  
" I can't" Brenda said  
" I'll read it" Harry said and he took the map out of Brenda's hands and read it to himself and smiled, " And request that he keeps his abnormally large nose out of other people's business"  
" Why you insolent little" Snape started angry  
He grabbed both students by the arm and was going to drag them to the dungeons for spankings, even though he wasn't Harry's guardian he was very angry and didn't care  
" Professor" Lupin called and came to the rescue for the moment  
" Well, well, well, Lupin, out for a stroll in the moonlight are we?" Snape asked with a smirk and then a glare  
" What's so bad about the moonlight" Brenda thought  
" Are you two all right?" Lupin asked the students  
They nodded yes  
" That remains to be seen. I've just now confiscated two curious artifacts from Mr and Ms. Potter. Take a look, Lupin. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, I'm sure there full of dark magic" Snape said  
Brenda looked at her father and rolled her eyes  
"I seriously doubt that, Severus. It looks to me as if they merely insult anyone who try to read them. I suspect they're Zonko products. Nevertheless, I shall pursue any hidden qualities they may posses. As you say, it's my area of expertise. Come, Harry, Brenda" Lupin said  
" Brenda is staying with me" Snape said  
Brenda cringed  
" I think she should come with me, let you calm down some" Lupin said, " I know full well that you're her guardian, but you really need to calm down"  
Snape was squeezing Brenda's arm too tight  
" Dad please... ow... let go" Brenda whispered  
Snape hesitated but let go of his daughter's arm  
" Very well, we are not through young lady" Snape warned and then left the three of them  
" Come with me, both of you" Lupin said mad  
They got to the D.A.D.A. room and then Lupin lectured them  
"I don't know how these maps came to be in your possession, but I'm astounded that you didn't turn it in. Did you ever stop to think that one of these in the hands of Sirius Black is a map to both of you? Lupin sounded very mad  
They didn't say anything  
" Your father didn't set much store by rules either. But he and your mother did give their lives to save yours. Gambling their sacrifice by walking about the castle unprotected, with a killer on the loose, strikes me as a poor way to repay them. I won't cover up for you again" Lupin said with anger  
" You know professor, I don't think that map always works" Brenda said  
" What do you mean?" Lupin asked  
" Earlier tonight, both Brenda and I saw somebody on the map we know is dead" Harry said  
" And who is that" Lupin asked  
" Peter Pettigrew" They said at the same time  
" Very well, I suggest you Harry go back to your Dorm, Brenda I will escort you back to the dungeons" Lupin said, " Harry don't take any detours, I'm taking the maps with me"  
" Professor how do you know about the maps anyway" Brenda asked  
" That is of none of your concern" Lupin said, "Now come along"  
Harry went his separate way and Lupin escorted Brenda back to the apartment  
" Oh look Brenda sneak out of her room Potter" Grandfather Severus said  
" Oh look Grandfather can't keep his big mouth shut Severus" Brenda said  
Grandfather Severus glared  
" What's the password" Grandfather Severus asked  
Brenda looked at Lupin  
" Oh right" Lupin said  
He plugged his ears and stepped back a few feet  
" Wolfsbane" Brenda whispered  
Grandfather Severus glared and opened up  
Both Brenda and Lupin came inside  
The lights were all out and Severus came in front of them with Lumos and scared both Lupin and Brenda to death, mostly Brenda since she was in trouble  
" Brenda go to bed, I'll deal with you tomorrow" Severus said  
Brenda cringed, she didn't like the sound of that but she did as she was told  
Brenda couldn't get to sleep that night, she was worried about being in trouble, and both her father and Lupin were talking  
" Fine, I won't spank her for sneaking out, because it wouldn't be fair, but I am grounding her" Severus said at last  
" Oh well, I'm stuck down here anyway" Brenda thought  
Brenda didn't know but Grandfather Severus was in her room looking down at her and he knew she was awake  
" She's not going to get to sleep, she's to worried about her punishment" Grandfather Severus thought, " I better go tell Severus"  
Grandfather Severus left the portrait in Brenda's room and went to the one on back of Severus's desk. He waited until Lupin left  
" Don't go to hard on her Severus" Grandfather Severus said  
" You actually care what I'm going to do to Brenda?" Severus was surprised  
" Just a little bit... I guess" Grandfather Severus said, " Don't go hard on her"  
" I'm not going hard on her... I'm not spanking her" Severus said  
" I think you should go talk to her now, she isn't asleep and won't go to sleep until she knows her punishment" Grandfather Severus said  
Severus sighed, " All right, I'll go talk to her, but you shouldn't listen Grandfather"  
Grandfather Severus nodded  
Severus walked to Brenda's door and knocked  
Brenda closed her eyes pretending to be asleep  
Severus opened the door and looked at his daughter, " I know you're not asleep Brenda, Grandfather was in here and he told me"  
Brenda opened her eyes and sat up and put her knees to her chin  
Severus came in and sat on her bed  
" I hope you know what you did was stupid" Severus said  
" Please don't lecture me, I already got one from Lupin" Brenda whispered  
" And now you're getting one from me" Severus said, " Now don't interupt... now where was I? Oh yes, you did a very stupid thing tonight, there is a reason why I want you down here, not so that I can punish you, but because of Sirius Black, he got in Gryffindor Tower for crying out loud. The halls at night at Hogwarts are dangerous, I am glad I found both you and Harry, if something happened to either of you... well I won't go there. Your parent's both died protecting you and Harry from the Dark Lord. There sacrifices would be in vain if you and Harry snuck out every night to do what you damn well please, what was so important that you had to sneak out?"  
Brenda couldn't tell him about the map and Peter Petigrew, " Nothing"  
" I thought as much" Severus said, " Therefore... you are grounded to your room for the rest of this week and next week, then you are grounded to the apartment, do I make myself clear?"  
" Yes sir" Brenda said gloomy  
" Very well, I suggest you get some sleep" Severus said  
He tucked his thirteen year old daughter in  
The next day, Brenda and Harry told Hermione and Ron what happened last night  
" You know both Lupin and Snape have a point, the Halls are not safe to be out at night and your parents did sacrifice there lives for you two" Hermione said  
" Please stop lecturing us, I already had two and ended up grounded" Brenda said massaging her temples because she got a headache  
" Well it was a very stupid thing to do" Hermione said  
" Ok new topic, what do we have for class today?" Ron asked  
They changed the topic and headed off to class. There next class was Divination  
" Gee, more talk about the grim" Brenda said and rolled her eyes  
" Brenda, you and I both saw it on the Quidditch pitch" Harry thought  
" Yah? Well I don't like her predicting our deaths ok?" Brenda snapped in her head  
" Sorry" Harry said a little hurt  
Brenda heard the hurt in her brother's voice  
" Sorry I snapped, I couldn't get to sleep last night, Lupin and Severus were talking for at least an hour it was midnight when they finished talking and then Severus lectured me" Brenda said  
" So how long are you grounded for?" Ron asked thinking it annoying with the Potters' silent conversation  
" He never tells me, just tells me I can go back up to Gryffindor Tower" Brenda said  
They finally get up to the Divination classroom and find their seats  
They were looking through crystal balls that day and Trelawney kept talking about broadening the minds, almost everybody thought it was bogus  
" Ms. Granger... what do you see in the crystal ball" Trelawney asked  
Hermione rolled her eyes, " The Grim"  
"My dear, from the moment you first arrived in my class, I sensed that you did not possess the proper spirit for the noble art of Divination. You may be young in years, but the heart that beats beneath your bosom is as shriveled as an old maid's, your soul as dry as the pages of the books to which you so desperately cleave" Trelawney said  
What the professor said to Hermione made her very upset. She pushed the crystal ball off of it's stand and it went rolling out of the door and down the ladder, Everybody was surprised that the fragile ball didn't break. Hermione stormed out of the classroom  
" Professor didn't you say one of us will leave this class?" Lavender Brown asked  
" I didn't want to be right" Trelawney said with a sigh  
Finally class was over  
" She has gone mental, I mean she was always mental, but she never did anything like that before... what do you think Harry?" Ron asked  
Harry saw the crystal ball that Hermione dropped on the floor  
" I'll go return this" Harry said  
" Oh, I forgot my Divination book, I was worried about Hermione I guess I forgot it" Brenda said, " We'll catch up with you guys later"  
Ron and Neville headed towards their next class and Harry and Brenda went back up to the Divination classroom  
Harry put the crystal ball down and Brenda got her book  
Harry was looking at something in the crystal ball. The Crystal Ball was all cloudy looking  
" Brenda come here, this is eerie" Harry said  
Brenda headed over to her brother and the crystal ball and saw what he was seeing  
A man appeared in the crystal ball  
" It's Sirius Black" Harry and Brenda said together  
Sirius Black smiled evilly and said their names  
The twins looked at eachother and then something or someone grabbed Harry's arm  
The twins turned around and it was Trelawney and she had her eyes in back of her head and she was talking in a creepy voice  
" He will return tonight... When the clock strikes twelve the servant shall break free and he and the master will be reunited. IT CANNOT BE PREVENTED" Trelawney said in the creepy voice  
Harry and Brenda looked at Trelawny shocked at what she had said, but before they could say anything Trelawney was back to normal  
" Hello dears, can I help you with something? Trelawny asked  
" Uh... no, we're done here... thanks" Harry said and the Potters both headed out the door  
" Ok that was creepy" Brenda said  
They went to their next class  
That night after dinner, Brenda was debating whether she should follow the grounding rules and go to the apartment or be there for Hagrid since it was the night of the exicution of Buckbeak... she decided to break the grounding rules  
" Brenda you're going to get in trouble" Hermione said  
" I don't care, Hagrid needs all of us right now" Brenda said  
" I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak" Hermione said  
" You guys, it just got worse, look" Harry said pointing to Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle  
" What a Bloody git Malfoy is" Ron said  
Hermione was getting very mad at Malfoy  
Malfoy and his friends looked up and saw the foursome  
" Ah, come to watch the show did you?" Malfoy asked  
" You... foul... loathsome... evil... little cockroach" Hermione spat  
She pointed her wand at Malfoy's throat about to curse him  
" HERMIONE DONT... he's not worth it" Brenda said  
Hermione glared and lowered her wand and looked like she was backing off but she turned around and punched Malfoy in the face  
" Now that he's worth" Brenda said chuckling  
" That felt good" Hermione said once the Slytherins were gone  
" Not good, Brilliant" Ron said with a smile  
They headed down the path that led them to Hagrid's hut, they saw Buckbeak chained up and that made them all feel sad  
They knocked on the door and Hagrid answered and invited them in  
" Look at him, he loves the smell of the trees and the grass, he loves the fresh air" Hagrid said  
" I say we set him free" Harry said  
" But they'll know that I've done it" Hagrid said, " It will get Dumbledore in trouble... Good man Dumbledore, he's coming down and he said he wants to be with me when... when... when it happens"  
" We'll stay with you too Hagrid" Brenda said  
" No you won't, you think I want you lot to see a thing like this? No you will finish up your tea and head back to the castle" Hagrid said  
" But Hagrid" Harry started  
" No, I'm the teacher and... and you do as I say" Hagrid said  
The four teens sighed  
" Oh Ron, I found your rat" Hagrid said  
" Scabbers, I thought you were eaten by a cat" Ron said taking it away from Hagrid  
" You need to keep an eye on your pets Ron" Hagrid said  
All of a sudden a star like rock flew through the window and hit a glass jar and shattered it  
" What was that" Brenda asked  
Another rock flew through the window and it hit the back of Harry's head  
" Ow" Harry said  
He turned to see who threw it, to his horror he saw Dumbledore, Minister Fudge and the Executioner  
" Uh... Hagrid" Harry started  
Everybody turned to see what Harry saw and they saw Dumbledore, Minster Fudge and the Executioner  
" You four better go, if they catch you out of the castle at this hour you'd all be in trouble BIG trouble, esspecially you two Harry, Brenda, you better go out the back door" Hagrid said  
The four teens nodded and snuck out the back door and hid behind giant pumpkins until the coast was clear. They all heard a twig snap  
" What was that?" Hermione asked  
" What?" Harry asked  
" I just thought I saw... never mind" Hermione said  
" We better get going" Brenda said  
The teens nodded again and headed up to the top of the path and they watched from a distance as the executioner beheaded Buckbeak  
They stood there for a few minutes digesting what just happened  
" OW" Ron yelled  
" What" Harry asked  
" He bit me... Scabbers bit me" Ron said  
He dropped his rat and it scurried away  
" Scabbers come back here" Ron called after it  
" RON NO" Hermione and Brenda yelled after him  
Ron ran after Scabbers and Harry, Hermione and Brenda ran after Ron to the Whomping Willow  
" Harry, Brenda you do realize what tree this is right" Hermione asked  
Harry and Brenda looked up and their eyes went wide  
" THAT'S NOT GOOD... RON RUN" Harry and Brenda said together  
Ron looked at the three and his face showed fear  
" HARRY, BRENDA RUN" Ron yelled  
All four teens face a black dog  
" The Grim" Brenda squeaked  
The dog leaped and Harry, Hermione and Brenda instinctivly shielded themselves as the dog leaped over them and was going after Ron  
" AHHHHHHH" Ron screamed  
The dog was pulling Ron towards the tree trunk where there was a hole  
" HELP ME HELP ME" Ron yelled  
Hermione got a hold of Ron and was trying to pull him out but the dog was pulling him inside  
Harry and Brenda got to Ron too and were trying to pull him out but the dog was still too strong  
" It's no use... he's too powerful" Ron said  
" NO RON" Harry yelled  
Ron made his three best friends let go  
" NOOOOOOOOOO" Hermione, Harry and Brenda yelled  
The Whomping Willow was getting mad at these children messing around next to it, so it was going to have a little fun with them, It first picked up Hermione and was whipping her around and around and then it got a hold of Harry and his glasses flew off, Brenda dodged a few of the willows branches and accioed Harry's glasses to her and ducked her head from another branch but she was caught in another one and they all were screaming at this point. two minutes later they were all thrown into the hole Ron sacrificed himself in and they all landed on one another  
They finally got out of there dazes and sat up  
" You both ok" Harry asked  
" We're fine, you?" Hermione asked  
" Fine" Harry said  
" Here's your glasses" Brenda said handing them to her brother, " ACCULAS REPARO"  
She fixed them, there were cracked in the lenses and so was the frame  
" Thanks" Harry said  
" No problem" Brenda said  
" Hey, where are we" Hermione asked  
Harry and Brenda look at each other  
" We have a hunch" Harry said  
" We hope we're wrong" Brenda finished  
" LUMOS" The three said lighting their wands  
There was a path in the tunnel and then 10 minutes later there were stairs to climb  
When they got to the top of the stairs they were in another room and there were more stairs to climb  
" We're in the Shrieking Shack aren't we" Hermione said  
" Yes" Harry and Brenda said  
They climb some more and finally got off the stairs and into another room, this time they saw Ron and he looked scared  
" Ron are you ok" Hermione asked  
" Where's the dog" Brenda asked  
" He's the dog, Look out" Ron panicked, " He's an animagus"  
Harry looked down at the pawprints the dust caused on the floor and they turned into foot prints and led to the man behind the door  
The man behind the door was Sirius Black  
Brenda gasped and Harry withdrew his wand. Hermione got in front of both the Potters  
" If you want to kill them, you have to go through me first" Hermione said  
" No, only one I will kill tonight" Sirius said  
" One? There are two of us" Harry thought  
" One of us will go to Voldemort" Brenda thought back  
" THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN" Harry yelled and lunged at Sirius  
" HARRY NO" Hermione yelled  
Brenda got out her wand and joined her brother in the attack against Sirius Black  
" Are you two going to kill me" Sirius asked with a chuckle  
" Yes" Harry and Brenda said at the same time with venom in their voices  
They raised their wands at the same time and then the door slammed open and Lupin rushed in  
" EXPELLIARMUS... EXPELLIARMUS" Lupin said  
Both Harry's and Brenda's wands flew out of their hands and out of reach  
" Looking a bit ragged aren't we Sirius? Finally the skin relflects the madness within" Lupin said  
" Well you'd know all about the madness wouldn't you Remus" Sirius said  
Lupin smiled and embraced Sirius  
" NO! I TRUSTED YOU" Hermione yelled  
" ALL THIS TIME YOU'VE BEEN HIS FRIEND" Brenda yelled  
Brenda and Hermione looked at each other  
" He's a werewolf. That's why he's been missing classes" Both Brenda and Hermione said  
" How long have you two known" Lupin asked suspicous  
" Since we had that essay professor Snape told us to do" Hermione said  
" I told you that you didn't have to do it" Lupin said  
" Hermione did it anyway and I had to do it" Brenda said, " I heard you and him talking last night about the Wolfsbane potion"  
" Wow, you know you two girls are the brightest witches of your age" Lupin said  
" Enough of this, He DIES NOW" Sirius said  
" NO" Brenda yelled, " YOU ARE NOT KILLING HIM"  
" Wait Sirius" Lupin said  
" I DID MY WAITING 12 YEARS OF IT IN AZKABAN PRISON" Sirius yelled, "YOU REMUS WOULDN'T LAST A WEEK IN THERE"  
" I know, but the kids need to know why" Lupin said  
" We know why, you betrayed our parents" Harry and Brenda said together  
" You sold them to Voldemort" Brenda said  
" I would never betray your parents" Sirius said  
" You need to listen" Lupin started  
" Listen? Did he listen to our mum when Voldemort cast the spell that ended her life?" Brenda asked  
" No I wasn't there, I wish I was" Sirius said  
" Sirius didn't betray your parents you guys, but somebody did, and he's in this room right now, someone until quite recently I believed was dead" Lupin said  
" And who may that be?" Harry asked  
" Peter Pettigrew" Sirius said stairing at Ron, " Come out come out Peter, come out and play"  
" This guy is bloody mad" Ron said  
Everybody turn to Ron who is holding his squirming rat  
Lupin and Sirius raise their wands, well Lupin's and Brenda's wand. All of a sudden the door opens again  
" EXPELLIARMUS" Snape said bursting in  
Everybody gasped  
" Oh My God" Brenda whispered  
Lupin's and Brenda's wands flew out of Lupin and Sirius's hands and landed somewhere else  
" Ah vengence is sweet, how I hoped to be the one to catch you" Snape said pointing his wand at Sirius  
" Severus" Lupin started  
" I told Dumbledore that you were letting your old friend into the castle, and now I have the proof" Snape said  
" Brillant, but as usuall you're wrong, now let us get our wands back, we have some unfinished business to attend to" Sirius said  
Snape put his wand to Sirius's neck, " Give me a reason, I beg you"  
" Don't be a fool Severus, you don't know what you're doing" Lupin said  
" Remus he can't help it, it's in his nature to be a greasy git" Sirius said  
" Be quiet Sirius, you're in no position to be calling Severus names" Lupin said  
" You two are like an old married couple with your argument... hmm... yes... the creature and the criminal" Snape said  
" Piss off Snivelis" Sirius said  
"Tell me, will you be so annoying when I turn you over to the Dementors?" Snape asked  
Sirius got scared  
" Is that fear I see? Well I'm sure the Dementors would love to get you back" Snape said, " Only one can imagine what a dementor's kiss is like... I heard it's unbearable to watch, but I'll do my best... I suggest you kids go first"  
Harry silently borrowed Hermione's wand and yelled " EXPELLIARMUS" Harry said and the wand was pointed at Snape  
Snape went flying to the other side of the room and Brenda screamed  
" HARRY WHY... WHAT... HARRY" Brenda said  
" Why do you keep saying Peter Petigrew, he's dead" Harry said  
" He killed him" Brenda said grabbing her wand and pointing it at Sirius  
" I did not" Sirius said  
" I thought so to until you mentioned the map" Lupin said  
" The map was wrong" Harry said  
" The map is never wrong" Sirius said, " Peter is here... he's right there"  
Sirius was pointing at Ron again  
" He's mental, I'm not Peter" Ron said  
" Not you... the rat" Sirius said  
" Scabbers? But he's been in the family for" Ron didn't finish  
" Twelve years, a very long age for a rat don't you think?" Sirius asked, " He's missing a toe isn't he?"  
" Yes, so what?" Ron said  
" All they could find of Pettigrew was" Harry said  
" His finger" Brenda finished and looked at her brother  
" Dirty coward cut it off so everyone would think he was dead. Then he transformed into a rat" Sirius said  
Brenda and Harry look at each other and back at Sirius then at Ron and Scabbers who was still squirming then they looked back at Sirius and Lupin  
" Show us" They said at the same time  
Everybody turned to Ron and the rat  
" What are you going to do to him?" Ron asked scared  
Scabbers bit Ron again and got out of his grasp  
" Scabbers" Ron called  
Scabbers was running away  
Lupin cast the spell and it turned Scabbers into a mousey looking man  
The teens were shocked  
" S-S-S- Sirius... R-R-Remus... my old friends  
The two men just glared at their so called friend. Peter tried making a run for the door but Brenda and Harry blocked his escape and pushed him back inside  
" Harry, Brenda, you both look so much like your parents, Harry you're just like your father, he and I were friends you know" Peter said  
" Get away from them" Sirius said getting between the teens and Peter  
" I didn't mean it... the Dark Lord, you have no idea the weapons he possesses. Ask yourself what you would have done Sirius? What would you have done? Peter asked  
" I WOULD HAVE DIED THEN BETRAY MY FRIENDS" Sirius yelled  
" If Voldemort didn't kill you Peter, we would" Lupin said with a glare that would give Severus a run for his money  
" No... please... no you can't" Peter said and then ran towards Ron, " Ron you won't let them hurt me will yah, we've been good friends, come on I was a good pet wasn't I, come on I was your rat"  
Ron scooted back in disgust  
Seeing that Ron wasn't going to help him out Peter went to Hermione  
" Hermione, sweet, clever girl, you won't let them kill me will you?" Peter asked  
Before Hermione could answer, Lupin raised his wand and was about to strike  
" NO" Harry and Brenda yelled  
" You guys, this man" Lupin started  
" We know what he did" Brenda said  
" But we'll take him to the castle" Harry said  
Peter went to the twins, " Bless you both, bless you both"  
" GET OFF US" The twins yelled  
" We said we'll take you to the castle" Brenda said  
" But we will let the Dementors have you" Harry said  
Peter looked scared  
" We should probably get out of here" Lupin said  
" What are we going to do about Snape" Ron asked  
" I'll take care of that, just get him out of here" Brenda said, Oh While I'm thinking about it we should probably obliviate some of Peter's mind, you know so he doesn't have important information"  
" Like how Severus Snape is your father and how he betrayed the Dark Lord?" Peter said glaring but smirking  
Brenda took out her wand and touched it to Peter's head, then she concentrated very hard, " OBLIVIATE SEVERUS SNAPE'S SECRETS"  
Peter's memories of Severus Snape being a traitor was gone  
Brenda cast the sleep walking charm which makes it so people in comas can walk on their own  
" I am in so much trouble" Brenda thought  
They all headed out of the Shrieking Shack and down the tunnel and up and out of the hole in the Whomping Willow. Lupin had his wand pointed at Peter  
" I'm sorry Ron about your leg" Sirius said  
" You almost tore my leg off" Ron complained  
" I was going after the rat" Sirius said  
Sirius walked a few more feet and then stopped and looked at Hogwarts, Harry and Brenda went up to him  
" Beautiful isn't it? I'll never forget the first time I walked through those doors. It'll be nice to do it again. Freely, and not in dog form and scratching at portraits... actually Lupin told me to stay as a dog... the tail I can live with... but the fleas... they're murder" Sirius said  
Brenda chuckled  
" You know what you did back there, that was a noble thing, he doesn't deserve it" Sirius said  
" We didn't think our father would have wanted his best friends to become killers" Harry said  
" Especially for a rat like Peter" Brenda said  
" I don't know if you two know this, but your father and your mother made me both of your guardian" Sirius said  
" We know" Harry and Brenda said together  
" Do you guys rehearse that or is it a twin thing?" Sirius asked  
" What? Saying the same thing at the same time?" Harry asked  
" Yes" Sirius said  
" It's a twin thing, Fred and George Weasley do it too" Brenda said  
" Well, the point I was getting at is, I would like you two to stay with me, unless you want to stay where you live now" Sirius said  
" You mean, we can come live with you?" Harry asked  
" That is what I mean" Sirius said  
" When?" Harry asked  
" As soon as my name is cleared" Sirius said  
" I'd love to" Harry said  
" What about you Brenda?" Sirius asked  
" I'm adopted" Brenda said, " Thanks for the offer"  
" Who adopted you?" Sirius asked  
" Snape" Brenda whispered  
" I see" Sirius said not liking what she said, " And do you like being adopted by him?"  
" We get along fine, he's very strict but he's a real good dad" Brenda said  
" He's not your father" Sirius said not liking what he's hearing  
" I know, and I'll always know that, he's not replacing my real father James if that's what you're thinking" Brenda said  
" All right, I just wanted to make sure" Sirius said  
" Harry, Brenda" Hermione called  
They all turned around and the moon was out  
" Oh no, it's the full moon, he's turning into..." Brenda didn't finish  
Sirius ran to his old friend  
" Remus Old Friend did you take your potion tonight?" Sirius asked  
Lupin shook his head no and he was turning into the werewolf before the teens' very eyes  
" KIDS RUN" Sirius yelled at the teens  
" We're not kids" Ron complained  
Nobody moved though, they were in aw at what was happening  
Sirius wrapped his arms around Lupin and yelled, " This is the man you are. You are a man not a beast, stay with us Remus, This heart is where you truly live, stay with us  
Lupin dropped his wand when his hands became claws and Peter found it and picked it up and put it to his head  
" EXPELLIARMUS" Brenda yelled and the wand fell out of Peter's hand  
Peter looked at the teens in an evil grin and waved good bye and he turned into a rat and scurried away  
The four teens stare at the spot Peter was and then got out of the trance when they heard a howl, they turned and looked at Sirius and the professor, he wasn't human anymore, he was a werewolf  
The werewolf tossed Sirius like a rag doll and started coming after the teens  
The teens backed up not taking their eyes off the werewolf, they all had their wands out trying to think of what to do  
Severus came back to conciousness and saw the teens backing up in a group, he was furious that Harry knocked him out and that his daughter disobeyed him, he was going to teach all of the teens a lesson they will never forget  
He stormed over to the teens  
" YOU FOUR ARE IN BIG TROUBLE" Snape yelled  
" DAD WATCH OUT" Brenda yelled  
Snape turned around and found out why the teens were so scared. He instictly pulled the teens behind him and took out his wand  
Before he could do anything a black dog leaped up and attacked the wolf and they began fighting eachother, the dog was no match for the wild werewolf  
" Sirius" Harry said and got past Snape and went to help out his godfather  
" Come back here Harry" Snape called  
" He's not doing this alone" Brenda thought and got past Severus but Severus grabbed her arm  
" Oh no you don't" Severus said threatenly, " You're in enough trouble"  
Brenda was scared for only a second but then glared at her father that would give Severus a run for his money and she pried his hands open and escaped  
" BRENDA GET BACK HERE" Severus yelled  
Hermione tried escaping too but Snape used both of his hands to hold her back  
" You two are not leaving" Snape warned  
Brenda caught up with Harry really fast and they stopped when they saw the werewolf and the dog still fighting, Lupin got Sirius down and Sirius wasn't getting up and then it looked like Lupin was going to finish Sirius off  
" NO" Harry yelled  
He and Brenda both threw a rock at the werewolf and it began coming after them  
" Ok now what" Brenda thought  
" I don't know" Harry thought back  
They were backing up trying to get away from the wolf but then another howl was heard off in the distance and the werewolf heard it  
" Oh great we have more werewolfs to worry about" Harry said  
There was another howl and that time Lupin left the teens and followed the howls  
" It sounded like a female howl" Brenda said  
" Let's go check on Sirius" Harry said  
Brenda nodded and they looked his way and they saw a dog rising and falling and rising and falling again and rising one more time and then falling  
" Sirius" Harry and Brenda whispered  
They ran to his side which was by the black lake  
" Sirius" Harry said to him  
" Sirius, can you speak?" Brenda asked  
All of a sudden the wind turned cold and they could see their breath  
" That's not good" Brenda whispered  
Harry and Brenda looked at each other and then looked up at the sky, there were hundreds of Dementors flying  
They got out their wands and together said, " EXPECTO PATRONUM"  
Silvery mists came out of both their wands and blocked only a few of the dementors from getting to them and Sirius, but more kept coming and they kept sucking their souls  
" EXPECTO PATRONUM" They said again  
Silvery mists came out of both their wands again but only blocked a few of the dementors again  
Sirius was not looking good, his soul was coming out  
Before Harry and Brenda could cast another Patronus somebody else did it for them across the lake. The patonus's were of a stag and of a unicorn  
Harry and Brenda watched Sirius's soul go back into his body and then they blacked out  
Severus was so worried about Brenda and Harry, He, Hermione and Ron all saw the dementors by the lake and they all thought the worst  
They all ran to the lake and saw Sirius, Brenda and Harry unconscious  
" I will contact Dumbledore. Look away and close your eyes" Snape said  
" Why?" Ron asked  
" Because I said so" Snape snapped  
The students closed their eyes and looked away while Snape sent a patronus to Dumbledore  
" It is complete, he will be here in five minutes" Snape said  
Five minutes later Dumbledore, McGonagall, Pomfrey, Filch and Azkaban guards were there  
" I didn't want to move them just in case they had neck or head injury, I do not have my healing potions with me" Snape said  
" Wise decision Severus" Pomfrey said  
" Minerva take Mr. Potter up to the hospital Wing, Severus you can take Ms. Potter" Dumbledore said, " You two better go to the Hospital Wing too, just to get checked out"  
" Yes sir" Hermione and Ron said  
" We will take Black to a jail cell, you do have those right" An Azkaban guard asked  
" Follow me" Filch said  
" He will wait for the dementor kiss" An Azkaban guard said  
Hermione and Ron gasped but knew they shouldn't say anything  
" Ok, well we should get back to the castle, I have a lot of paperwork to fill out now" Dumbledore said  
" Do not pick them up, use a levitating charm" Pomfrey said  
The Witch and Wizards nodded and used the levitating charm to bring the unconcious to the castle  
Everybody but Dumbledore, the Azkaban Guards, Filch and Sirius went to the Hospital wing  
" Lay him in this bed, her in that bed, Mr. Weasley you can lay down in this bed, Ms. Granger get in this bed" Pomfrey ordered  
Everybody listened to the Mediwitch  
" Ok Mr. Weasley I will look at you first, it looks like you were bitten by a wild animal" Pomfrey said  
" I'm fine" Ron said  
" Quiet now" Pomfrey said  
Ron ended up having to stay in bed with his leg all wrapped up in bandages  
Hermione was fine  
Pomfrey even looked over Severus since he was unconcious for a while, he was fine too  
" Notify me when Brenda wakes up, I have to talk to her" Severus said  
" Of course Severus" Pomfrey said  
" I will brew you the potions you need for your stores" Severus said  
" Very well, thank you Severus" Pomfrey said  
Severus left the Hospital wing  
A half hour later, Hermione was pacing back and forth when Harry and Brenda woke up  
" We saw our parents" Harry said  
" What" Hermione asked  
" At the lake, we saw our parents" Brenda said, " They sent the Dementors away"  
" Listen you two, they captured Sirius, any minute now they're going to preform the kiss" Hermione said  
" OH MY" Brenda gasped sitting up  
" What's the kiss?" Harry asked  
" It's what Dementors do to those they want to destroy" Brenda said  
" They clamp their jaws and suck the soul right out of you" Hermione said  
" They're going to kill Sirius?" Harry asked  
"No, it's much worse than that. You go on living, but you have no memory. or any sense of being alive. You're just a shell. An empty shell" Hermione said  
" What are we going to do?" Brenda asked  
All of a sudden the door opened and Dumbledore came in  
" Headmaster you've got to stop them, they have the wrong man" Hermione said  
" It's true sir, Sirius is innocent" Harry said  
" It was Scabbers who did it" Ron said  
" Who's Scabbers?" Dumbledore asked  
" My rat, well he isn't a rat, but he was a rat" Ron said  
" Ron's rat is really Peter Petigrew's animagus, Peter is the one who is guilty not Sirius" Brenda said  
" Please sir you have to believe us" Hermione said  
" I do Miss Granger, but I'm sorry to say that the words of four thirteen year old wizards and witches will not make much difference. Sadly a child's voice honest and true is meaningless to those who forgot how to listen" Dumbledore said, " If only there was more time"  
" But we don't have anymore time" Harry said sadly  
" Mysterious thing, time, it is powerful and when meddled with...dangerous" Dumbledore said, "Sirius Black is in the tallest cell of the Dark tower. You know the laws, You must not be seen, and you would, I feel, do well to return before this last chime. If not...well, the consequences are really too horrible to discuss. Three turns should do it, I think. If you succeed, more than one innocent life may be spared tonight"  
Dumbledore left the room but then turned back, " When in doubt I always suggest retracing my steps... good luck"  
He then shut the door behind him and left  
" What was that all about?" Ron asked  
" We're going back in time" Brenda said getting out of bed, " Come on Harry, Ron you stay here since you can't walk"  
" What?" Harry asked  
Hermione got out a necklace that had an hourglass on it  
" How did you know I had one of these?" Hermione asked  
" Well. considering you have different classes at the same time and you didn't hide it very well" Brenda said and smiled  
Hermione smiled and put the chain around all three of them and spun it once and Harry wanted to touch it but his hand got slapped  
" Stop messing with it, you don't know how to use it" Brenda hissed  
Hermione spun it again and one more time  
" I suggest you don't look around, you will get dizzy" Hermione said  
They were going back in time, they saw the time when Harry and Brenda were unconscious and were put in the beds  
Brenda looked anyway, she saw how worried and angry her father was at her  
" I am in so much trouble when this is all done" Brenda whispered  
Finally the spinning stopped  
" Seven thirty, ok so where were we at seven thirty?" Hermione asked  
" Going to Hagrid's" Harry said  
" And you punching Malfoy" Brenda said with a smile  
" Right, come on now, we cannot be seen" Hermione said  
They ran towards the path they were on to get to Hagrid's  
" What exactly are we doing? Why are we hiding?" Harry asked  
" Shh" Hermione and Brenda hissed  
Harry was getting annoyed at being told what to do by two girls, he looked across the grounds and saw himself, his sister, his two best friends, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle  
" Wow, but... but we... that... this is so not normal" Harry said  
" You might as well explain Hermione" Brenda said with a sigh  
" This is a Time-Turner, Harry. McGonagall gave it to me first term. This is how I've been getting to my lessons all year  
" You mean to say that... that we have gone back through time?" Harry asked  
" Yes, Dumbledore wanted us to come back here, clearly he wanted us to change something" Hermione said  
They heard the smack  
" Nice one Hermione" Brenda said smiling  
" Very good punch" Harry said  
" Thanks" Hermione said smiling, " Shh they're coming"  
" Not a word to anybody. One of these days I'm going to get that mudblood, one of these days" Malfoy said  
" We're not going to let him get the chance" Brenda thought to Harry  
" You got that right" Harry thought back  
When Malfoy and his goons were gone and the other Harry, Ron, Hermione and Brenda were gone the three of them left their spot and looked down  
" Of course, more than one innocent can be saved, we are supposed to sace Buckbeak" Brenda said  
" How does saving Buckbeak save Sirius" Harry asked  
" I don't know, but we'll find out" Brenda said  
They headed down to the hut and hid behind the large pumpkins Hagrid had  
" What are we waiting for? Let's free Buckbeak" Harry said getting up from his hiding place  
" Not yet, if we free him now then they'll blame Hagrid, we need to wait until they go inside" Hermione said  
The three waited for two minutes and then they spotted the three men of Dumbledore, Fudge and the executioner  
" There they are... but we're not leaving" Brenda said  
Hermione spotted a rock lying on the ground, one that looked like the one she picked up in Hagrid's Hut earlier that day, she picked it up and threw it. It crashed into a glass jar  
Brenda found another rock and threw it, this time it hit Harry in back of his head  
" Ow... Brenda that hurt" Harry said  
" Sorry" Brenda said, " Look it worked, we... they... they're heading out the door, we better leave"  
The three go to the back where they are hidden by trees and just in time too because their other selves hid behind the pumpkins  
Hermione looked at herself from behind  
" Is that really what my hair in the back of my head looks like?" Hermione asked and she stepped on a twig and hid again  
" I thought I saw... never mind" The other Hermione said  
The three of them wait for the four teens to make it up the path before they come out from behind the trees  
" Now's our chance" Brenda whispered  
The three of them walked towards Buckbeak and Harry bowed, Buckbeak returned the bow but put his head down afterwards  
Harry unhooked Buckbeak from the post it was on and tried to budge him  
" Come on Buckbeak we're getting you out of here" Harry said  
He still didn't budge  
" We need to get out of here" Brenda said  
They could hear the men talking inside and they were about to come outside  
" Oh for goodness sakes" Brenda said  
She helped Harry try to pull Buckbeak  
" Come on Buckbeak, we're trying to save your life" Brenda said  
It still wouldn't move  
Hermione grabbed the pile of dead ferrets  
" Here Beaky, Come get the nice dead ferret" Hermione said  
That got Buckbeaks attention and he followed the three into the forest, but before they reached the forest the door was open and Minister Fudge stepped out followed by Dumbledore  
The teens freeze, afraid that they were caught  
Dumbledore guided Fudge's eyes to the blackberry trees that Headmaster Dippet planted many years ago  
" Thank you Dumbledore" Brenda thought  
Buckbeak was led into the forest  
The teens and Buckbeak watched and saw what the executioner did instead, he killed a pumpkin  
" A whole lot better than Buckbeak" Brenda whispered  
" I'm glad that they're not blaming Hagrid for Buckbeaks escape" Harry said  
" Yah me too" Hermione said  
" So now that we saved Buckbeak, how are we going to save Sirius?" Harry asked  
" No clue" Hermione said  
" Sirius doesn't need saving yet, we haven't even got to the Shrieking Shack yet" Brenda said  
They waited for a few minutes and saw Lupin walking towards the Whomping Willow  
" How does he get through?" Brenda whispered  
Lupin took a stick and poked the willow in a hole and the Whomping Willow calmed down and he went down the hole  
" Wow, we should really tell Fred and George that one" Harry whispered to Brenda  
Brenda nodded in agreement then saw her father  
" He looks mad" Brenda said  
They saw Snape go down the hole  
" And now we wait until they come back up" Hermione said  
The three were very bored waiting and to make matters worse, bats came flying out from the forest  
Buckbeak started catching and eating the bats  
" At least somebody is enjoying himself" Hermione said  
" At least they're not the vampire kind" Brenda said  
" We did see somebody tonight down by the lake with Sirius" Harry said  
" That somebody made the Dementors go away" Brenda said  
" With Patronuses? real powerful witches or wizards would have to conjure them" Hermione said  
" They were our parents" Harry said, " Our parents conjured the Patronuses"  
" You guys, your parents are" Hermione didn't finish  
" They're dead, we know" Brenda said, " We're just telling you what we saw"  
" Here we come" Hermione said pointing to the Whomping Willow  
" You see Sirius talking to us over there, he's asking us if we want to live with him" Harry said  
" And then I'm telling him I'm adopted by Severus... he didn't take that very well" Brenda said, " Harry when he is cleared, you should go live with him, the Dursleys are just plain mean"  
"I'm going to tell him I'd like to live someplace in the country. I think he'd like that, after all those years in Azkaban. We don't need a big place and I can help him with the chores" Harry said  
All of a sudden there was a howl  
" And Lupin just transformed" Brenda said  
" And Peter is turning back into a rat and we're just standing here like idiots" Harry said  
They watch the fight and then they watch Harry and Brenda getting away from Snape  
" Wow you actually disobeyed him like that?" Harry asked surprised  
" I'm in trouble anyway" Brenda shrugged it off  
They watched the werewolf coming after Harry and Brenda  
" Ok where's the other werewolf?" Brenda asked  
" Right here" Hermione said and she howled  
" What are you doing" Harry and Brenda asked together  
" Saving your lives" Hermione said and howled  
" Thanks, but now we have to run" Brenda said  
" Why?" Harry asked  
" Because it's coming this way" Brenda said  
They all start running from the Werewolf but it is right on their tails, after a while they finally hid from it and tried escaping it by sneaking away, but it saw the three teens and howled  
The teens froze in fright but then there was a noise of hooves and twigs snapping and out of nowhere Buckbeak showed up and saved them. It roughed up the werewolf pretty good  
" Poor professor Lupin is having a real rough night" Harry said  
All of a sudden it got cold  
" Dementors" Brenda said, " Let's go"  
They left and found a spot across the lake from where Sirius, Brenda and Harry were  
They watched as Harry and Brenda attempted to cast the patronuses  
" This is horrible" Hermione said  
" They'll come, you'll see" Harry said  
" No one is coming Harry" Hermione said  
" No, we saw our parents cast the partonus" Brenda said  
" You're dying... all of you... nobody is coming" Hermione said  
" Nobody is coming Harry" Brenda finally said  
Harry looked at his sister and they both nodded  
They got to the very edge of the lake and yelled, " EXPECTO PATRONUM"  
A stag came out of Harry's wand and a unicorn came out of Brenda's wand  
When all the dementors were gone the twins looked at each other and smiled  
" We better go, we need to save Sirius" Brenda said  
They went back to Hermione  
" You were right Hermione, it wasn't our parents we saw, it was us, we knew we could do it, because we already done it" Brenda said, " I know that doesn't make sense"  
" We must save Sirius" Harry said, " We need to get on Buckbeak"  
Hermione's face fell, " I... I don't like flying"  
" Come on it's fun" Harry said  
" Wow I'm in so much trouble" Brenda thought but Harry heard her thought  
" Why now?" Harry asked  
" I'm forbidden to ride Buckbeak" Brenda said getting on  
" Yet you're getting on that thing?" Hermione asked  
" I've been wanting to ride him ever since we met him" Brenda said  
" Come on Hermione, it's fun" Harry said  
" I hate flying" Hermione said  
" Look you can be in the middle, it's the safest spot" Brenda said  
" Are you sure?" Hermione asked  
" Yes" Brenda said  
Hermione got on Buckbeak and whined a little bit. Harry then got in the front  
" Just hang on to me" Harry said  
Hermione hung on tight and wouldn't let go  
" Don't go too fast" Hermione said  
Buckbeak took off and Hermione was scared  
When they reached the Dark Tower Hermione was glad to get off Buckbeak  
They found the cell and Sirius pacing up and down it. Brenda took out her wand and tried " ALOHOMORA"  
Sirius tried the door, " Still locked"  
" Ok I'm going to try something, you all better stand back" Hermione said and she took out her wand, " BOMBARDA"  
" Wow that was cool" Brenda said  
"We better leave, I hear footsteps" Harry said  
" Oh no, there Snape's" Brenda said scared  
" I thought he was making potions" Hermione said  
"Pomfrey has all the potion she needs for healing, that was a cover up so you wouldn't get scared" Brenda said  
" How do you know it's Snape" Harry asked  
" Hello, I know his footsteps anywhere, and with this temperature, a dementor is with him" Brenda said  
" Wow you are observant, just like your mother" Sirius said  
Brenda smiled  
" Well let's go then" Hermione said  
They all got back on Buckbeak in a hurry  
" It's a good thing Hippogriffs can hold a lot of weight" Sirius said  
They took off on Buckbeak and escaped before Snape and Fudge and the Dementor saw them  
" You know you two really have a lot of James in you" Sirius said, " It's almost eerie how much you both look like your parents"  
Buckbeak landed in the clock tower and Sirius helped Hermione off of Buckbeak  
" I'm forever grateful for all your help you guys, all of you" Sirius said  
" I want to go with you" Harry said  
" Maybe someday, not right now, right now you're meant to be here in school" Sirius said, " Hey will you all promise me something?"  
" Yes" The teens said  
" Promise me that you will trust yourselves, no matter what the challenges you face, I predict you will have many, but if you trust in yourself you'll be surprised how many times you can find the answers in your heart"  
"I think we better get going" Hermione said looking at the sky  
" You're right, it is time to leave" Sirius said  
The three teens watch Sirius and Buckbeak fly off into the night  
" Let's go" Brenda said  
They dash off towards the Hospital Wing  
They heard Dumbledore saying, " When in doubt I always suggest retracing my steps... good luck" Dumbledore turned around, " Well"  
" We did it, we freed him" Harry said  
" Did what" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eye  
The teens were confused  
" Goodnight you three" Dumbledore said and left the Hospital Wing  
Brenda opened the door and they saw themselves going back through time  
" Ok now my head hurts" Brenda said  
" Don't think about it" Hermione said  
They entered the room  
" How did you three get over there? When you were just over there" Ron asked confused  
" What is he talking about?" Hermione asked  
" I don't know" Harry said  
" Ron how can somebody be in two places at once?" Brenda asked  
" I think all that has happened tonight has gotten to him" Hermione said  
" It's ok Ron, the nice Medi Witch will help you" Brenda said  
The three started giggling  
" What's going on here?" Ron asked  
" Let's just say everything is right again" Harry said  
" Well... for now" Brenda said

The teens were talking when Grandfather Severus entered a portrait in the Hospital Wing  
" Good Brenda you're awake, your father would like to see you" Grandfather Severus said  
" Right now?" Brenda asked  
" Yes right now" Severus said opening up the door  
Brenda gasped, her father was not in a good mood  
" We will not talk here, we will go back to the Apartment and... talk" Severus said angry  
" I... I... I can't be released yet" Brenda said trying to buy herself some time  
" Oh yes you can, she already released you, she just told me, Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger are released too, Mr. Weasley on the other hand needs to stay here for the night" Severus said, " Now come on Brenda"  
" You want us to come with you" Harry asked through thought  
" No, you can't... not this time" Brenda thought back  
She got off the bed she was sitting on and went up to her father and she looked scared, she passed her father on her way out  
" Mr. Potter you have detention with me tomorrow at 7:30" Snape said  
" Why" Harry asked  
" Are you kidding me Mr. Potter?" Snape asked with a glare  
Harry didn't say anything  
" 7:30 Mr. Potter, you better be able to make it" Snape said and then slammed the door.  
It was dark in the halls  
" Lumos" Brenda whispered and her wand lit up  
Severus didn't say anything, his wand just lit up  
Nobody said anything on the way to the Apartment  
" Password" Grandfather Severus asked  
" Wolfsbane" Snape said  
The portrait opened up and they walked inside the lit room  
" Nox" Brenda whispered and walked fast to her room  
" NOT SO FAST YOUNG LADY" Severus yelled  
She almost made it  
" You are in so much trouble" Severus said in his scary sounding voice, " Sit on the couch"  
Brenda turned around and headed towards the couch and put her knees to her chin  
" Ok, let's start from the beginning shall we?" Severus asked  
Brenda didn't say anything  
" Ok... why did you disobey me in the first place?" Severus asked  
" Hagrid needed me to be there for him when Buckbeak was executed" Brenda said scared  
" So you decided to disobey me just so you could watch a hippogriff die... well that was one mistake, you should have asked me" Severus said  
" You would have said no" Brenda said  
" Actually I would have said yes, in this case I would have, because you're comforting a friend" Severus said, "But you didn't, so you must suffer the consequences for that"  
Brenda didn't say anything  
" So when Grandfather Severus said you weren't back here, I was worried, I checked the Gryffindor Tower room but you weren't there, I checked the library, I finally did a locater Spell and it said you were in the Shrieking Shack... There is only one way to get in there from Hogwarts grounds and that scared me to think about what could have happened to you. The Whomping Willow is nothing to fool around with Brenda" Snape said, " When I saw Lupin go inside the hole in the Willow I feared the worst because I knew that he was the one that brought Black inside the school. I hurried towards the willow as fast as I could and in the hole and through the tunnel and it's a good thing too because Black and Lupin were both there, I can't believe you four didn't do a single damn thing to protect yourselves"  
" Sirius kind of had my wand at the time" Brenda said  
" You could have borrowed Ms. Granger's wand and Accioed it back" Severus said, " You know that spell... You're supposed to be smart"  
" I am smart" Brenda whispered a little hurt by that comment  
" Well start showing it" Severus snapped, " Finally when I had the situation under control your idiot brother knocked me out... why did he do that?"  
" Because you were accusing the wrong people" Brenda said  
" Oh? Then enlighten me" Severus said  
" Sirius didn't betray my parents, it was Peter Pettigrew" Brenda said  
" He's dead" Severus said  
" He's an animagus of a rat" Brenda said, " All he lost that night was a finger"  
" You still shouldn't have helped Black out with Lupin when he was a werewolf, that was idiotic and dangerous, you shouldn't have gotten out of my grasp young lady" Severus said  
" I WAS HELPING OUT MY BROTHER AND GODFATHER" Brenda yelled  
" DON'T YOU DARE USE THAT TONE OF VOICE WITH ME YOUNG LADY" Severus yelled  
" THEN DON'T GET IN BETWEEN MY OTHER FAMILY AFFAIRS" Brenda yelled  
" I AM YOUR FATHER, I AM SUPPOSED TO PROTECT YOU. AND ALSO AS A TEACHER I'M SUPPOSED TO PROTECT MY STUDENTS" Severus yelled  
" Well maybe you should learn the facts before you go on accusing innocent people dad" Brenda spat  
" You shouldn't go run after your brother every time he gets himself in trouble" Severus spat  
" I'm a Gryffindor, it's called being brave" Brenda snapped  
" It's called being stupid, being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble" Severus said  
" Oh what? Now you're Muffassa on Lion king? Dad, we don't go looking for trouble, trouble finds us" Brenda explained  
" Trouble didn't find you when you went after the werewolf Lupin" Severus said  
" We got out of there all right" Brenda said  
" Only because another wolf howled and he went after it" Severus said  
" We still got out of there" Brenda said  
" You only get out of situations by pure dumb luck" Severus said  
" Well some good news came out of tonight" Brenda said  
" What good news? You wound up unconscious" Severus said  
" True, but something else happened and I figured out what my patronus is" Brenda said  
Snape lifted an eyebrow  
" Only powerful witches and wizards can cast a patronus and third years are not powerful enough"  
" Then Harry and I are special, because mine is a unicorn" Brenda said, " And Harry's a stag"  
" He cast one too?" Severus asked  
" Yes" Brenda said  
" I guess Lupin taught you something after all" Severus said, " Well I am proud of you, but you are not off the hook"  
" Wasn't planning on being off the hook in the first place" Brenda said  
" Good, because you're getting a spanking" Severus said " I suggest you get your pajamas on first"  
Brenda's eyes were wide  
" Now" Severus said  
Brenda got off the couch and ran to her room  
" You better come back out" Severus called  
Brenda didn't answer, she put her pajamas on and she was taking her sweet time about it  
" Calm down Brenda, you have faced worse, you blacked out too many times to count, you faced the killing curse, a mere spanking is nothing compared to what you faced " Brenda said to herself  
Five minutes later Brenda came out of her room and found Severus sitting on his desk chair in the middle of the room  
" Come here" Severus beckoned  
Brenda shook her head no, " I can't"  
Severus sighed, stood up and walked over to Brenda, grabbed her wrist firmly but not harshly and guided her over to the chair, he sat down again and laid her across his knees  
" Please Dad don't spank me, I'm too old for this" Brenda tried to reason  
Severus wasn't listening  
It came a second later and it still shocked Brenda. She now knew why he wanted her in her pajamas, regular pants give you more protection than pajama bottoms do  
Brenda decided she wasn't going to cry, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry, she wasn't going to cry... she ended up crying  
Severus gave her 5 more swats before he helped Brenda off his lap  
" I hate doing that to you, but your actions have consequences" Severus said  
" I'm not going to be able to sit for at least a week" Brenda thought  
" Come on, it's time for bed, it's late" Severus said  
" It's 2:00 in the morning" Brenda chocked  
" Exactly" Severus said guiding his crying daughter to her bed and tucking her in, " You can get up on your own time"  
Brenda nodded and closed her eyes after wiping her tears away  
" Since tomorrow is Saturday, you are to stay in the apartment all day, you can only come out during meals" Severus said  
" Yes sir" Brenda whispered disappointedly  
The weekend was a long one, Brenda did nothing but a two parchment essay on discipline, it was part of her punishment and it was due on Sunday  
Finally it was a class day and they had Defense Against the Dark Arts that day  
After classes were over Harry and Brenda went to see Lupin, they haven't seen him all weekend except for class  
" Hello you two" Lupin said before they saw him  
" Wow" Brenda said  
" How did you" Harry was cut off  
" Saw you coming" Lupin said  
" How?" Brenda asked  
" The map" Lupin said  
The twins were guilty for putting Lupin through all of that on Friday  
" I looked worse, believe me" Lupin said  
" That was a good glamour you had on professor" Brenda said  
" Thank you Brenda" Lupin said  
Harry looked at the room and he noticed that Lupin was packing  
" Don't tell me you've been sacked" Harry said  
" I haven't been sacked" Lupin said, " I'm leaving on my own"  
" Why? Brenda asked, " Did we do something wrong?"  
" No, it's just that somebody let slip the nature of my condition" Lupin said  
" Dad" Brenda said  
Lupin cringed at that word but nodded, " This time tomorrow everybody will know of my condition and parent's would not want a werewolf teaching them anything"  
" But Dumbledore" Harry started  
" Risked enough on my behalf, besides people like me... well I'm used to this by now... so tell me about your patronuses"  
" Mine is a unicorn" Brenda said happily  
" And mine is a stag" Harry said proudly  
" Ah, your father used to turn into one" Lupin said and then went to the map, " Mischief Managed"  
The map was blank  
" Professor, how do you know about the maps anyways?" Brenda asked  
" My dear ... I'm a Marauder, I helped create it" Lupin said  
The Potters gasped  
" So was Sirius, and James and Peter, there used to be four of them, but one was burned, one was ripped and two were taken away by Filch, These belong to James and Sirius. Mine was ripped and Peters was burned"  
" That is so cool" Brenda said  
" You both may have them if you be careful with them" Lupin said  
" Thank you" Harry and Brenda said together  
" You're welcome, well I better be off" Lupin said and he apparated out of the building  
" I thought people couldn't apparate in and out of Hogwarts grounds" Harry said  
" I guess Dumbledore made an exception for him" Brenda said  
" We should go tell Ron and Hermione about these maps" Harry said  
" Let's go" Brenda said  
" Can you stay out here for a while?" Harry asked  
" Until after dinner" Brenda said  
" Good, lets go" Harry said  
They headed up towards the Gryffindor Tower and everybody was gathered around  
" What's going on?" Harry asked  
" Harry, Brenda, Fred and George told me to open them" Ron said  
" Did not" Fred and George said together  
" Open what?" Brenda asked  
" Show them all ready" Fred said  
Ron stepped back and behind him were two broomsticks  
" Those are Firebolts " George said  
" The fastest brooms yet" Fred said  
" Who... who gave them to us?" Brenda asked  
" There was no note or anything, just a feather" Hermione said  
" A Hippogriff feather" Brenda and Harry said and glanced at each other  
" Let's go try it out" Harry said  
Brenda smiled and almost the whole house followed them outside to the grounds  
" Ready" Harry asked  
" Set" Brenda said  
" Go" They said together  
Nothing happened  
" THEY DON'T WORK" Harry yelled  
" It needs something" Brenda said  
" A FEATHER" They said at the same time  
They put the feathers on the brooms and took off  
Severus went outside to see what the commotion was and saw both Potters riding Firebolts  
" Now where in the world did they get those?" Severus wondered  
Malfoy came out of the castle to see what the commotion was all about and he saw the Potters riding on the fastest model of broom yet  
" How dare they... I can beat them" Malfoy thought  
Malfoy summoned his Nimbus 2001 and flew up  
" HEY POTTERS HOW ABOUT A RACE?" Malfoy asked  
" SHALL WE HARRY?" Brenda asked  
" WE SHALL" Harry said  
" OK MALFOY, FROM THE CASTLE TO THE QUIDDITCH PITCH, AROUND BOTH ENDS OF THE GOALS AND BACK TO THE CASTLE" Brenda said  
" WE DON'T HAVE A REF" Harry said  
" LEAVE THAT TO US" Fred and George called when they reached the three on their cleansweeps  
" AND NOW WE HAVE TWO OF THEM" Brenda said  
" OK YOU ALL KNOW THE RULES, THERE WILL BE NO CHEATING FROM EITHER OF YOU. THIS WILL BE A FAIR RACE GOT IT" George asked  
" GOT IT" The third years said  
" IF YOU FORGET TO GO AROUND ANOTHER GOALPOST, YOU'RE DISQUALIFIED" Fred said  
" GOT IT" The third years said  
" CAN WE RACE NOW OR ARE YOU GOING TO TALK SOME MORE WEASLEYS?" Malfoy asked  
" YOU GUYS NEED A FINISH LINE" Ron yelled  
" OH YAH RIGHT" Fred said  
George called for other Gryffindors  
" NO WE HAVE TOO MANY GRYFFINDORS... I CHOOSE MONTAGUE AND PUCEY" Malfoy said  
The two Slytherin Chasers flew up to the group  
" FINE" George said," MONTAGUE AND I WILL HOLD THE FINISHLINE WHILE FRED AND PUCEY REF THE RACERS"  
"SOUNDS FAIR" Montague said  
" LET'S GO PUCEY" Fred said  
They headed out towards the Quidditch Pitch and the third years lined up  
" ON THE COUNT OF THREE" George said, " 1"  
" 2" Montague said  
" 3" they said together  
The third years were off and racing. Harry and Brenda were tied neck and neck in front but Malfoy wasn't far behind. They got to the Quidditch Pitch and began circling the posts, that part messed up Brenda a bit because she wasn't used to the speed of the broom, she fell behind a few feet but caught up to Malfoy real fast  
" HAVE SOME TROUBLE WITH THE TURNS DID YOU POTTER?" Malfoy said with a laugh  
Brenda glared at Malfoy  
" EAT MY MAGIC" Brenda said and sped passed him  
That made Malfoy mad and he sped up trying to get Brenda. He couldn't get her without using his wand that he had in his pocket. He stopped paying attention to flying while he got it out of his pocket and he discovered he missed the other goal post and slowed down some but he smacked into another post  
" MALFOY ARE YOU OK?" Pucey asked  
Malfoy was dazed for a minute and shook it off, he didn't hit it hard since he was slowing down  
" I'M FINE" Malfoy said  
He went around the goalposts and sped to catch up with his competition  
Harry and Brenda were neck and neck again and they were both laughing  
All of a sudden a jet of red light came flying at Brenda, it was a Stupify, but it missed her by inches  
" WOW THAT'S CHEATING AND DANGEROUS" Brenda yelled, " MALFOY STOP"  
She dodged another Stupify  
Fred and Pucey went after Malfoy, Pucey knew he wasn't playing fair and he was going to try to stop his teammate  
" MALFOY STOP THIS, THIS IS DANGEROUS" Pucey yelled  
Malfoy wasn't listening, he was mad at Brenda  
" Brenda why is he doing this?" Harry thought to her  
" I don't know?" Brenda said, " Just get to the finish line and get back on the ground" Brenda thought back  
Now Malfoy was shooting at Harry as well  
They kept dodging the attacks but they didn't know how long they could dodge them  
Finally they were close enough to where Snape could get Malfoy's wand out of his hand  
" EXPELLIARMUS... ACCIO MR. MALFOY'S WAND" Snape yelled and aimed at Malfoy's wand, " THAT IS ENOUGH DRACO! YOU WILL FINISH THIS RACE THEN GO TO DETENTION!"  
That made Malfoy very mad but he had to finish the race. He had to beat the Potter twins, he can't let two Gryffindors beat him. Malfoy sped with all his power and got in front of the Potters  
" We can't let him beat us Harry" Brenda thought  
" You're right" Harry thought back  
They used all of their power in the broom and sped passed Malfoy and through the finish line  
" IT IS A TIE BETWEEN THE POTTER TWINS" George yelled  
They all flew back to the ground. The Potters were glad to get on the ground, since they were being shot at  
" Are you two ok" Snape asked  
" We're fine" Harry said  
" Good, I don't think Dumbledore would like his star pupils killed by flying a broom, I suggest you two stay on the ground for a while" Snape said then walked over to Malfoy, " We have business to attend to Mr. Malfoy"  
" Professor please don't" Malfoy said, " Wait until my father hears about this"  
" He'll say how you were wrong by using magic while flying, very wrong indeed" Snape said as he took Malfoy by the ear and dragged him down to the dungeons  
" I'm glad he doesn't do that to me" Brenda whispered to her friends  
Nothing exciting happened for the rest of the year. Brenda was still grounded, she figured she was grounded all through summer. Severus grounded her from the broom as well  
Brenda was right, she was grounded throughout the school year and into summer holidays  
Brenda was in her room packing when Severus came in  
" I owled Mrs. Weasley and told her that you are grounded, you are to stay in the bedroom and only come out when told, you understand?" Severus asked  
Brenda stopped packing  
" Why can't I not be grounded at the Weasley's? It's only for a few days" Brenda said  
" Because you are being punished for what you did, Mrs. Weasley doesn't like it but she will abide by my wishes, now I want no complaining young lady" Severus said in a stern voice  
" Yes sir" Brenda said sounding disappointed  
" I will come and collect you in a few days" Severus said  
" Yes sir" Brenda said and went to her room to finish packing  
Finally it was time for her to sneak out of the apartment and up to Gryffindor Tower  
Brenda came out of her room after shrinking her trunk and putting it in her bag and grabbing her cage to get Angel, she spotted Severus by the door, she went to him knowing she was in for another lecture  
" Now remember what I said" Severus said  
" I remember" Brenda said with her head down  
" Are you sure?" Snape asked  
She rolled her eyes " You owled Mrs. Weasley and told her that I'm grounded, I'm to stay in the bedroom and only come out when I'm told" Brenda said boredly, "She doesn't like the idea of me being grounded at her house but she will abide by your wishes, and I'm not to complain, you will come and collect me in a few days"  
" Very good, I'm glad you were paying attention" Severus said  
" I pay attention a lot" Brenda said, " Well I better go up to the Owlery and get Angel" She was trying to find a a way to tell him to get out of her way without being rude  
" Ok" Severus said  
Brenda went past Severus and Severus could sense that Brenda was still mad at being grounded for a long time  
" Brenda how long are you going to be mad at me?" Severus asked  
" I don't think this punishment is fair" Brenda said, " A long time"  
" What would make you happy?" Severus said  
" Not being grounded" Brenda said  
" Besides that" Severus said  
" Worth a shot" Brenda thought and said, " Not being grounded at the Weasley's house"  
" So if I take away your grounding at the Weasley's then you will be in a better mood?" Severus asked  
" Yes" Brenda said  
" Ok, I'll stop the punishment for now, but when we get home you're grounded again... deal?" Severus asked  
Brenda thought about it, she didn't like that she would still be grounded when she got home but it was better than being grounded at the Weasley's so she said, " Deal"  
" Good, I'll floo call Mrs. Weasley and tell her the new arangement, she'll be happier" Severus said  
Brenda put down her owl cage and gave her father a hug  
" Thank you" Brenda said  
Snape smiled a little, " You're welcome"  
Brenda let go  
" I'll see you in a few days then" Severus said  
" Right" Brenda said then picked up the cage and left the dungeons and went up to the Owlery to get Angel  
Finally it was time to leave Hogwarts  
" I'm kind of afraid to go back to the Dursley's, since I blew up Aunt Marge last summer" Harry said  
" Didn't the Ministry erase their memories of the incident?" Hermione asked  
" Only Aunt Marge's memory" Harry said  
" I'm sure they forgot all about that" Brenda said  
" I hope you're right, you're so lucky you get to go with the Weasleys for a while" Harry said  
" It's only for a few days and then I'm grounded at home" Brenda said rolling her eyes  
" At least you're not grounded at our house" Ron said  
" That took a lot of persuading" Brenda said  
They got on the train after saying goodbye to Hagrid  
" So are you going to tell the Dursleys about Sirius?" Brenda asked Harry  
Harry smiled mischievously, " Of course I am, I'm going to tell them that He was our mum and dad's best friend, he's a convicted murderer, broken out of wizard prison and he's on the run. I'm also going to say that he likes to keep in touch to make sure that we're happy"  
Brenda smiled, " That's wonderful, then I don't think any of them will bug you"  
" What if they don't believe you?" Hermione asked  
" Then we'll have to fake a letter to Harry, make believe it's from Sirius, since we actually don't know where he is" Brenda said  
" I wish we did, I'd like to thank him for the broom" Harry said  
" Yah me too" Brenda agreed  
Hours later the Hogwarts Express made it to Kings Cross Station  
" Oh great, back to Summer at the Dursley's" Harry said  
" Don't worry mate, we'll bring you to our house as soon as possible" Ron said  
" I'll look forward to that" Harry said  
The four teens walked out of the wall of 9 3/4 and met up with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and the Grangers  
" There's my parents, I'll write to all of you all the time, I'll see you later" Hermione said  
" Bye Hermione" Brenda said giving her friend a hug  
The three of them waved to their friend then went to the Weasleys  
" How was school you three?" Mrs. Weasley asked  
" The same as every year Mum, easy at first then hard and a major event always happens at the end" Ron said  
Brenda rolled her eyes  
" What was it this year?" Mr. Weasley asked  
" Encountered Sirius Black and found out that he's innocent and the real villain is Peter Pettigrew" Harry said  
" Who was Scabbers" Ron said  
" Peter Pettigrew is an animagus and was impersonating Scabbers?" Mrs. Weasley asked  
" Scary isn't it" Brenda said  
" Sirius Black is innocent?" Mrs. Weasley asked  
" Yes, he's our godfather and he would never betray our parents" Harry said  
" That's good, it shocked me when I heard about Sirius Black betraying James Potter, they were best friends forever" Mr. Weasley said, "I'm glad it wasn't him"  
" So Harry dear, where are your relatives? I want to notify them that we will let you stay with us later in the summer" Mrs. Weasley said  
" Oh... um..." Harry stammered  
" BOY" Uncle Vernon Yelled  
" Well there's Uncle Vernon" Harry said pointing to a large man with a mustache  
Dudley was standing next to Vernon  
" He's gotten fatter since the last time I saw him" Brenda thought to Harry  
" Oh yah" Harry agreed  
" Wonderful, I'll go have a talk with your Aunt and Uncle then" Mrs. Weasley said as the whole group went up to them and Dudley was starting to shake and Vernon was getting mad  
" Hello there, I'm Molly Weasley, I'm Ron Weasley's mother" Mrs. Weasley said  
" Who's Ron Weasley?" Vernon asked, " One of Potter's freak friends?  
" FREAK?" The Weasleys and Brenda asked  
" Mr. Dursley, don't you dare call our kind freaks, you muggle you" Mr. Weasley said  
" To answer your question Uncle Vernon, Ron Weasley is one of our friends, but I assure you, we are not freaks" Brenda said  
Vernon's face was turning purple  
" We are notifying you that later this summer we will be stopping by and picking Harry up, he will then spend the rest of the summer with us" Mrs. Weasley said  
" And what if I deny him to stay at your house?" Vernon asked  
" Put it this way Uncle Vernon, If I go with them, then it's less time you have to see me" Harry said  
Vernon thought about it, " FINE! When will you be picking him up?"  
" We don't know, whenever we get the ok from Dumbledore" Mr. Weasley said  
" Dumbledore? That Crackpot that sent him his letter in the first place?" Vernon said  
The whole magical group gave Vernon a dirty look  
" Don't you dare call Dumbledore a Crackpot" Fred said  
" It's not good to insult the headmaster of Hogwarts who has been there for generations in front of loyal witches and wizards" George said  
" You never know when a witch or wizard would get mad and use a bit of... magic" Fred said knowing that Vernon hated the word magic since Harry told him so  
Vernon's face turned even purpler  
" Dad can we go? I don't like these people" Dudley said  
" Go ahead and leave, we are through discussing the summer" Mr. Weasley said  
" Come on Boy" Vernon said  
" His name is Harry" Ron said  
Vernon glared at the lot  
" I said come on" Vernon said  
" I'm coming I'm coming" Harry said  
Harry was very amused at the argument that just occurred  
" Well then, I guess we better be off too" Mrs. Weasley said, " come along"  
" Did my dad tell you that I'm not grounded at your house?" Brenda asked  
" Yes he did dear, and I'm glad he said so too, it's no fun being grounded at friends' houses" Mrs. Weasley said  
" Yey no grounding at our house, now we can have some fun" Fred said with a wink  
" We should play Quidditch" George said  
" We will, we always do" Brenda said  
" After you degnome the garden" Mrs. Weasley said  
The boys and Ginny groaned  
" Don't make me put you back on the schedule you were all on last year" Mrs. Weasley warned  
" That didn't last long" Fred whispered to George  
The Weasleys and Brenda went to the magical building and flooed back to the Burrow  
When they got to the Burrow the teenagers went outside to degnome the garden, there was a lot of complaining from the Weasleys  
" I can't believe you think this is fun" Ron said throwing a gnome over the fence  
Brenda rolled her eyes, " It doesn't take very long if we all work together" She flung one over the fence  
" Muggles have it easy, they don't have this problem" Fred said flinging one over the fence and it landed on the one that Ron threw  
" True, but Muggles can't do magic at all, they have to do everything by hand" Brenda said trying to grab another gnome  
" Everything?" George asked surprised  
" Everything, dishes, cooking, cleaning, turning on a light... although now they have technology where you can clap and the light turns on, if a muggle is sick they can't just take a potion and be better in a few hours, it takes days and sometimes weeks, or even years in some serious cases" Brenda said  
" So what is the function of a rubber duck" Fred asked  
" It's just a toy" Brenda said  
" Dad asked Harry that two summers ago" Ron said  
" Yah but he didn't get an answer since the mail came with our school letters" Fred said, " And now thanks to our Brenda here we know the answer"  
After they degnomed the garden they played Quidditch. One team was Fred, Brenda, the other was George and Ron, Ginny was the ref  
" You know this is a lot better with Harry here" George said  
" Yah then everybody can play and we don't need a ref" Ginny said  
" So let's play hide and seek, we have enough people for that" Brenda said  
" What's that?" The twins asked  
" You never played hide and seek? What did you play when you were young?" Brenda asked  
" Quidditch, tag, keep a way, magic spells for kids, broom racing" Ron said listing some things  
" But kids can't have brooms" Brenda said  
" They're toy brooms that let you get up to about five feet off the ground" George said  
" So what's hide and seek?" George asked  
" Well somebody is it just like in tag and they have to close their eyes and count to... lets say 40... then while they are counting the others run and hide. When It is done counting he or she tries to find the people, there are two ways to play it, you can play it with a base so everybody is safe when they tag base, or play it where you have to stay in your spot until you're found. Who ever is tagged first is it" Brenda said  
" Sounds fun" George said  
" Sounds confusing" Ron said, " Too many rules"  
" Let's play" Fred said  
" Who's it" Ginny said  
They played hide and seek the rest of the day  
Brenda was at the Weasley's for three days and then Severus picked her up  
" How was she acting? She was behaving I hope" Severus said  
" She always behaves well here, she talked the boys into the schedule again" Mrs. Weasley said  
Snape smirked  
" I hope this time it lasts longer" Mrs. Weasley said  
" Well I thank you for watching her for a few days, but we must be going" Severus said and looked at Brenda  
" Oh great I'm grounded again" Brenda thought  
Brenda said goodbye to the whole Weasley family  
" So you're coming back later this summer right?" Mrs. Weasley asked  
" I think so, if you want me to" Brenda said  
" Of course we do dear" Mrs. Weasley said, " You're like one of the family"  
" Brenda with your red hair, you could be a Weasley" Fred said  
Brenda chuckled and Severus rolled his eyes then looked at his watch  
" Brenda it's time to go" Severus said  
" Ok, I'm coming" Brenda said  
" Brenda are you sure you don't want us to go in before you and catch you on the other side" Fred asked  
" Ha ha very funny, I'm quite used to the floo by now thank you very much" Brenda said with a grin  
" Ok if you're sure" Fred said  
" I'm very sure" Brenda said  
Snape went first and then Brenda waved one more time and stepped into the floo  
" SNAPE MANOR" Brenda yelled and threw down the floo powder, she was in a swirl of green and disappeared from the fireplace and landed in the fireplace in the sitting room  
" Yay Master and Ms. Brenda are back. Minnie is so happy you had a safe return" Minnie said, " Minnie is been cleaning Master's house, Minnie has"  
" Very good Minnie" Severus said  
Minnie smiled  
Once Brenda brushed off the soot she stepped out of the fireplace, picked up her bag with her stuff in it and headed upstairs to her room to shower and unpack  
" I'm grounded once again, I so hope it's not for all the summer" Brenda thought while she was turning on the water  
She took a long hot shower and just thought most of the time about the past events. Finally when she did get out she dried off and got dressed then started unpacking her things  
Minnie popped in her room when she was unpacking  
" Does Ms. Brenda need help?" Minnie asked  
" No thanks Minnie, I'm almost done" Brenda said  
" Master said once you're done, come down to dinner" Minnie said  
Brenda looked at her watch, "It's 6:30 already?"  
" 6:20... close enough" Minnie said  
" Ok" Brenda said  
Brenda finished unpacking and headed downstairs and sat at her place at the dining room table  
" Are you unpacked?" Severus asked  
" Yes sir" Brenda said  
" Good" Severus said  
Minnie came out with the Dinner  
" Minnie is so glad that her family is home, she is" Minnie said as she set down the dinner plates in front of them then she popped back to whatever house elves do in their spare time  
" Well I hope you had a fun time at the Weasley's" Severus said  
" Yes sir, I did" Brenda said  
" So what all did you do?" Severus asked  
" Well after we degnomed the garden for Mrs. Weasley we tried playing Quidditch, but that doesn't work with five people" Brenda said  
" Didn't Percy want to play?" Severus asked  
" Percy never wants to play" Brenda said, " All he likes to do is study, he's worse than Hermione and me"  
" So when that didn't work then what did you do?" Severus asked  
"We played hide and seek... it's a muggle game" Brenda said  
" I know what it is, I used to play it when I was young, I... lived in a muggle town" Severus said  
Brenda was and looked surprised and with the look on Brenda's face, Severus smirked  
" Anyway, we played that for a while then they taught me how to play some wizard games" Brenda said, " It would have been cool growing up in the wizarding world, flying on brooms as a kid... well five feet up in the air, it's still cool"  
Severus was lost in thought by this time  
Brenda told him about the rest of her three days and then discovered Severus was in his own little world  
" Dad are you ok?" Brenda asked  
" What? Oh...yes... finish your dinner then get upstairs, you're grounded remember" Severus said  
Brenda discreetly rolled her eyes and finished her dinner  
Severus went back to his own little world  
Brenda really hated being grounded. She had no flying time since she was grounded from that, she really wanted to fly on her new broom really bad, she was also grounded from her free time and in place of that she had to read in the living room when Severus was grading papers and potions from the finals  
Severus hasn't gotten to the third years yet, he was on the fourth years and he knew Brenda was watching him  
" You know you don't always have to watch me while I grade the finals" Severus said, " I'll tell you when I'm grading yours, I just started the fourth years"  
Brenda nodded and went back to her book  
Severus didn't get done with the fourth years until the next day  
" You know Dad, if you didn't assign long assignments it wouldn't take you two days to finish one year" Brenda said when he finished his last fourth year paper  
" They're not long assignments, it just takes long to grade because I need to make sure they have all the ingredients in the potion, they wrote down the potion correctly and spelled it all right, that is what I grade on, the potion, the potion ingredients list, the steps on making it, and spelling" Severus informed her  
" So basically you're an English teacher too" Brenda joked  
" You could say that" Severus said  
Brenda nodded and went back to her book  
" So what are you reading?" Severus asked  
" Titanic" Brenda said flipping a page, " I'm at the part where Rose and Jack are at the back of the ship looking like they're flying"  
" Titanic? I don't think I have heard of that book" Severus informed  
" Have you heard of Titanic?" Brenda questioned  
" Well yes I've heard of the Titanic, didn't know they made a book out of it" Severus stated  
" They also made a movie" Brenda informed, " This is based off the movie... maybe you'd like to read it"  
" I'm not really into love stories" Severus informed and asked, " It is a love story right?"  
" Yes you could say that" Brenda said, " The main characters do fall in love but it's also a sad story"  
" No offense but I think I'll pass" Severus said and went back to grading papers, " I'll tell you when I'm at yours if you want to see it"  
Brenda nodded and went back to her book. Brenda finished the book before Severus got to her final and she was bored so she did what she always does when he grades finals, he watches him from her seat thinking about which person he's on and what year, he was on third year and just finished grading Hermione's she only had two errors on her paper, she would still get an O. Next was Wayne Hopkins' who was a Hufflepuff  
" He has a long way to go" Brenda thought to herself and sighed  
Severus could tell that Brenda was bored and that she finished her book and it was making him uncomfortable that she kept staring at him so he stopped his grading and looked at her, " How long are you going to stare" Severus questioned  
" I'm just timing you how long it takes you to finish one final, so far it has taken you 45 minutes for each one" Brenda informed  
" At this rate I'm not going to get much grading done, why don't you go to your room or something" Severus suggested, " I told you I'll tell you when I'm grading yours"  
" Can I go outside and fly?" Brenda asked and hoped  
" Nice try but no, you may go to your room and finish up your summer homework" Severus said  
" I don't have any homework to do, I finished it, I do have a lot of time on my hands since I'm grounded sir" Brenda informed  
" Well then go read another book in your room" Severus commanded  
Brenda got up and muttered, " I read all the books on my bookshelf five times"  
Snape heard what she said, " So go to the library and get a different book, surely you can find something there you haven't read"  
Brenda discreetly rolled her eyes and thought, " I read half of those books over the summers. Wow I have no life in the summer" She left the living room and headed up to the library  
It was 7:30pm and Severus still hasn't gotten to Brenda's potions final yet and she was in the library reading a book that was very interesting and once she finished that one she found two other books and finished half of one of those books that she surprisingly didn't read yet, or... she didn't remember reading, the book she picked out was actually a Legilimens book she read during her second year and she had in her hands the Occlumens book  
" This is really interesting, why does it seem so familiar?" Brenda thought to herself  
Minnie popped in her room  
Brenda jumped, " Wow you scared me"  
" Minnie is sorry Minnie scared Ms Brenda, Master wanted to know if you wanted to see what you got on your final" Minnie said  
Brenda smiled and closed her book, " Thanks Minnie, I do want to know what I got"  
Brenda raced downstairs and into the living room  
" You sound like a heard of elephants coming down the stairs, your grade isn't going anywhere" Severus informed and he rolled his eyes  
" Sorry, I'm just anxious" Brenda replied  
" Well you'll be happy to know, like always you achieved an O on your final" Severus informed  
Brenda smiled  
" Well what would you expect? You got an O every year on your final and on your papers" Severus said  
" I know, hey Hermione is worries about her grades too but she usually gets Os" Brenda said, " So are you going to grade Harry's next?"  
" Yes" Said Severus, " And let me guess, you want to know what he got right"  
" Right" Brenda said  
" You know I can get in trouble by letting a student look at another students grade" Severus said  
" Harry's my brother, if things were different I'd see his grade anyway when he got his grades" Brenda explained  
Severus looked at her and rolled his eyes, " Oh all right, you win, but according to you it takes 45 minutes, so either make yourself comfortable down here or go back up to your room, this will take a while"  
" Well then I'll see you in 45 minutes, I'm reading a good book upstairs" Brenda said and she walked out of the living room  
It took Severus a week to finish all of the finals and Brenda was glad that Harry and Ron at least did better than Crabbe, Goyle and Neville, she was disappointed that Neville didn't do well though  
" I thought Mr. Longbottom had more potential than this, he got a P" Severus said  
" He has a lot of potential" Brenda said  
" Then why does he keep failing my class?" Severus asked, " He's in your house"  
" Well do you really want to know?" Brenda asked not sure if she wanted to tell or not  
" I really want to know" Severus said  
" Well you already know that he's scared of you" Brenda started  
" What does that have to do with anything" Severus interrupted, " Surely that isn't the reason why he can't do good in my class"  
" He gets so nervous when he's around you and he can't think properly when he's that nervous so he miss reads the directions, or adds to much of an ingredient, if you let somebody help him then I'm sure he will get better" Brenda explained  
" So you think it would be wise for him to have a tutor?" Severus asked  
" That or, don't yell at him too much and don't hover over him... that makes everybody nervous" Brenda said, " You doing that made Hermione fluster and get an A on that one potion on that one day, she was crying for a week"  
" Harry and Ron both got Ps on that one" Severus said remembering  
" You hovered a lot that day" Brenda stated  
" Yes I was in a foul mood that day" Severus said, " I tend to make others miserable when I am"  
" I don't doubt that" Brenda thought  
" I ended up failing half the class, including the Slytherins" Severus said, " So... less hovering will make people do better in my class?"  
" Yes" Brenda said, " You will still have the scary mean act if you don't hover, you seem to make students shiver with glares and well your tone of voice"  
" I'm surprised you never asked me why I do the scary mean act" Severus said  
" Because you're a Death Eater" Brenda said  
Snape's eyes widened  
" I saw your Dark Mark today when you were grading the finals" Brenda said  
" And you're not afraid?" Severus asked  
" Well it did surprise me at first but then I thought, if you really wanted to kill me you would have done it already" Brenda said  
" How do you know it's a dark mark?" Severus asked  
" Read about the Dark Mark in a book" Brenda said  
" Which book" Severus asked suspicious  
" Well, the one on the very top of a bookshelf... it fell down, I don't know how but it was called The Dark Arts: Death Eaters Addition... just reading that got me hooked on reading it and it showed a picture of the Dark Mark" Brenda said  
" Didn't I tell you not to read the books you can't reach?" Severus asked  
" It fell and I was curious, I thought it would be interesting to read, Harry and I seem to battle Vold... You Know Who every year in a shape or form, I thought it could help us out somehow. It was pretty interesting" Brenda said  
" There was a reason why I didn't want you to read those, they are not meant for students" Severus scolded  
" I'm sorry, it just fell" Brenda said  
" How did it just fall?" Severus asked, " None of the books just fall"  
" I don't know, it just did" Brenda said, " How else would I get it? There are no ladders and I didn't accio it down because you took my wand away because I'm grounded"  
" Well you do have a point there... but there is something called wandless magic" Severus said  
" I don't know how to do that" Brenda said  
" Yes you are kind of young for that" Severus agreed  
" I swear it just fell" Brenda said, " And I swear not to tell anybody without your permission"  
" You promise?" Severus asked  
" Promise" Brenda said  
" Ok" Severus said, " I suggest you don't read any more books on the top shelves"  
" Got it" Brenda said  
Severus went to the library and found the book on the end table and made it float back up to it's spot

Brenda was finally ungrounded a week later and she had permission to fly on her broom, she was really happy about that.  
One day, at night, she was reading in her room when she finally finished a book. She went to go put it on her bookshelf and she dropped her bookmark. She picked it up and noticed that there was a crack at the bottom of the bookshelf  
" That's odd" Brenda thought  
She put her book back on the shelf and then examined the crack. It didn't look like a regular wearing out crack you would see on something this old, it was like a crack that was human made, it was evened out. Brenda got a pair of scissors and used them to pry the crack open more. To Brenda's surprise the bottom of the bookshelf had a little compartment in it and in the compartment was a key  
" This is cool" Brenda thought taking the key out, " I wonder where it goes to"  
On the key were a bunch of numbers, 1-10  
" Ok that's even weirder" Brenda thought  
Brenda looked at the bookshelf and looked at it closely, on the bookshelf there were 10 shelves on the bookcase. Brenda squinted at the shelves and she saw numbers 1-10 on them  
" That is very strange" Brenda thought, " Why would their be a key inside a bookshelf with numbers on them and numbers on book shelves?"  
Brenda looked at the key and then the shelves, " I wonder, maybe there is something behind here" She touched the tip of the key to each number, when she got to number ten she waited for a moment for something to happen. In the middle of the bookshelf a lock appeared. " Wow this is so cool" Brenda thought and then unlocked the lock and opened the bookshelf completely. There was a path leading somewhere  
" I think I better take my wand" Brenda thought grabbing her wand that she finally got back since she wasn't grounded any longer. Then she went back to the bookshelf, went inside and closed the door, " LUMOS"  
Her wand lit up  
Brenda walked for about two minutes and then she came to a flight of stairs that didn't look old at all. Brenda carefully went down the stairs and it led her to a room that was locked  
" Alohormora" Brenda said, but it didn't work so she tried the key and the key worked, " This is so cool"  
She opened the door and to her excitement and surprise she was in a lit up potions lab  
" Wicked" Brenda whispered, she's been hanging around Ron too long  
Brenda had to check this room out  
Inside the lab she found five cauldrons, a shelf full of vials and corks, and numerous potions ingredients that don't look bad, and there was also a bookshelf that had potions books on it  
" I wonder if dad knows about this" Brenda said to herself, " I don't think he does or he'd use this stuff... wait a minute this could be one of the many forbidden rooms"  
Brenda looked around in a panic but didn't see anything dangerous, " I don't think he knows about this, he only has the one lab that is nowhere near this one" she thought, " Wow a secret potions lab, I wonder whose it used to be"  
She looked around for any name of sorts and found one, well just the initials of HJP  
" I wonder what HJP stands for... besides the obvious, but if I ask dad then he'll figure out about this secret, I want to keep this for myself, it is so cool, I wont ask him about it" She thought  
She found that their was a potions book open to a page on how to get rid of burns  
" Use a burn salve" Brenda thought while reading the page, then she looked at another page and it said how to get rid of a tattoo, " That is new" she thought  
Brenda was so caught up in reading she was almost late for bed but she made it back out in time before Severus came to check on her  
" You were supposed to come down" Severus said  
" I know, I'm sorry, this is such a good book I forgot the time" Brenda said  
" Well, no harm done, at least you were reading, it doesn't really matter where you read I guess" Severus said then eyed the book  
" What book are you reading anyway?"  
" The Wizard of Oz... it's really cheesy the wizard isn't even real and all it is is a floating head, but it's a classic" Brenda said  
" Oh yes, The Wizard of Oz, a lot of muggle borns know that book and people who grew up around muggles, I always thought it was... cheesy too" Severus said  
" I don't like how muggles view witches, green with warts? I don't think so, and there is no such thing as a flying monkey, and we only wear the pointy hats on special occasions, and good witches don't fly around in pink bubbles" Brenda was scolding the book  
" Wow this is amusing, you're scolding a book" Severus chuckled  
" Well the book is wrong" Brenda said  
" Don't forget, it was made by muggles" Severus said  
" Yah but the witch has the potion wrong, poppies don't put people to sleep" Brenda said  
" Yes every witch and wizard knows that... well if they study that is... and remember what they learn" Severus said  
" This story just gives magical people a bad name, I'm just saying" Brenda said with a sigh  
" You're right, but it is kind of amusing how the muggles think about us, how wrong they really are" Severus said, " Well it's time for you to get to bed"  
" Ok, I read this book too many times anyway" Brenda said getting off her bed and putting the book back on the shelf and climbed back in bed and Severus tucked her in  
" You know I'm 13 almost 14, I don't need to be tucked in" Brenda said smiling  
" Well I like tucking you in, just deal with it" Severus teased and kissed her forehead  
Brenda rolled her eyes, " If only people knew the real you... Goodnight Dad"  
" Good night Brenda" Severus said


	4. Chapter 4

Brenda has been spending most of her free time writing letters to her friends and down in the potions lab. She was making a potion for her father, she got the idea from HJP, the burn salve and the tattoo cream, she was trying to make a death mark removal salve, it wouldn't be ready yet, it has to simmer for nine months before anything else could be added to it.  
She got an owl when the two were in the living room and it was from Ron, Brenda opened it and read it " Oh that is so cool" Brenda said aloud.  
" What is so cool?" Severus asked from his desk.  
" Ron invited me to go to the Quidditch World Cup, can I go?" Brenda asked.  
" When is it?" Severus asked taking a sip of his tea.  
" Two days before you usually drop me off at the Weasley's" Brenda said looking at the letter.  
" Did he get permission to invite you from his parents?" Severus asked.  
" Yes, he said that right here" Brenda said getting up from her seat and showing her father.  
" That's good" Severus said.  
" So can I go?" Brenda asked.  
" Hold on, let me floo call Mrs. Weasley" Severus said getting up from his chair and walking over to the fireplace and floo called Mrs. Weasley.  
" Oh how are you Severus? Did Brenda get Ron's letter?" Mrs. Weasley asked.  
" Yes she did Molly, I was just making sure that it's ok with you that she comes to your house early" Severus said.  
" Of course it is, we love it when she comes over" Mrs. Weasley said, " Harry and Hermione are coming too."  
" When do you want her over?" Severus asked.  
" Is tomorrow too soon?" Mrs. Weasley asked.  
" Not at all, we will floo at 2:00 pm" Severus said.  
" Not a problem, we look forward of your coming? Mrs. Weasley said.  
" Good, thank you Molly" Severus said.  
" You're welcome" Mrs. Weasley said.  
Severus ended the call.  
" Well" Brenda asked.  
" You better get packed, you're leaving tomorrow" Severus said.  
" YES! Thank you thank you thank you" Brenda said excitedly and gave Severus a hug.  
" You're welcome" Severus said smiling.  
Brenda ran upstairs to her room and started packing for the school year, she made sure that she didn't forget anything down in the secret lab and that the potion she was brewing was safe and nothing would happen to it. She made sure she locked up the bookshelf and put the key back in the compartment and finished packing everything else.  
The next day Brenda did last minute checks, making sure she didn't leave anything important in the library, outside, in the living room, under her bed, or anywhere else, she made sure Angel knew where to find her if Angel needed to find her then she shrunk her trunk and put it in her bag, then she waited patiently for 2:00.  
" Are you ready Brenda?" Severus asked.  
" Yes sir" Brenda said.  
Severus nodded and Brenda went to the fireplace and flooed to the Burrow and met Ron and the twins first  
" Wow Brenda long time no see" Fred said giving Brenda a hug.  
" Fred now you're all sooty" Brenda said laughing.  
" You two better get out of the way, No doubt Snape is coming through" Ron said.  
" Where's your trunk?" Fred asked.  
" In my bag, it's a simple spell I learned a couple years ago, it shrinks your things, it's quite useful" Brenda said and they got out of the fireplace in time too because Severus landed a second later.  
" Good Afternoon Professor Snape" Fred and George said at the same time.  
" Good Afternoon" Severus said and thought, " That sounded rehearsed," then said, " Well Brenda I hope you have a good time and you better be on your best behavior."  
" Yes sir" Brenda said.  
" Don't worry Severus, she is always on her best behavior" Mrs. Weasley said coming from the kitchen.  
Severus thought, " Then you don't know her very well" and smirked.  
" Good" Severus said, " Well I better go, I'm brewing a few healing potions for the next term for Poppy... I will see all of you at the start of term" Severus gave them all a glare that made the Weasley teens shiver and made Severus smirk, Brenda just rolled her eyes and chuckled  
Brenda gave Severus a hug and then Severus flooed out.  
" How can't that glare scare you?" Ron asked when Severus was out of ear shot  
" Well I live with the man, he does it to scare people" Brenda said.  
" Well it works" Fred said  
Brenda smiled and rolled her eyes, " So is Harry and Hermione here yet?"  
" Not yet dear, Hermione can't get here until the day before the game, We're getting Harry tomorrow" Mrs. Weasley said  
" Sounds good" Brenda said, " The less time at the Dursley's the better"  
That night, Brenda had a horrifying dream.  
First in the dream there was an old man who lit a gas oven with a match, he was preparing his dinner. He noticed a light in the large house opposite his and he went to investigate.  
" Bloody Kids" the man said walking up to the house with a lit he got to the house he opened the front door and went inside the dark room. He climbed the stairs and he heard whispers coming from upstairs. He eves dropped on the conversation  
" Why do we have to have both of them? What if we did it with... some other person" Wormtail said  
" Are you defying me Wormtail?" Voldemort accused  
" Oh no no no my Lord. I only meant... perhaps if we were to do it without the twins" Wormtail said  
" NO!" Voldemort yelled, " The twins are everything, it cannot be done without them and it will be done exactly how I say"  
"I will not disappoint you my lord"A guy said  
" Good. First, you need to gather our old comrades. Send them the sign" Voldemort said  
While the old man was eves dropping a snake slithered around his legs and went inside the room and spoke a language the old man didn't understand  
" Nagini tells me the old Caretaker is standing outside the door" Voldemort said, " Wormtail why don't you invite our guest in?"  
" Yes my lord" Wormtail said, opened the door and grabbed the startled man by the arm, " Won't you come in?"  
The Caretaker was at a loss of words  
" Let me give our guest a proper greeting" Voldemort said, " AVADA KADAVRA"  
Brenda woke up screaming and holding her scar. She accidently woke up Ginny  
" Brenda what's wrong?" Ginny said getting out of bed  
" What" Brenda asked still holding her scar  
" You woke up screaming" Ginny said  
" I'm sorry, I just had a horrible nightmare" Brenda said  
" Why are you holding your scar?" Ginny asked  
" It was about Vold( she saw the cringe Ginny made) sorry... you know who, it always hurts when I dream about him" Brenda explained  
" Are you going to be all right?" Ginny asked  
" Yah I'm fine, sorry I woke you" Brenda said  
" That's ok... well goodnight" Ginny said laying back down  
" Night" Brenda said and had trouble going back to sleep  
Harry had the same exact nightmare  
The next day, everybody was getting ready to get Harry  
" So how are we going to get him?" Brenda asked  
" By floo" Mr. Weasley said  
" I don't think the Dursleys would like that very much" Brenda thought but nodded  
" So dad what time are we leaving to pick Harry up?" Fred asked  
" 5:00" Mr. Weasley said  
" Why so late?" Ron asked  
" Because Ronald, you still need to clean your room, and it will take that long for you to do that" Mrs. Weasley said  
Ron groaned  
" Even if we help?" Brenda asked  
" It would take ten if you didn't help" Mrs. Weasley said  
" Wow a room that messy... and it's just the summer" Brenda teased  
Ron rolled his eyes  
" Well we better go help little Ronikins then" George teased, " He needs all the help he can get"  
" See you all in a few hours" Fred said to his parents  
The teens headed up to Ron's room and George opened the door and looked inside  
" Brenda I don't want you to come in here yet" Ron said stopping her  
" Why? I'm supposed to help clean your room" Brenda said confused  
Fred looked inside," Ron has clothes thrown every which way in there... it's not a pretty sight" he said and laughed  
" You can't walk in here"George said  
" And the smell is horrible" Ginny put in  
Ron's face turned almost as red as his hair, " You can come in when I say you can ok Brenda"  
" Ok" Brenda said  
The Weasley Siblings went inside Ron's room and Brenda got a glimpse at what it looked like  
" Oh that's what he didn't want me to see, gross, he threw his underwear every which way" Brenda thought  
" We'll help pick up the clothes but you're picking up your own underwear" George said  
" I don't know why you just didn't put your clothes in the hamper" Ginny said  
" I did, but then I lost something and that is why my room is messy, I was looking for it" Ron said  
" What exactly were you looking for" Fred asked  
" My potions homework" Ron said, " Pig stole it and hid it somewhere in here, I still can't find it"  
" So redo it" Fred said  
" Are you crazy? It took me forever to finish it" Ron said  
" Well now we have a potions mistress in training, I'm sure she'll help you, she loves potions and she lives with the potions professor" Fred said  
Finally all the clothes were in the hamper and out of the way  
" Ok Brenda you can come in now" Ron said  
Brenda came in and said, " Of course I'll help you on your potions"  
Ron's face turned red, " You heard that?"  
" I heard everything, I was just outside the door" Brenda said, " So Pigs you're new owl?"  
" Yah, he's bloody fast but a bloody handful" Ron said  
" It replaced Scabbers" George said  
Brenda glared at the word Scabbers  
" Oops sorry Brenda" George said  
" I'm going to kill Wormtail" Brenda whispered  
" Ok new topic... cleaning Ron's room" Fred said  
They continued the task of cleaning Ron's room which did take them at least five hours to make it presentable to guests sleeping in there  
" That would have been so much easier with magic" George said laying down on the bed exhausted"  
" I now see why it took five hours, we worked for three hours and took a two hour break" Ginny said  
" No we didn't, we did not work nonstop for three hours only and take a two hour break" Ron argued  
"Ginny did the math and that's what it came down to, in all we worked for three hours and in all we had a break for two hours" Brenda explained  
" Oh, then why didn't you tell me?" Ron asked  
Ginny and Brenda rolled their eyes  
Finally it was time to pick Harry up  
" I really want to see what the Dursley's house looks like and what that cousin of yours looks like" Fred said  
" Harry wrote that he weighs about as much as a young killer whale" Ron said  
" Yah that's what he wrote to me too" Brenda said smiling  
" Well let's not keep Harry waiting any longer" Mr. Weasley said and he took a hand full of floopowder and flooed to number Four Private Drive  
" Right well I'm next then George... we are still going to catch you Brenda" Fred said smiling then gave Brenda a wink and stepped in the fireplace and flooed to Number Four Private Drive  
Brenda smiled then rolled her eyes as Fred disappeared  
" We don't want you to get hurt" George teased and flooed also  
" Ginny your brothers are dorks" Brenda said  
" I know" Ginny said  
" Hey, did you mean me too?" Ron asked  
Brenda nodded and took the floo powder and flooed to the Dursley's  
" OW! Brenda not you too" Mr. Weasley said  
" What's going on here?" Brenda asked  
" The fireplace is boarded up" George said  
All of a sudden Ron arrived  
" OW" Everybody yelled  
" Harry... Harry can you hear us?" Mr. Weasley called  
" Mr. Weasley is that you?" Harry asked  
" Yes, why is the fireplace boarded up?" Mr. Weasley asked  
" Because the Dursleys have an electric fire" Harry said  
" You mean with a plug?" Mr. Weasley asked  
" Yes sir" Harry said  
" Harry can you get these boards off? Everybody is flooing here, it's cramped" Brenda said  
" Brenda is that you?" Harry said  
" No it's your other sister... yes it's me, can you please get these boards off the fireplace?" Brenda asked  
" No I'll do it, this is getting to cramped... Harry stand back" Mr. Weasley said  
Harry knew what was going to happen and he stepped back but Vernon went forward to ask what was going on  
" BOMBARDA" Mr. Weasley yelled  
The boards exploded and Vernon went flying a few feet and the Weasleys and Brenda all fell to the floor at the same time and Petunia screamed because her perfect clean living room was dirty and she almost fainted but Vernon gained his balance and caught her  
" Well that's better" Mr. Weasley said dusting himself off  
" You... you... YOU DIRTIED MY LIVING ROOM" Petunia shrieked when she got her balance back  
" Sorry about that" Mr. Weasley said, " It's all my fault, I had this fireplace connected to the floo booked for the afternoon so we could get Harry, it didn't occur to me it would be blocked... muggle fireplaces aren't supposed to be connected to the floo, but I got special permission... I can easily repair the damages, I'll do that when I send the teens through it and then I'll Disapparate"  
" Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon have know idea what Mr. Weasleys talking about" Harry thought which made Brenda chuckle  
" There you are Harry, do you have your trunk packed and ready to go?" Mr. Weasley asked  
" Yes, it's upstairs in my room, and my broom is in the cupboard" Harry said  
" We'll get the trunk" Fred and George volunteered and ran upstairs, they knew where it was since they had to rescue Harry during their fourth year and his second year  
" I think they just want to see what Dudley looks like" Harry thought to Brenda  
" I wouldn't doubt it... is he really the size of a killer whale?" Brenda thought back  
" Pretty close" Harry thought"  
" Well, this is a very nice... place you got here" Mr. Weasley said trying to end the silence  
Since the place was messy, Petunia didn't take that as a compliment, she looked like she was ready to kill someone or something, Vernon didn't look that happy either  
Mr. Weasley started investigating the muggle appliances and started talking about plugs and batteries and the Dursley's faces turned from anger to this guy is nuts looking. Dudley finally came down along with Fred and George who were thumping the trunk down. Dudley looked very scared and tried hiding behind his father, but he was too fat and he couldn't conceal himself  
" Ah so this must be Dudley, right Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked desperate for conversation  
" Uh... Yah... that's Dudley" Harry said and looked at Ron and Brenda who looked like they wanted to laugh... hard  
" So Dudley did you have a nice holiday?" Mr. Weasley asked confused by the large boy's behavior, his hands were on his butt and he kept squeezing them tighter  
" Give the boy a pigs tail once and he's scared for life" Harry thought and it almost made Brenda laugh out loud  
Fred and George finally got down the steps and into the living room and saw Dudley who was squeezing his butt  
The Weasley Twins grinned  
" Ok well, I guess it's time to go... Harry grab your broom and lets get back" Mr. Weasley said  
Harry nodded and went to the cupboard to grab it  
Mr. Weasley took out his wand and the Dursleys automatically backed up  
Brenda looked at them and lifted an eyebrow and rolled her eyes  
" Incendio" Mr. Weasley said and a blazing fire was in the fireplace  
" Ok, Fred you're first" Mr. Weasley said  
" Ok" Fred said and all of a sudden a bag of colorful toffees fell out of his pocket, " Oh no, hold on" They scattered every which way and he hurriedly was picking them up and stashing them back in his pocket then after waving to the Dursleys flooed back to the Burrow  
Petunia gasped when she saw the boy disappear  
" Ok George, you're next and take the trunk" Mr. Weasley said  
George did as he was told and also vanished  
" Ok... Ron you're next" Mr. Weasley said  
" See you later" Ron said to the Dursleys and then also flooed to the Burrow  
" Brenda you're next" Mr. Weasley said  
" Bye Aunt Petunia, bye Uncle Vernon" Brenda said and waved  
" Hold it Brenda, you guys, your niece said bye, you never get to see her" Mr. Weasley said  
" Oh it's ok, it's no big deal" Brenda said  
Mr. Weasley cleared his throat  
" Goodbye... Brenda" Petunia said  
" Goodbye" Brenda said again and started going into the fireplace  
She heard a choking noise and Petunia screaming. Brenda and Harry looked at their cousin kneeling by the coffee table gagging on a long purple slimy thing that was coming out of his mouth  
" Oh my god Brenda, that's his tongue" Harry thought to her  
Petunia bent forward and grabbed the end of Dudley's tongue trying to pull it out but that just made things worse. Vernon was yelling and flailing his arms every which way, he was angry and worried for his son  
" DONT WORRY, I CAN SORT HIM OUT" Mr. Weasley yelled taking out his wand and pointing it at Dudley  
That made things worse, Petunia screamed trying to protect her son from magic  
" Please Mrs. Dursley, it's a simple process, I have done it millions of times, It's my son Fred's fault, he's a pratical joker, he bewitched the toffee with an engorgement charm... please I can correct it" Mr. Weasley said  
That made things even worse, Petunia was trying to protect her son even more, Dudley looked like he was sufficating, and Vernon took a china ornament and threw it at Mr. Weasley who had to duck  
" Really just let me help" Mr. Weasley said getting frusterated. He had to duck his head from another ornament  
" Oh for goodness sakes" Brenda said, " EVERYBODY STOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPP" Brenda has a powerful scream that surprisingly worked, everybody quieted and all you could hear was Dudley, " Let him undo the spell, that is the only way to save him"  
" NO" Vernon yelled at his niece and he threw another ornament at his niece and nephew, it almost hit Harry's ear  
" Just go you two, together... it'll work" Mr. Weasley said blasting away an ornament  
Harry and Brenda looked at each other and nodded, then they took floo powder and yelled, " THE BURROW"  
They were spinning in a bunch of green flames  
They landed in the Burrows fireplace barley catching themselves from falling face first  
" Wow that was intense" Harry said  
" Hey you guys did he eat it?" Fred asked excitedly helping them both up  
" Yes he ate it" Brenda said with a glare  
" What was it" Harry asked  
" Ton-tongue toffee" Fred said brightly, " George and I invented them, we have been wanting to test them all summer long"  
They were in the middle of talking and then there was a faint popping noise like somebody just apparated  
" THAT WASN'T FUNNY FRED" Mr. Weasley roared, " Why did you give that to a muggle boy?"  
" It wasn't my fault, it fell out of my pocket" Fred said trying to not get in trouble, " I never told him to eat it"  
" YOU DROPPED IT ON PURPOSE" Mr. Weasley roared, " YOU KNEW PERFECTLY WELL THAT HE'D EAT IT THAT HE WAS ON A DIET"  
" So how big did his tongue get?" George asked excitedly  
" Well before his parents let me shrink it... it was four feet long" Mr. Weasley said  
Harry and the Weasley boys laughed  
" It's not funny" Mr. Weasley said with a glare  
" Dudley could have suffocated to death" Brenda said with a glare  
" That sort of behavior seriously undermines Wizard and Muggle relations! I SPEND HALF OF MY LIFE CAMPAIGNING AGAINST THE MISTREATMENT OF MUGGLES AND MY OWN SONS..." He didn't finish because he was interuped  
" We didn't give it to him because he's a muggle" said Fred  
" We gave it to him because he is a bullying git" said George, " Isn't he Harry"  
" Yes he is Mr. Weasley" Harry said  
" THAT IS NOT THE POINT" Mr. Weasley roared, " Wait until I tell your mother"  
" Tell me what" Mrs. Weasley came in the room, " Oh hi Harry dear... tell me what Arthur"  
" Never mind Molly, Fred and George... But I spoke with them" Mr. Weasley said  
" What have they done this time" Mrs. Weasley asked giving her two sons a glare, " If it has anything to do with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes I'll..."  
" Why don't you show Harry where he's sleeping Ron" Brenda interrupted  
" He knows where my room is" Ron said  
" Lets all go" Brenda said  
" Oh... right" Ron said  
" Yah... We'll come too" George said  
" YOU STAY WHERE YOU ARE GEORGE WEASLEY" Mrs. Weasley yelled  
The Weasley twins cringed as they faced their mother and the younger Weasleys and the Potters went upstairs to Ron's room  
" So what are Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?" Harry asked  
" A bunch of stuff that Fred and George invented" Ginny said  
" Mum found a stack of order forms when she was helping Fred and George clean their room" Ron said  
" We always heard explosions coming from their room, but we didn't know they were inventing anything, they finally stopped when you came over Brenda" Ginny said  
" Mum was mad at them anyway because they didn't get as many O.W.L.s as she thought they would" Ron said  
" And then they told her they wanted to open a joke shop" Ginny said, " She didn't like that at all"  
They went into Ron's room  
" So Harry now that we can talk, did you get the food parcels we sent you?" Brenda asked  
" Yes, you gave me the birthday cupcakes and turkey sandwiches, Hermione gave me sugar free snacks, the meat pies and fruitcake was really good, and I didn't touch the cookies Hagrid made and the birthday cakes were very good" Harry said happily  
" We're glad we can help mate" Ron said, " So have you two heard from... ow"  
Brenda discreetly stepped on Ron's foot  
" Stub your toe on something?" Brenda asked innocently  
Ron glared  
" I think the arguing is finished" Harry said  
" We should go help with dinner" Brenda suggested  
Dinner was very quiet, Mrs. Weasley chewed Fred and George out good and nobody wanted to set the woman off again  
Finally when they were alone Ron asked, " Have you two heard from Sirius lately?"  
" I have twice, he sounds ok, I wrote to him yesterday... how about you Brenda?" Harry asked  
" No letters, I can't get anything past Severus" Brenda said  
" Well hopefully he'll write back while we're here" Harry said, " I'm sure he wants to know how you're doing"  
Brenda nodded  
" Why did you step on my foot Brenda" Ron hissed  
" You were going to say something in front of Ginny" Brenda said  
" Oh... Sorry" Ron said  
Mrs. Weasley finally calmed down when it got closer to the World Cup and finally it was the day before  
" Mum when is Hermione coming?" Ginny asked  
" She'll be here before you lot get out of bed" Mrs. Weasley assured her youngest  
Ginny nodded  
" Well you all have a big day tomorrow, I suggest you turn in early" Mrs. Weasley said  
" We will mum" Fred said  
" That means right now" Mrs. Weasley said  
The teens got up and headed up the stairs , not liking going to bed early  
" Hermione will you be a dear and wake up the others?" Mrs. Weasley said after Hermione ate breakfast  
" Sure thing Mrs. Weasley" Hermione said and walked upstairs to Ginny's room to wake up the girls, " Hey you two it's time to get up"  
She turned the light on and the two sleepy girls shielded their eyes with their blankets  
" Come on, Mrs. Weasley is downstairs with breakfast" Hermione said  
Brenda took the blanket off of her and groaned but got up  
" Hey Hermione, when did you get here" Brenda said with a yawn and stretched  
" Early this morning" Hermione said  
" How early? It's 4:00 in the morning" Ginny said looking at the time  
" 3:00" Hermione said, " Now come on, go downstairs for breakfast, I'll wake up the boys"  
" I'll wake up Fred and George" Brenda said with an evil grin  
" Good it will help me out" Hermione said  
" Good luck waking up Ron" Ginny said, " He'll be harder than we were to wake up"  
" I don't doubt that" Hermione said  
Ginny went and got dressed while Hermione went into Ron's room and Brenda went into Fred and George's room  
" Now how should I wake these two up?" Brenda thought, she then saw a firecracker on the desk, " Perfect" She took the firecracker and lit it with Incendio and threw it up in the air and it popped loud enough that both boys jumped  
" Good morning" Brenda said happy turning on the light  
" Brenda" Fred and George said annoyed  
" Sorry, I couldn't resist... Well it's time to get up" Brenda said  
Fred and George pulled their blankets over their heads  
" Come on" Brenda said pulling both of their blankets off  
" BRENDA" Fred and George said  
" Oh relax, like I haven't seen you two in your pajamas before" Brenda said, " Now come on and get up"  
" She's worse than mum" George said  
" I pitty the guy who marries her" Fred said  
" I'm still in here, now can I leave or are you going to go back to bed?" Brenda asked  
" You can leave" George said  
Brenda smiled and left  
Fred and George looked at each other and said together, " Bloody Hell"  
Brenda went back into Ginny's room and got dressed then left the room and was met by Harry  
" Good morning" Brenda said cheerfully  
" Good morning, what was that loud pop?" Harry asked  
" A fire cracker" Brenda said with a smile  
" You lit a fire cracker to wake them?" Harry asked surprised  
" Evil isn't it?" Brenda said with a chuckle  
" I'd like to see their faces" Harry said with a chuckle  
" It was priceless" Brenda said  
They made it down the stairs and greeted everybody who was down there  
" Where's Fred, George and Ron?" Mrs. Weasley asked  
" Still getting ready" Harry and Brenda said at the same time  
" How do I look you guys? Do I look like a muggle?" Mr. Weasley asked  
" Yes, you look fine Mr. Weasley" Brenda said  
The Potters and Ginny were eating breakfast by the time the other three got down  
" I never want to be woken up like that again" George said  
" I agree brother" Fred said  
Brenda giggled  
" Oh you think that was funny do you?" Fred asked  
" Yes" Brenda said innocently  
" Ok maybe when I'm fully awake I'd think it was funny" Fred said  
" Dad what are you wearing?" Ron asked  
" Muggle clothes" Mr. Weasley said  
" We have to look like muggles today?" Ron asked  
" Of course we do" Mr. Weasley said  
The Weasley boys groaned  
" It's not that bad" Hermione said  
" So where's Percy" Fred asked, " Why isn't he down here?"  
" Well he's apparating, so he can sleep in a bit" Mrs. Weasley said  
" Lucky him" George said, " He doesn't have to be woken up by a firecracker" George glared at Brenda and she just smirked  
" You were woken up by a firecracker?" Mrs. Weasley asked  
" Yes" George said  
" It was a harmless but really funny joke" Brenda said  
They ate breakfast and then they had to leave  
" Why are we leaving so early?" Ginny asked  
" It takes a while to get there" Mr. Weasley said  
" Where exactly are we going?" Ron asked  
" No idea" Mr. Weasley said  
That made Brenda a little nervous  
They walked on and on for a while and then they got to a grassy area and were headed towards a dump  
" Why are we going to a dump" Harry asked  
" You'll see" Mr. Weasley said  
They walked on and met up with two other people, a man and his son that the teens remember from school  
"Arthur! It's about time" The guy said "Sorry Amos. Some of us had a bit of a sleepy start" Mr. Weasley said, " This is Amos Diggory everyone, he works with me at the ministry. And this must be Cedric, am I right?  
Cedric nodded  
Everybody said hi to Cedric except for Fred and George who still didn't get over the loss of the Quidditch match from last year  
" So Arthur did you have a long walk?" Amos asked  
" Not too bad, a short one, a mile or two... how about you?" Arthur asked  
" We had to get up at two... I tell you I will be one happy guy once Cedric gets his Apparition test, I'm still not complaining, I wouldn't miss the Quidditch World Cup for a sackful of Galleons, those tickets were expensive... but it looks like I got off easy, are these all yours Arthur" Amos asked  
" No only the redheads, minus Brenda" Arthur said, Brenda, Hermione and Harry are Ron's friends from school  
" Merlin's Beard... You're the Potter twins Brenda and Harry Potter" Amos said  
" Wow after three years you'd think this would die down?" Brenda thought to her brother but they both said, " Yah", They were used to people staring at them and staring at their scars  
"Cedric here talked about you two of course, told his mum and me all about the Quidditch match last year how he won the game for his house" Amos said  
" Dad I told you that they fell off their brooms, it was an accident" Cedric said, " If they didn't, they would have surely won"  
Harry and Brenda smiled at that  
" But you didn't fall off your broom now did you" Amos said  
" Dementors went after both of them" Cedric said  
" Ok so are we ready to go?" Mr. Weasley changed the subject  
" Looks like it" Amos said  
" Ok where is it?" Mr. Weasley asked  
" Right over there" Amos said  
They all went over to a ratty old boot and everybody touched it  
" Why are we all standing around a mangy old boot?" Harry asked  
" This isn't just any mangy old boot" Fred said  
" It's a portkey" George said  
" What's a portkey?" Harry asked  
" Time to go... one... two" Amos said  
" HARRY" Mr. Weasley yelled and Harry touched the boot  
" Three" Amos said and everybody felt something tugging at their navels as they were lifted  
They were spinning into a white light and then Arthur yelled for the young teens to let go  
" WHAT" Hermione gasped  
" LET GO" Arthur yelled again  
The young teens let go and were falling to the ground and they all landed with an umph and Arthur, Amos and Cedric were peddling down  
" I bet that cleared everybody's sinuses didn't it? Arthur joked  
Harry, Brenda and Hermione glared at him  
" Welcome to the Quidditch World Cup everybody" Arthur said  
Well Arthur, our tent is farther down, we'll see you at the game" Amos said  
" See you later old friend" Arthur said  
Amos and Cedric left to go to their tent  
" Well lets go we have a bit of a walk to get to our tent  
They walked for ten minutes chatting about Quidditch and looking at things  
" Here we are then" Arthur said getting in a small tent  
" How can we all fit in that thing?" Harry asked  
They boys went in first besides Harry who was still confused  
" Oh come on in Harry" Brenda said pulling him in  
They looked around  
" Girls your beds are over there" Arthur said pointing, " Ron get out of the kitchen, we're all hungry"  
" Yah Ron out of the kitchen" Fred and George said  
" Fred, George get your feet off the table" Arthur said  
" Yah you guys feet off the table" Brenda and Harry said  
" I really love magic" Harry said to himself  
" Hey dad can we go look at the sites before the match" Ginny asked  
" Are you done unpacking?" Arthur asked  
" Yes" Ginny said  
" Is everybody done unpacking?" Arthur asked  
" Yes" The teens said  
" Ok, have fun, be here in two hours" Arthur said  
The teens ran out of the tent and had a fun time looking at the sites and buying things. A few hours later it was time for the game. And they had a long way to go to find their seats  
" Blimey Dad how far are we going?" Ron asked while everybody was climbing up  
" Well put it this way, when it rains you'll be the first to know" Lucius Malfoy said  
The Weasleys, Potters, and Hermione looked down and saw both Lucius and Draco Malfoy  
" Father and I are sitting in the ministers box, invitation by Cornelius Fudge himself" Draco Malfoy said standing next to his father  
Brenda just rolled her eyes and Lucius saw it  
" How very rude Ms. Potter" Lucius said, " Well Draco don't boast, there is no need with... these people"  
" Humph and you call me rude" Brenda said  
Lucius glared at Brenda, "You will respect your elders young lady"  
" Oh she does, only the ones she likes though" Ron said  
Brenda smiled at Ron, " Thank you"  
Lucius glared at Ron  
" Uh... lets go you guys, we still have a climb" Arthur said trying to get everybody away from the Slytherins  
" Do enjoy yourselves won't you... well while you can" Lucius said and then left  
They finally got up to their seats, they were pretty high up  
" I told you these were great seats" Arthur said  
Everybody was cheering and having a good time and then the Irish team came out and they threw out Irish gold  
There were louder cheers  
" HERE COME THE BULGARIANS" George cheered  
The players all came out and the crowed cheered them on  
" It's Victor Krum... It's Victor Krum" Ron said excitedly  
The crowed started cheering Krum, Krum. Krum  
Finally the match started. It was a very intense match, the Irish were ahead by 160 points and Krum was tricking Lynch (who was the Irish seeker) with different tricks and one time made Lynch crash into the ground and mediwitches had to revive him and while Lynch was out Krum was looking for the Snitch. In the end Krum caught the Snitch but the Irish team won by 160 points  
" I would have never guessed that" Ron said after the game was over  
" I think Krum knew they couldn't win and he just wanted to prove he is a real good seeker" Harry said, " Did you see that dive he did that knocked Lynch out? That was some skill"  
They finally got back to the tent  
" There is no one like Krum. He's like a bird the way he rides in the wind. He's more than an athlete, do you know what he's like?" Ron asked  
" What is he like Ron" Brenda asked  
" He's like an artist" Ron said  
" I think you're in love Ron" Ginny said  
" Victor I love you!" Fred sang  
" Victor I do" George sang  
" When we're apart my heart beats only for you" The Weasley twins and Harry sang and the teens started laughing  
All of a sudden there was a lot of commotion coming from outside  
" I'll go check it out" Arthur said and he stepped out of the tent  
" Sounds like the Irish have got their pride on" Fred said  
The girls started doing an Irish dance and the boys were clapping along to the beat  
" Stop! Stop it. It's not the Irish. We got to get out of here. Now" Arthur said with a worried look, " I'm going to help the others, you lot get to the woods" He rushed out of the tent and went to face the dark wizards  
" I hope dad's not in that" Brenda thought to herself  
The teens looked at each other and then George took Ginny's hand  
" Lets go" Fred said  
They ran out of the tent and it was madness, there was green lights from spells being cast, there were red spells being cast, it was all nonsense  
"LET'S STICK TOGETHER" George yelled  
The teens looked like they were playing follow the leader, George was in front and he had Ginny's hand then Fred was holding on to Ginny's shirt then Hermione was holding on to Fred's shirt, Ron was holding on to Hermione's shirt, Brenda was holding on to Ron's shirt and Harry was holding onto Brenda's shirt. They didn't want to be separated. After a while they made it to the woods and they all tripped over branches from it being so dark  
" LUMOS" Ron, Hermione, and Brenda said  
Fred, George and Ginny were not seen  
" This is not good" Brenda said  
" We probably lost them when we tripped a few times, it has been so confusing with everybody running and dodging hexes" Hermione said  
" Well well well it's about time you lot showed up" Draco Malfoy said standing by a tree, " I suppose your daddy, Weasley told you all to hide, boy you all scare easily. Well I suggest you go run along now"  
" I bet your dad is one of those Death Eaters" Brenda said  
" Well if he was then I wouldn't tell the likes of you now would I?" Malfoy asked  
" Come on we got to find the others" Hermione said, " Lets not start a fight, this is not the time and place"  
" Hermione's right, as much as I would like to give you a bloody nose, this isn't the time and place for it" Brenda said  
" Ha I'd like to see you try" Malfoy said  
" Not the time and place for it" Brenda said, " Come on you three, lets go find the others"  
" Beware Granger, they're looking for Muggles" Malfoy called  
Ron turned around, " SHE IS NOT A MUGGLE, SHE IS A WITCH"  
" She's a mudblood" Malfoy said  
Ron was about to pounce on Malfoy but Brenda beat him to it and did give Malfoy a bloody nose  
" Don't you dare call her a mudblood" Brenda said with a glare that looked like Severus's  
" Come on" Hermione said pulling both Ron and Brenda back  
" I bet his dad is one of the... what did you call them?" Harry asked  
" Death Eaters" Brenda said  
They finally made it to a clearing where everybody was talking and trying to find loved ones  
" Any sign of them?" Harry asked he didn't have his wand lit  
" No, Harry get your wand out for more light" Hermione suggested  
" Right" Harry said and he went digging through his pockets, " I don't have my wand"  
" WHAT" Ron, Hermione and Brenda asked  
" I must have dropped it when we fell" Harry said  
" Let's go look for it" Brenda said  
With the three wands they backtracked their steps looking for the wand. They ended up at the campsite and nobody was there  
They looked for the wand and then they heard footsteps that weren't theres  
" Hello" Harry called  
Nobody answered  
" Who's there" Brenda called  
Again silence then all of a sudden a figure appeared and said a spell of MORSMORDRE. It caused a bright flash and then a large ghostly skull formed in the sky with a snake crawling in and out of it  
" Oh my god. It's the dark mark" Brenda said  
" The what?" Harry asked  
" It's his mark" Brenda said  
Everybody knew who his was  
" How do you?" Harry started  
" I read a lot" Brenda said  
The man looked at the teens and started going after them  
" Run" Hermione said  
They started running and then they all heard popping noises  
" DUCK" Harry yelled and everybody ducked and dodged a STUPEFY spell  
Wizards were getting closer to them and then they were going to cast another STUPEFY but then they heard a familiar voice  
" STOP THAT'S MY SON, THAT'S MY SON" Arthur shouted and went to them, " Ron, Harry, Hermione, Brenda are you ok?"  
The Teens nodded  
" Out of our way Arthur" Barty Crouch commanded, " Which one of you conjured this?"  
" You can't possibly" Arthur started  
" Don't lie to me, you have been discovered at the scene of the crime" Barty Crouch said  
" We didn't cast it" Brenda said  
" They're just kids, they couldn't cast it" Arthur said  
" Where was the mark casted from?" Barty asked  
" Over there" Ron said, " We were being chased by the guy that did do it"  
" Did you get a look at him" Barty asked  
" No sir, it was too dark" Hermione said  
" You lot, search the area" Barty said to a group of his men  
A while later the men came back  
" We didn't find anybody, but we did find a wand" A wizard said  
" Hey that's my wand" Harry said  
" So you admit of casting the darkmark then" Barty said  
" No, I was never near where the dark mark was cast, I dropped my wand during all the confusion" Harry said  
" We went back here to look for his wand" Brenda said  
" A likely story, maybe you're the partner in crime" Barty said  
" Honestly Barty, would the Potter twins really cast the dark mark?" Arthur asked  
" Potter twins?" Barty asked  
Harry and Brenda lifted up their bangs and showed him their scars  
" Well... of course not" Barty said, " I'm sorry, I just got carried away I guess"  
" Yes well, I suggest we get back to the tent since all of the confusion is over... what happened to the others?" Arthur asked  
" We lost them in all of the confusion" Hermione said  
" Is Ginny with them?" Arthur asked worriedly  
" Yes, George wouldn't let go of her hand" Ron said  
Arthur nodded, "Well lets go look for them"  
They bid the wizards goodnight and went looking for the others  
" So what are Death Eaters" Harry asked  
" They're Vold" Brenda started but saw Ron and Mr. Weasley flinch, " They're you know who's followers"  
Harry nodded  
After a while the group finally found Fred, George and Ginny  
" There you three are, I was worried sick" Arthur said  
" Wow dad you sound like mum" Fred said  
" That's not funny Fred" Arthur said, " This was not a joking matter"  
" We know, we were worried when we found out that we were split up, we went looking for you four" George said  
" Well everything is fine now, I suggest we all get back to the tent and get to sleep, please whatever you do, don't tell your mother what happened" Arthur said  
The Weasleys, Potters and Hermione agreed  
When they got back to the Burrow the following morning. The terror at the Quidditch World Cup was in the Daily Prophet. And Mrs. Weasley was worried sick about everybody. For the following weeks Mr. Weasley and Percy who now works at the Ministry was never home that much, still trying to calm down everybody from the event that happened. Finally it was time to go back to Hogwarts  
" Ok now does everybody have everything?" Mrs. Weasley asked, " Books, quills, parchment, clothes, wands ect..."  
" Yes" Everybody said together  
" Ok, lets go then, I'm sorry Arthur couldn't be here, he's very busy you know" Mrs. Weasley said  
" We know mum" George said  
They went into the floo and landed in Kings Cross station  
" Ok you all know the drill" Mrs. Weasley said  
Fred and George went first, Followed by Ron and Harry, then Hermione and Brenda then Mrs. Weasley and Ginny  
" Good bye dears, have a nice term, be good boys" Mrs. Weasley called and waved  
The group waved until Mrs. Weasley couldn't be seen anymore  
About 10 minutes into the train ride it started to downpour  
" What a way to start the term, a rainy day" Brenda sighed  
They didn't talk about much on the train, the rain made most of them tired anyway, Ron was taking a nap and he was snoring, Hermione was reading, Harry was leaning back looking at the ceiling and Brenda was thinking about the Quidditch World Cup and about the Death Eaters  
" I hope dad wasn't there" Brenda thought to herself  
" What did you say Brenda?" Harry asked  
" What? I didn't say anything?" Brenda said afraid that Harry was in her mind  
" Oh sorry, I guess the twin mind link thing slipped" Harry said  
" Yah, happens all the time" Brenda said  
Finally they made it to Hogsmeade and got in the carriages and were off to Hogwarts. It took a while for the sorting hat song to end and for the first years to be sorted and then Dumbledore said his speech  
" Now we're all settled in and sorted, I'd like to make an announcement. This castle will not only be your home this year, but home to some very special guests as well. You see Hogwarts has been chosen" Dumbledore started  
Then there was a large boom from outside and a lightning strike which made everybody scream and an old looking guy came in with a pegged leg and a fake eye and he did something to the ceiling  
" Stupid ceiling" Moody said, " Continue Albus"  
" That's Mad-Eye Moody" Ron said  
" Who" Harry asked  
" Mad-Eye... Alastor Moody... The Auror" Brenda said  
" He was a Death Eater catcher" Hermione said  
" Half of the guys in Azkaban were caught by him, now they say he's as mad as the mad hatter" Ron said  
" So what do you think he's drinking" Seamus said when Moody took a drink in a flask  
" I don't know, but I'm sure it's not Pumpkin Juice" Harry said  
" Right, Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event. The Tri-Wizard tournament. Now for those of you who do not know, the tri-wizard tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school a single contestant is selected to compete. Now let me be clear, if chosen you stand alone. And trust me when I say these contests are not for the faint hearted, but more of that later. For now please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy of magic and Headmistress Madam Maxime" Dumbledore said  
The Great Hall doors opened and a bunch of girls came in and they all wore blue and they danced beautifully up the aisle and when they were done they bowed to everybody, then the headmistress came in escorted by Dumbledore  
“Blimey, that's one big woman" Seamus said  
Dumbledore went back up to his podium and continued, " And now our friends from the north, please greet the sons of Durmstrang and headmaster Igor Karkaroff"  
A dozen muscular boys walked up the aisle twirling around bow staffs and stabbing them into the ground making them spark on the ground. One of the boys was Victor Krum  
" It's him, it's him it's Victor Krum" Ron said excitedly  
" Albus" Igor greeted  
" Igor, welcome" Dumbledore said  
When they got everybody seated Madam Maxime spoke up  
" Professor Dumbledore, my horses have traveled a long way. They will need attending to"  
" Do not worry Madam, Our gamekeeper Hagrid is more than capable of seeing to them" Dumbledore said  
" Monsieur Hagrid, I will warn you that they only drink single malt whiskey" Maxime said  
Dumbledore lifted up his eyebrows in amusement and then went back to his speech, " Your attention please. I would like to say a few words about the Tri-Wizard tournament. Eternal glory is what awaits the student who wins it. But to do this that student must survive three tasks, three very dangerous tasks"  
" Wicked" Fred and George said together  
" So because of this reason the ministry seen fit to impose a new rule, I will now let Barty Crouch take the stand, Barty" Dumbledore said  
" After much deliberation the ministry has concluded that for their own safety no student under the age of seventeen shall be allowed to put fourth their name for the Tri-wizard tournament. This decision is final.  
" That's not going to go well" Brenda said  
There were a lot of boos and hisses  
" THATS RUBBISH" George yelled  
" YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING" Fred yelled  
" SILENCE" Dumbledore yelled and said calmly, " The goblet of fire, anybody who wishes to submit themselves for the tournament merely needs to write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Thursday night. Do not do so lightly, if chosen, there's no turning back. As from this moment, the tri-wizard tournament has begun"  
The students started and finished their dinners then it was time to head off to bed  
" Wouldn't it be cool to be a champion?" Ron asked  
" Better you than me" Harry said  
" What about you Brenda?" Ron asked  
" Got enough fame, don't need anymore" Brenda said  
" Do you two side on everything nowadays" Ron asked  
" No" They said at the same time  
" Sure" Ron said  
" Ron, I like potions and Harry doesn't" Brenda said  
" That's because you live with Snape" Ron said  
" Ron I liked potions when I thought he was evil in First Year" Brenda said smiling  
" And another thing different about us is... She likes studying and I don't" Harry said  
"And the main thing is, I'm a girl and he's a boy" Brenda said with a smile  
" I wasn't being literal" Ron said  
" Could have fooled me" Brenda said with a smile  
The next day the students all headed downstairs to breakfast  
" So what do we have first today?" Ron asked  
" Defense Against the Dark Arts with Alastor Moody" Hermione said  
" This will be interesting, he's probably really good at the subject since he is an auror" Brenda said  
After breakfast they headed up to the D.A.D.A. classroom and sat in the seats to begin the class  
" My name is Alastor Moody" Moody said and wrote his name on the board, " I am your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I'm here because Dumbledore asked me, end of story, goodbye, the end. So any questions? When it comes to the dark arts, I believe in a practical approach. But first, can anybody tell me how many unforgivable curses there are?"  
" There are three sir" Hermione said  
" And they're called that because?" Moody asked  
" Because they are unforgivable, use of any one of them will" Hermione started  
" Will earn you a one way ticket to Azkaban" Moody said writing Unforgivable curses on the board, " So which of the curses shall we see first?"  
" Ok this guy is nuts" Brenda thought to Harry  
" He can't use those curses" Harry thought to Brenda  
Harry and Brenda looked at each other they were only a table apart  
" Weasley can you give me a curse?" Moody asked  
Ron stood up and Moody went to his and Harry's desk  
" My dad did tell me about one... the imperious curse" Ron said  
" Oh yes, your dad would know all about that wouldn't he?" Moody said, " He gave the ministry grief a few years ago, this will show you why"  
Moody went to the front and took a spider like thing out of a jar that was on the desk  
" ENGORGIO" Moody spelled on the creature and it grew before everybody's eyes, " IMPERIO"  
He cast the curse on the creature and it was doing Moody's bidding and Moody was flying it around the class scaring everybody it was close to  
" Don't worry it's completely harmless, unless it bites then it's lethal" Moody said  
That scared everybody  
" Now what should I have it do next? throw it out the window? Drown itself" Moody asked hovering it above a bucket of water, " Many witches and wizards claimed that they only did you know who's bidding under the influence of the imperious curse, but how do we sort out the liars? Ok give me another, come on come on... Longbottom"  
Neville stood up  
" Give me a curse" Moody said  
" The... the cruciatus curse" Neville said  
" Yes... the torture curse" Moody said then he went to the creature and pointed his wand at it and said, " CRUCIO" The creature started to squeal in torture and it was disturbing Neville  
" STOP IT! CAN'T YOU SEE IT'S BOTHERING HIM?" Hermione yelled  
Moody stopped torturing the creature and went to Hermione and Brenda's table, " Perhaps you can tell the class of the third unforgivable curse Ms. Granger"  
" No" Hermione said  
" Very well" Moody said then pointed his wand at the creature that was on the girls' table, " AVADA KADAVRA"  
Brenda scooted her seat back a few inches and both Harry and Brenda looked at the green light and the now dead spider like creature  
" The green light" Brenda thought  
Harry nodded  
" The killing curse, there are only two people known to have survived the killing curse, and... they are sitting right here in this room" Moody said looking at them both  
" Jeez did he have to bring that up?" Brenda thought  
" Well that ends class today, until next time" Moody said  
Everybody left the class room  
" He's brilliant isn't he. He's completely demented of course. And it's terrifying to be in the same room with the guy but he's really been there you know" Ron said  
" I thought it was insane that he showed us the curses" Brenda said  
" You got to admit those curses looked cool though" Ron said  
Harry and Brenda glared at Ron and Hermione rolled her eyes  
" Oh... Sorry, I didn't mean it like that" Ron said his face turning red  
" You do know there's a reason those curses are unforgivable, and to perform them in a classroom, I agree with Brenda it was insane, did you see the look on Neville's face?" Hermione asked  
" It was very disturbing" Brenda said  
" I was to busy looking at the spider creature getting tortured" Ron said  
" Look there he is" Harry said  
They went up to Neville  
" Neville are you ok?" Brenda asked  
He didn't say anything  
" Neville?" Hermione asked  
Moody came down the stairs and saw Neville, " Longbottom come with me for a cup of tea, I want to show you something"  
Neville nodded and followed the professor  
" Now I feel sorry for Neville" Ron said  
A few days later on Thursday it was the night that the Tri-wizard champions would be picked, everybody was gathering in the Great Hall waiting for people to drop their parchments into the fire for their chance to be a champion, some of the younger students were mad that they couldn't participate, but not Fred and George Weasley who made an aging potion  
" I still think it would be cool to have eternal glory" Ron said  
" Better you than me" Harry said  
" I agree with Harry" Brenda said  
" That's because you two already are famous" Ron said  
" Gee Harry I wonder what it's like to be normal for a change" Brenda said  
" I guess we won't ever find out" Harry sighed  
" You guys it's not fun" Ron said  
" Nor is it fun having people gawk at you and look at your scar on top of your forehead that is either in the shape of a star or a lightning bolt" Brenda said and looked at Ron who looked like he has been slapped, " But I do see where you're coming from" She said with a smile  
Ron smiled and the group took their seats  
Two minutes later Fred and George came out cheering with a potion in their hands  
" Well we have done it" George said  
" We cooked it up this morning" Fred said  
Brenda looked at the potion and rolled her eyes, " It's not going to work"  
" And why is that Brenda" Fred asked  
" Hermione would you like to explain?" Brenda asked  
Hermione nodded, " You see this" she indicated to the bright line surrounding the goblet, " This is an age line. Dumbledore drew it himself"  
" So" Fred said  
Brenda rolled her eyes  
" So a genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by something as idiotic and dimwitted such as an aging potion" Hermione said  
" But that's why it's so brilliant" George said  
" Because it is so dimwitted" Fred finished  
Brenda sighed, " We tried Hermione, I'd actually like to see what happens though"  
" What do you mean" Harry thought  
" They didn't make it right" Brenda thought back  
" Ready Fred" George asked  
" Ready George" Fred said  
" Bottoms up" They said together and they drank the potion and stepped over the line, " Yah" They tossed in their parchments with their names on them, " Yah"  
" Wow it worked" Ron said, " I want some of that"  
" Oh it didn't work, there are going to be side effects" Brenda said with a smirk  
" What" Ron asked  
All of a sudden the Weasley twins' names shot out of the goblet and they were thrown out of the boundary and not only that but they grew full beards  
" And that would be the side effect of not doing the potion correctly" Brenda chuckled  
" You said" George started  
" You said" Fred said  
They started rolling around fighting and people were cheering  
" They should have listened to reason" Brenda said  
" You knew that was going to happen?" Hermione asked  
" Oh yah" Brenda said, " Hey I live with the potions master, I pick up on a few things, and I've made that potion before... well I experimented with that potion before... lets just say, girls do not look good in beards and Severus thought it was funny, I had a beard for a week"  
" I thought you weren't supposed to be in his potions lab" Harry said  
" I'm not, but I do have my own potion ingredients and cauldron, he lets me experiment wherever as long as I clean up my mess" Brenda said  
" I wish I could see what you look like with a beard" Ron said  
Snape discreetly came over to the group over hearing the conversation  
" Hi D... Professor" Brenda said  
" Are you talking about the aging incident? Yes, that was very amusing, Ms. Potter if you told them it wouldn't work they would be saved the embarrassment" Snape said  
" I wanted them to learn a lesson" Brenda said  
" Good girl" Snape said then looked around and more people were coming in, " Now you better have your parchments handed in on time, this set back will not set back the due date"  
" What are you talking about?" Ron asked  
Snape glared at Ron  
Brenda rolled her eyes" We will professor" Brenda said  
" You better" He said with a glare and then he left  
" What assignment is he talking about? Ron asked  
" There isn't an assignment Ron, it's his cover" Hermione said  
" Oh... ok" Ron said  
They watched as the people came in and put their names into the goblet of fire and waited for Dumbledore. Finally Dumbledore appeared  
" Sit down please" Dumbledore said and waited for them to sit, " And now for the moment you all been waiting for, the champion selection"  
Everybody was quiet as Dumbledore went to the goblet and waited for a name came out of it  
" The Durmstrang champion is... Victor Krum" Dumbledore announced  
The Durmstrangs cheered on their classmate and everybody else cheered also as Victor got up and shook Dumbledore's hand and walked to the room where the champions were supposed to wait  
" The champion from Beauxbatons... Fleur Delacour" Dumbledore announced  
The Beauxbatons cheered for their classmate and then everybody else cheered, Fleur followed the same example as Victor and went into the room to wait  
" The champion from Hogwarts is... Cedric Diggory" Dumbledore announced  
The Hogwarts students cheered for their classmate and then everybody else cheered and Cedric followed suit  
" EXCELLENT! WE NOW HAVE OUR THREE CHAMPIONS! But in the end only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this chalice of champions, this vessel of victory. This Tri-wizard cup  
Everybody cheered after the speech was over but then something funny happened, Snape got closer to the Goblet to examine it more closely and Dumbledore noticed that it wasn't done with names, a name came out of it and Dumbledore caught it, he read the name and his eyes went wide the name on the parchment was...  
" Harry Potter" Dumbledore whispered  
Everybody heard anyway  
Brenda and Hermione gasped  
" Harry Potter" Dumbledore said a little more loudly  
Harry didn't get up  
" Get up Harry" Hermione said  
" HARRY POTTER" Dumbledore yelled  
Harry finally got up and walked over to Dumbledore, it was completely silent and his heart was beating fast, he didn't want this and he was now scared, he made it to Dumbledore and looked at the parchment that had his name on it. When he saw his name his eyes went wide and scared, he was pointed to the room where the other champions waited  
" He's a cheat, he's not even seventeen yet" Somebody said in the background  
Harry walked out of site  
Everybody started talking amongst themselves mad, disappointed, angry at Harry and then something was going on with the goblet again  
" It can't be another name" Seamus said, " There are already four when there's supposed to be three"  
Dumbledore caught the parchment and read the name on it  
" Please not me please not me" Brenda thought to herself she didn't want to be a champion  
" Brenda Potter" Dumbledore called  
" You have got to be kidding me" Brenda said to her friends  
" BRENDA POTTER" Dumbledore yelled  
" The Potters are cheaters, they're only fourteen" Somebody in the background said  
Brenda stood up and walked over to Dumbledore, she risked a glance at her father and he looked worried, and mad at the same time, she really didn't like the look on his face, nor on Dumbledore's face  
" Go to the room with the others" Dumbledore said  
Brenda nodded and without looking at anybody, walked as quickly as she could without running  
" Do they want us to come back out?" Fleur asked  
" No" Brenda said  
" Then what are you doing here?" Cedric asked  
" Don't tell me you're a" Harry started  
" A champion? Afraid so" Brenda finished  
All the teachers from all the schools came down to the room and they were all talking at once and Dumbledore and Severus went to the twins and grabbed them by their shirts  
" Did you two put your names in the goblet of fire" Dumbledore asked  
" No" They both said  
" Are you lying to us" Snape asked glaring at Brenda and it made her cringe  
" No we're telling the truth" Harry said  
" Did you hire somebody to put your name in?" Dumbledore asked  
" NO" They both said  
" Of course they are lying" Madam Maxime said  
" No we're not" The twins said not taking their eyes off of their elders who had them cornered  
" How do we know you're telling the truth? Ms. Potter you have lied before" Snape said glaring  
Brenda glared back and whispered, " Then use Veritaserum on us"  
Snape was taken aback  
" There's no need for that, they're telling the truth, Moody said " The goblet of fire is an exceptionally powerful magical object, only an exceptionally powerful conjurer could have messed with it. Magic way beyond the talents of fourth year students"  
" You seem to have given this a fair bit of thought Mad Eye" Igor said  
" It was once my job to think as dark wizards do Karkaroff, perhaps you remember?" Moody said  
" We will leave the final decision to Barty" Dumbledore said releasing Harry and Severus released Brenda but didn't move away from her  
" The rules are absolute, the goblet of fire constitutes a binding magical contract. Mr. and Ms. Potter have no choice, they are as of tonight... tri-wizard champions  
" But that is not fair" Madam Maxime said  
" What isn't fair madam?" Dumbledore asked  
" Why invite us when you can have a tri-wizard tournament with just your school? You have quite an advantage Dumbledore" Maxime said  
" There is nothing we can do Madam, the Goblet of Fire chooses all" Dumbledore said  
________________________________________  
Chapter 32: Chapter 32  
________________________________________  
The champions were dismissed out of the room to join their fellow classmates, Harry and Brenda didn't feel like celebrating and they hurried out of the room and up to Gryffindor Tower  
" How could the goblet do that? We didn't put our names in" Harry ranted  
" I think it's very odd that you and I are champions, nobody can be that lucky" Brenda said  
" You think it's some sort of trap?" Harry asked  
" It's something, it's called the Tri-wizard tournament and there are five champions, there is something weird going on" Brenda said  
Harry nodded  
Meanwhile in Dumbledore's office, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape were talking  
" This can't go on Albus. First the dark mark, now this?" McGonagall asked  
" What do you suggest Minerva?" Dumbledore asked  
" Put an end to it, don't let the Potters compete" McGonagall said  
" Minerva you heard Barty, the rules are clear" Dumbledore said  
" Well the devil with Barty and his rules. Since when did you follow them?" McGonagall asked  
" Headmaster I too find it difficult to believe this is just a coincidence, if we are to truly discover the meaning of these events... perhaps we should for the time being let them unfold" Severus said  
" Do nothing? Offer them up as bait? Severus they're just kids, not a piece of meat, don't you even care?" McGonagall asked  
" Minerva, You dare think that I do not care? If you have forgotten, Brenda is my daughter... but there is a reason why their names came out of the fire and we should let them unfold" Severus said  
" I agree with Severus. I'm going to ask Alastor to keep an eye on Harry, you will keep an eye on Brenda right Severus?" Dumbledore asked  
" Of course I will, she's my daughter" Severus reminded him  
McGonagall wanted to say something to Severus but she kept her mouth shut  
Dumbledore nodded, " Well I better go and find Alastor to ask him to watch over Harry, I bid you both good night"  
" Good night" Severus and McGonagall said  
Brenda was waiting for Severus down in the apartment  
" I didn't give you the password yet, how did you get in?" Severus asked  
" Grandfather told me" Brenda said  
" And how did you know it was her?" Severus asked Grandfather Severus  
" She told me the passwords of the past two years, and only Harry is the other Gryffindor that knows where this place is" Grandfather Severus said  
"So, what can I do for you?" Severus asked  
" Do you believe me that I'm telling the truth?" Brenda asked  
" Well, yes I do, it's hard not to believe somebody who suggests Veritaserum. How do you know about Veritaserum anyway? Severus asked  
" Well there are a lot of potion books in the library at home" Brenda said with a smile  
" And you read them? What am I saying? Of course you would, your favorite subject is Potions" Severus said  
Brenda's face fell  
" How can it be a Tri-Wizard tournament with five people?" Brenda asked  
" I don't know, this has never happened before" Severus said  
" I didn't even want to be in it even if I was of age" Brenda said  
" I'm sorry Brenda, I wish the rules could be changed and we could get you and your brother out of it" Severus said  
" I don't think it was an accident our names were drawn" Brenda said, " I think somebody did it on purpose, it's just too much of a coincidence for it not to be"  
" I know, but we don't know who or why somebody did it, all I can say to you is good luck" Severus said, " Now would you like to stay down here tonight?"  
" No thanks, if Harry has to be glared at by our house mates then I have to too" Brenda said  
" Wow you are brave" Severus said  
" I'm a Gryffindor" Brenda said  
Severus nodded, " Well I better escort you to your house then, it's past curfew"  
Brenda nodded and they left the apartment and went up to Gryffindor tower  
They made it up to Gryffindor tower in silence, they had to pretend that Snape was mad at her for sneaking around the school, for the effect  
When Brenda went up to the tower everybody was glaring at her and she rolled her eyes and headed towards the girls dorms where Hermione was studying  
" Hi Hermione" Brenda said  
" Hi Brenda, are you ok?" Hermione asked  
" Yah I guess, I'm not going to let all the glares get to me" Brenda said, " I mean I didn't even want to have my name put in the goblet of fire, it just happened"  
" I understand" Hermione said  
" You're not mad?" Brenda asked  
" No, you're one of my best friends, I can't be mad at you" Hermione said with a smile  
" Ron looked mad when Harry's name was called" Brenda said  
" He'll get over it" Hermione said  
" It's not going to be an over night thing I can tell you that much" Brenda said  
" You're probably right" Hermione said, " Well, goodnight"  
" Good night" Brenda said and she turned out the lights  
For the few days that followed, Harry wrote to Sirius about what happened, Ron was ignoring the Potters and everybody else kept glaring at them like they cheated, it was getting very annoying, and to make matters worse, the five champions were to be interviewed for the Daily Prophet. They didn't know about it until that day, and the Potters were in Potions class with the Slytherins and they were learning how to make a Fire Protection potion. They were interrupted by Dumbledore  
" Professor Snape sorry to disrupt your class, but can you please excuse Harry and Brenda Potter please? They are going to be interviewed by the Daily Prophet" Dumbledore said  
" We are in the middle of note taking for the Fire Protection potion that we will be making on Thursday" Severus said  
" Is there some way they can get the notes from their class mates or come in at a different time?" Dumbledore asked  
" Well if they must be interviewed by the Daily Prophet, then I guess I have to dismiss them" Snape said, " But you two must have your notes by the next class time or you cannot make the potion" Severus glared and Brenda gasped, her dad was actually annoyed for real  
" We will get the notes, don't worry professor" Brenda said  
" Oh do not worry, I'm not" Snape spat  
Dumbledore led the Potters to an empty classroom and they waited for the other champions to show up. When the rest of the Champions did finally show up they were grouped together to get their picture taken, the two girls in chairs in the front row and the guys were put in windows in back of them, it looked like an upside down pyramid. Finally the reporter came  
" Hello I'm Rita Skeeter, I write for the Daily Prophet but of course you all know that don't you. It is you we don't know, you all are the news. What makes a champion tick, is it the quirks that lurk beneath those rosy cheeks? Does courage lie beneath those curls? What is it? Me myself and I want to know. Not to mention the readers of the Daily Prophet. So who wants to go first? Shall we start with the youngest? Excellent... wait a minute... you both are twins aren't you" Rita said  
" Yes" Harry and Brenda said  
" Who's the youngest?" Rita asked  
" We don't know" Brenda said  
" Hmm, well the only way to solve this is go by the other rule, ladies first" Rita said  
Rita led Brenda into a broom cupboard  
" This is a good place to chat" Rita said  
" This is a broom cupboard" Brenda said  
" Well then you will feel right at home then" Rita said  
" What are you talking about?" Brenda asked  
" Well don't you sleep in a cupboard at your relatives?" Rita asked  
" Um... no" Brenda said, " I don't live with my relatives, I was adopted by... the Williamsons"  
Rita looked like she was ignoring what Brenda was saying, " You don't mind if I use a quick quill do you? It's a lot easier then writing everything down myself"  
" Go ahead" Brenda said with a sigh  
" Thank you, you may sit down and we will begin" Rita said, " So Brenda Potter... or is it Williamson since that's what your new parents names are?  
" It's Potter" Brenda said  
" So Brenda Potter" Rita began again, " Here you sit of a mere girl of twelve"  
" I'm fourteen" Brenda corrected  
Rita just went on, " You're about to compete against four other students and one of them happens to be your twin brother, and the rest of them are more skilled in magic and older than you, are you concerned"  
" I haven't really thought much about it, well I am concerned a bit I guess" Brenda said  
" Of course you are no mere twelve year old girl are you? Rita said  
" I'm fourteen" Brenda said  
" You and your brother are legends" Rita said, " So do you think it was the trauma of your biological parents' deaths that made you both enter the tournament"  
" Ok first of all, I didn't enter the tournament, and this has nothing to do with my biological parents, and you are only writing what you want to write, are you even listening to what I'm saying?" Brenda asked, " I'm fourteen not twelve"  
" Of course you didn't enter the tournament" Rita said with a wink, " Now about your biological parents if they were alive, how do you think they would feel if they knew you entered the tournament? Would they feel proud or concerned that your attitude shows that you need attention or that you have a psychotic death wish?"  
" I don't believe this, Rita... read my lips carefully, I... Did... Not... Put... My... Name... In... The... Goblet... Of... Fire" Brenda said  
Rita just looked at Brenda and smiled  
" And I'm fourteen NOT TWELVE"  
The pen was still writing  
" Give me that thing, let me see what you wrote about me" Brenda said grabbing the pad, " That's wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong... My eyes are not glistening with the ghosts of my past, what are you Charles Dickens?"  
Rita grabbed the notebook and smiled at Brenda, " I believe this interview is over"  
" Good" Brenda said  
" Send in Harry if you will" Rita said  
Brenda nodded and left the broom cupboard  
" How did it go?" Harry asked  
" That woman is nuts, SHE THINKS WE'RE TWELVE" Brenda said a little loudly, " Oh you're next"  
" Oh great" Harry said  
" Good luck trying to explain to her that we didn't put our names in the Goblet of Fire" Brenda said  
" Thanks" Harry said and he went inside the broom cupboard  
After the interviews Harry and Brenda got the potions notes from Hermione and on that Thursday they had to make the potion, Brenda was glad she got to make it and the Slytherins were mad that they got the notes in time. Severus looked relieved that Brenda got the notes and did the potion right  
" She's going to make a good Potions Mistress someday" Severus thought when he graded her potion, " Harry on the other hand... He should stick with D.A.D.A. class, at least he's not the worst in the class"  
A few days after the interviews the letter Harry wrote to Sirius came, Harry and Brenda were in the Owerly waiting for the letter, They knew when the letter would come because Brenda calculated the time the letter would arrive to Sirius no matter where he would be and she gave him a day to write it and the time it would take to get back to them. So their they were waiting  
" Are you sure you calculated it right?" Harry asked pacing up and down the Owerly  
" Yes Harry I'm sure" Brenda said watching her brother with amusement and petting Angel  
Five minutes later Hedwig came back but without a letter  
" Brenda" Harry started  
" Calm down, there's probably a reason why Hedwig didn't come back with a letter" Brenda said  
Harry was petting Hedwig for ten minutes and an owl showed up with a letter  
" Why would he use a different owl?" Harry asked  
" Who cares, lets just open it" Brenda said getting impatient  
Harry opened it and read aloud, " Harry and Brenda, I couldn't risk sending Hedwig, sorry if that scared you, but since the world cup, the ministry has been intercepting more and more owls and both Hedwig and Angel are too easily recognized. We need to talk you two, face to face to face. Both of you meet me in the Gryffindor Common Room at 1:00 Saturday night and make sure you two are alone... OUCH!  
" What?" Brenda asked worried  
" The owl bit me" Harry said sucking his bleeding finger  
" Are you ok?" Brenda asked  
" I'll live" Harry said  
Brenda looked at the letter and looked down at the P.S., " P.S. The owl bites"  
Harry smiled and rolled his eyes  
" Tomorrow is Saturday" Brenda said  
Harry nodded  
The next night Harry and Brenda waited for everybody to leave the common room, it was very late then since it was a weekend, the last person headed up at 12:45  
" Fifteen minutes left" Brenda thought to her brother  
Harry nodded  
" Well since we have fifteen minutes, I'm going to get my Pajamas on, I'll be down in a few minutes" Brenda said and got up from her chair and went upstairs. When she came back down with her Pajamas and robe her brother fell asleep reading, " Harry wake up we have ten minutes"  
" I'm awake, just closing my eyes" Harry said rubbing them  
" You don't snore when you're awake" Brenda said  
" What I snore?" Harry asked  
" Just teasing you" Brenda said, " We have ten minutes, you want to go get ready for bed? I'll watch for him"  
" Ok, see you in a few minutes" Harry said and went upstairs to get his pajamas on  
" Just don't fall asleep up there" Brenda thought to him  
" Ha ha very funny" Harry thought back. He came back down a few minutes later, " Anything yet?"  
" We have six minutes" Brenda said  
" What? He wants to be here right at 1:00?" Harry asked, " Nobody is that good"  
Brenda shrugged, then went over to a paper somebody left and looked at it, " Hey look at this, we're on the front cover" She read some of it, " Oh I don't believe it. That woman gets everything wrong, listen to this, Harry and Brenda Potter ages 12 suspect entrants in the Tri-wizard tournaments, there eyes are swimming with the ghosts of their pasts... Oh how I hate that woman"  
" Don't read any more of it, throw it away " Harry said  
" Gladly," Brenda said and threw it in the fire  
At 1:00 they looked around for Sirius but they couldn't see anything that would look like him, but then there was a noise coming from the fire  
" Oh he's probably floo calling" Brenda said  
They watched and a head appeared  
" Wow" Harry said jumping back from the fire  
" Hi Sirius" Brenda said  
" Hi, I don't have much time, lets get straight to the point, did you two put your names in the goblet of fire?" Sirius asked  
" No" Harry said  
" I just had to ask, Now tell me about this dream you two are having. In the letter you mentioned Wormtail and Voldemort, but who was the third man in the room?  
" We don't know, we didn't hear a name or anything" Brenda said  
" But Voldemort was giving him a job to do something" Harry said, " It was important"  
" What was important?" Sirius asked  
" He wanted... us. I don't know why, but he was going to use this man to get to us. It is only a dream right? Harry asked  
" But then why would we both have it?" Brenda asked  
" Because we can read each other's thoughts, maybe we can read each others dreams too" Harry said  
" Yes, it's just a dream. Look you two, the death eaters at the world cup, your name rising from the goblet these are not just coincidences. Hogwarts isn't safe anymore" Sirius said  
" What are you saying?" Brenda asked getting worried  
" I'm saying the devils are inside the walls. Igor Karkaroff, he was a death eater. And no one, no one stops being a death eater. Then there's Barty Crouch, heart of stone, he sent his own son to Azkaban" Sirius said  
" Death eaters can change, Snape was a death eater, but he changed" Brenda said  
" Snape?" Harry asked surprised  
" Please don't tell anybody, I'm not supposed to tell anybody, but yes he is one and he isn't evil anymore" Brenda said  
" Be careful Brenda, you never know what he can do" Sirius said  
" So do you think somebody put our names in the goblet?" Harry asked  
" I don't know who put your name in there but whoever did is not your friend, people die in this tournament" Sirius said  
Brenda and Harry looked at each other and they both looked worried, " We're not ready for this"  
" You two don't have a choice" Sirius said, " I wish I could be more help but I can't"  
" Shh, somebody's coming" Brenda whispered  
" Both of you keep your friends close, and stay close to each other" Sirius said  
Ron walked down the stairs into the living room  
" Who are you talking to?" Ron asked  
" Each other" Brenda said  
" Why don't you just think to each other like you always do when you want to keep something private?" Ron asked, " Oh I know you two are just practicing for your next interview for the Daily Prophet or something"  
Brenda rolled her eyes  
Ron went back upstairs to bed  
The twins turned back towards the fire but Sirius was gone  
" We might as well go to bed, there's nothing else we can do" Brenda said  
Harry nodded and they went up  
The next day in Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid was showing his fourth year students Blast Ended Screwts.  
" What exactly is a Blast Ended Screwt?" Malfoy asked  
" Well it's a manticore and a fire-crab cross breed, I bred them myself" Hagrid said  
" Are you sure they're safe?" Hermione asked  
" Of course they are, why wouldn't they be?" Hagrid asked  
" Well because they look like scorpions which is because of the manticore" Brenda said  
" And fire keeps coming out of their tails" Harry said  
" That's because it's bred with a fire-crab Harry" Brenda said  
" They are perfectly safe, I assure you" Hagrid said  
"But manticores and fire-crabs are not safe" Hermione argued, "And breeding them I don't think would be safe either"  
" These creatures are gross, why do we have to learn about these things" Malfoy asked, " Wait until my father hears that I have to touch a slimy, deformed looking creature with odd looking legs and no head"  
The Gryffindors rolled their eyes, they were sick of Malfoy always saying wait until my father...  
" These things smell like rotten fish" Ron said  
That is what the fourth years did the rest of the hour, just complain about the Blast Ended Screwts  
The next time they had Defense Against the Dark Arts with Moody, Moody surprised and scared the whole class on what they would be doing, Moody was going to use the Imperio curse on them  
" But sir it's unforgivable" Hermione said  
" Which means it's illegal, no matter who you are" Brenda finished  
" Well I am doing this on Dumbledore's orders, if you two don't want to participate you may leave and receive a T for the day  
Hermione and Brenda looked at each other with horror on their faces and stayed where they were  
" I thought so" Moody said, " Well then should we begin?"  
Everybody formed a line and Moody cast the imperious curse on them all one by one, Seamus hopped around the room singing the National Anthem, Neville did a bunch of Gymnastics, Lavender pretended she was a squirrel, Ron pretended he was a lion, Malfoy acted like a frog and hopped around going ribbit ribbit, Crabbe sang I Love You from Barney and danced to it (everybody laughed at that) nobody stopped what they were doing until Moody put the curse off of them, now it was Harry's turn  
" Imperio" Moody said  
Harry was under it  
" I want you to jump up on the desk" Moody said  
Harry was about to jump but then he stopped  
" Potter jump on the desk" Moody commanded  
Harry didn't jump on the desk, he hesitated  
" HARRY POTTER JUMP ON THE DESK... NOW" Moody yelled  
Harry fought not to jump but he did jump, he didn't jump on the desk, he basically ran into the desk  
Moody took him off of the spell  
" Very good Mr. Potter you fought the curse, I say with a little more practice you will be able to defy anybody who uses that curse on you" Moody said, " Now lets see if you and your sister share that gift... Ms. Potter it is now your turn... Imperio"  
Brenda felt very floaty  
" Ms. Potter I want you to do the chicken dance for us" Moody said  
" I don't want to" Brenda thought  
" Ms. Potter do the chicken dance" Moody said a little more sternly  
Brenda shook her head no  
" BRENDA POTTER DO THE CHICKEN DANCE... NOW" Moody yelled  
" I don't want to" Brenda said  
" DO THE CHICKEN DANCE, DO THE CHICKEN DANCE DO THE CHICKEN DANCE" Moody threw a tantrum  
Brenda caved in and did the chicken dance and then Moody took the spell off  
" Wow" Harry said  
" It looks like the Potter twins share the same gift of stubbornness, very good in a situation like this, you both need a little more work but I think you'll be able to defy the person who curses you" Moody said  
" Show offs" Malfoy whispered  
Nobody else could defy the imperious curse  
" Now what did you two do this time to prevent it?" Ron asked in an angry tone  
" We didn't prevent it, we still did as we were told" Harry said  
" Yes but it took you more time to do it then the rest of us, what did you do?" Ron asked glaring  
" We're just stubborn and didn't listen" Brenda said, " We didn't do anything else different"  
" Yah sure, if you want to keep that a secret as well, its fine by me" Ron said and stormed off  
Brenda sighed, " I hope he stops being mad at us soon"  
" Yah me too, you're lucky, you don't have to sleep in the same room as him, he seems to glare at me every night" Harry said  
" Lavender does that to me too" Brenda said, " We didn't put our names in, I wonder what we have to do to prove that"  
" I don't know" Harry said, " Hey lets go down by the lake, we have a free period"  
" Sounds fun" Brenda said and they left the class room and headed down towards the lake and they met Neville half way down there  
" Hey Neville" Brenda greeted  
" Hi you guys, you going to the lake too?" Neville asked  
" Yah, these days have been kind of stressing you know" Harry said  
" Yah, I'm going down to look at water plants that I've seen in this book"  
" Magical water plants of the highland Lochs? Neville where did you get this?" Brenda asked  
" Professor Moody gave it to me that day we had tea, it's very interesting" Neville said  
" You mind if we look at it?" Brenda asked  
" Sure be my guest" Neville said  
The trio were by the lake for an hour and then Neville waved at somebody coming from the castle, it was Hermione, Ron and Ginny, Hermione came down to them  
" Ron would like me to tell you that Seamus told him that Dean was told by Parvati that Hagrid was looking for you two" Hermione said  
" Oh so now he's not on speaking terms with us, great" Brenda said, " What"  
" Uh... be right back" Hermione said and went back up to Ron then came back down, " Dean was told by Pavarti... please don't make me say it again, the main thing is that Hagrid is looking for you"  
" Well you can tell Ron" Harry started  
" I'M NOT AN OWL" Hermione said  
" Thanks Hermione for telling us, I think it's immature that Ron couldn't tell us himself" Brenda said, " So is Hagrid at his hut?  
" Yes" Hermione said  
" Thanks" Brenda said, " Neville here's your book, it's very interesting"  
Neville smiled  
" I wonder what he wants" Harry said  
" Well go find out" Hermione said  
They nodded and left the lake to find Hagrid at his hut  
" Hey you two, I shouldn't be telling you two this but I'm going to, sneak out tonight after curfew at midnight and come down here, don't forget to bring your cloaks" Hagrid said  
" What's going on?" Brenda asked  
" I cannot tell you that right now, just do as you're told" Hagrid said  
They nodded  
That night the twins left at 12:00 with their cloaks and met Hagrid at his hut at 12:15  
" Are you ready to go? Do you have your cloaks?" Hagrid asked  
" Yes, but where are we going" Harry asked  
" You will see soon enough, just pay attention" Hagrid said, " Lets go"  
Hagrid led the two Potters into the Forbidden Forest  
" We're not supposed to be in here" Brenda said  
"You're with a teacher, you're safe with me" Hagrid said  
" Hey Hagrid what's with the flower and why did you comb your hair?" Brenda asked  
" And what is... that smell?" Harry asked, " Did you put on cologne?  
" As a matter of fact I have" Hagrid said, " I like to try new things once in a while"  
They got deeper into the forest and then they heard somebody call out to Hagrid  
" Hurry put your cloaks on" Hagrid said  
They did as they were told  
" Bonsoir Olympe" Hagrid said  
" Oh Hagrid. I thought you weren't coming, I thought perhaps... you had... forgotten me" Maxime said  
" I could never forget you" Hagrid said  
" Ewe" Harry thought to his sister  
" Awe this is so romantic" Brenda thought back with a smile  
" Girls" Harry thought and rolled his eyes  
" You'll get into it in a few years" Brenda thought  
" So what is it that you wanted to show me? When we spoke earlier you sounded exhilirated" Maxime said  
" You'll be glad you came, trust me" Hagrid said with a smile and excitement  
They walked a little ways more and saw to the twins' horror, five dragons  
" Wow c'est magnifique" Maxime said in awe  
" I knew you would like it" Hagrid said  
" Can we get closer?" Maxime asked getting closer  
Harry and Brenda took off the cloaks  
" Dragons" They said together  
" That's the first task?" Harry asked  
" Yes" Hagrid said  
" You have to be joking" Brenda said worried  
" No" Hagrid said then saw the looks on the teens' faces, " Come on you two, dragons are misunderstood creatures"  
A dragon blew fire and it was really close to them  
" Though I got to admit, that Horntail is a right nasty piece of work, poor Ron nearly fainted when he saw it" Hagrid said  
" Ron? Ron was here?" Harry asked  
" Of course, his brother Charlie helped bring them over from Romania, didn't he tell you two?" Hagrid asked  
" No, he didn't tell us a thing" Brenda said angry  
Another blast of fire came there way  
" OI KEEP AWAY FROM HERE HAGRID" Charlie yelled, " THESE DRAGONS CAN SHOOT FIRE UP TO 20 FEET"  
" I've seen the Horntail do forty" Another Wizard said  
" Aren't they beautiful" Hagrid asked  
" Yah but you don't have to face them" Brenda mumbled  
" IT'S NO GOOD, WE CAN'T CONTROL THEM WE MUST STUN THEM" A Wizard yelled, " ON THE COUNT OF THREE"  
The Wizards pulled out their wands and called out, " STUPEFY"  
The dragons were stunned and Charlie was coming back over to the group  
" Hurry put on the cloak" Hagrid told the teens  
They did as they were told and good thing too, Madam Maxime was coming back and Charlie was coming over  
" Hi Hagrid" Charlie said  
" Hi Charlie, so what breeds do you have there?" Hagrid asked  
" Well we have a Hungarian Horntail, a Common Welsh Green, a Swedish Short Snout, a Chinese Fireball and a Norweigian Ridgeback"  
" So what do the champions have to do? fight them?" Hagrid asked  
" I think they just have to get past them" Charlie said, " We had to bring nesting mother dragons, I don't know why, they seem more dangerous then other dragons. We're going to be on hand if things get nasty, you know with Extinguishing spells at the ready, so speaking of the champions how are the Potters doing?"  
" They're fine, a little nervous about the tasks at hand, not knowing can be scary you know?" Hagrid said  
" I know, I just hope they will still be fine after this task" Charlie said  
" Well I think Maxime and I better get going, it's still a school day tomorrow you know" Hagrid said  
Charlie agreed, " Well Hagrid good night, Madam Maxime it's been a pleasure to meet you" Charlie kissed her hand  
" What a gentleman" Maxime said  
They walked and got out of the forest and the Potters went up to the common room  
" I can't believe we have to face dragons, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god" Brenda was pacing  
" Brenda relax, we faced scarier things then a dragon" Harry said  
" Harry, Voldemort can't shoot fire up to 20 feet, we had the upper hand on Quirrel, we had help with the Baskilisk and Wormtail escaped because he's scared and we had training with the Dementors, we have never faced a full grown dragon before, we have the right to worry Harry" Brenda said  
" Brenda you really just need to calm down" Harry said  
" I'll calm down when the task is over" Brenda said  
The next day was another bad day for the Potters, not only was everybody mad at them, but now they had badges and on the badges said "Potters Stink and Cedric Rules"  
" So immature" Brenda said, " Just ignore them Harry"  
" Easier said then done" Harry said  
They were looking for Cedric to tell them about the dragons, they kept having to dodge people who would get in their way showing off their badges  
" Well I guess nobody is into fashion, those badges are so tacky" Brenda said to Harry put loud enough for everybody to hear  
" Brenda" Harry said  
" Well I'm just telling the truth" Brenda said, " Look there's Cedric"  
They walked over to Cedric who was with his Hufflepuff friends and they were wearing Potters stink badges also  
" Potters stink, Potters stink" His friends said at different times  
" Wow you all are seventh years and you're acting like four year olds, hmm interesting" Brenda said  
Cedric's friends closed their mouths and glared  
" Cedric can we talk to you?" Harry asked  
" Sure" Cedric said  
They walked away from the group  
" I told them not to wear those badges" Cedric said, " You're right Brenda, this whole thing is childish"  
" The first task is a dragon" Harry said  
" What?" Cedric asked, " Are you sure? "  
" Yes" Harry said  
" Do the others know?" Cedric asked  
" Madam Maxime knows about them and no doubt she told Fleur" Brenda said  
" And I'm sure Victor knows" Harry said  
" That's good, thanks for telling me" Cedric said  
" No problem" Harry said  
" You're welcome" Brenda said  
" Well I better go, I have Charms in ten minutes" Cedric said  
" Ok well see you then" Harry said  
Cedric left and they walked away from the spot and ran into Ron, Seamus and Neville, Harry saw Ron and got mad  
" You're a foul git you know that?" Harry spat  
" Harry" Brenda started  
" You think so?" Ron asked  
" I know so" Harry said  
" Is that so? Anything else" Ron asked  
" Not at all" Brenda cut in  
" Brenda" Harry thought  
" No Harry, you're acting childish, we're leaving" Brenda said and pulled him away before a fight could start  
Malfoy saw the Potters and started laughing  
" Gee Harry, letting your sister boss you around? Maybe my father will win after all"  
" What are you talking about Malfoy?" Brenda asked  
" My dad and I have a bet, I think you two won't last ten minutes in the tournament, but my father disagrees, he thinks you wont last five"  
" I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOUR FATHER THINKS" Harry yelled  
" YOUR FATHER IS VILE AND CRUEL" Brenda said  
" And you're pathetic" They said together and turned around to walk away  
" How dare you" Malfoy said and he took out his wand, " HAIROUNDA DE GROWLA"  
Malfoy's spell it Brenda in the head and her hair started to grow at a very rapid pace  
Brenda screamed and they both turned around  
Harry drew out his wand, " MALFOY... FURNUNCULUS " Harry yelled and Malfoy got ugly boils all over his face, Brenda's hair was still growing and she was beginning to look like cousin IT from the Adams Family  
Snape and Moody came running out of the castle and they ran to the group, well Snape ran and Moody limped, Snape pushed through the crowd that formed around the 4th years  
" GET OUT OF MY WAY, GET OUT OF MY WAY" Snape growled at everybody  
He finally got to the 4th years and was surprised at what he saw, he saw a cousin it looking Brenda, a boil faced Malfoy and a Pinnoccio nosed Harry. Every student who witnessed the fight began to talk all at once  
" SILENCE" Snape yelled, " Malfoy explain"  
" They attacked me sir" Malfoy said  
" MMMMMM" Brenda said through her hair  
" What?" Snape asked  
" She said Malfoy attacked her first" Harry said  
" MMMMMMMMM" Brenda said and she gestured and was trying to move her hair out of the way but it was no use, her hair covered her eyes and nose and mouth and was so thick she couldn't see or talk, she could barely hear and she was having a hard time breathing  
" What?" Snape asked again  
" She said she is having a hard time breathing, THERE'S TOO MUCH HAIR" Harry said getting scared for his sister  
" Are you lying to me Potter" Snape asked angry  
" No, Malfoy just cursed my nose to be this long, I'm not like Pinnocio, Sir Brenda is in trouble" Harry said  
Snape glared at the situation, " Moody take care of these two, I'll take care of Miss Potter" He grabbed what he thought was her arm since now her whole body was covered in hair and he guided her to the castle  
" MMMMMMMMM" Brenda said and she sounded frantic  
" Calm down Brenda it's me" Severus whispered  
Brenda was breathing hard  
" DIFFINDO" Severus said cutting off some of the hair but it was growing faster which made Severus worried  
They finally made it to the Potions classroom and Severus locked the door then he cast Diffindos to her hair about fifty times before he could see Brenda's mouth. He gave her a potion that stopped her hair growth, then he used Diffindo twenty times before Brenda could talk and see through her very long bangs  
" Are you ok?" Severus asked with a worried look  
Brenda nodded and was gasping and she was in tears  
" Would you like to tell me what happened?" He asked  
" We... We... We" Brenda was still gasping and crying, she couldn't make out the words  
" Calm down" He said  
She waited a minute to calm down and then said, " We made Malfoy mad and he cast the hair growth charm at me, I panicked because I couldn't see, talk barely hear and almost sufficated. What happened to Harry and Malfoy? She asked  
" Moody is taking care of them" Severus informed her then looked at her hair, " I say three more Diffindos will do it... hold still... DIFFINDO... DIFFINDO... DIFFINDO"  
Brenda's hair was back to normal, " Thank you" She said  
" You're welcome" He said then asked, " Now that's taken care of, what are you going to do about the dragon?"  
" How do you know about that?" She asked  
" Well parents of the champions are supposed to know" He said with a smirk  
" Well... I will use my wand and we'll see from there" She said thinking  
" What spells or charms are you planning on using?" He questioned  
" Well... probably the summoning charm" She answered  
" So how well do you have that down? Flitwick doesn't teach that until after Christmas to 4th years" Severus informed her  
" Well... considering you had me learn it my first summer with you I know it very well" Brenda said with a smile that made Severus smirk, " I think I'll summon my broom, I'm a good flier and I think it'll be easier to dodge the dragon with a broom"  
" That is a wise decision" Severus said  
" I don't know what Harry's going to do, he, I don't think knows that charm" She said  
" Well you have two days, why don't you get Miss Granger and both of you can help him out" He suggested  
Brenda smiled, " Good idea" She looked down at the floor, " What are we going to do with all this hair?"  
Severus smirked and waved his wand, "EVENESCO" The hair disappeared, " Now go get Pinnocio and help him with the charm"  
" Pinnocio? What?" Brenda asked confused  
" Harry was hit with a nose growing charm, he looks like Pinnocio, I'm sure Moody changed his nose back" Severus said  
" What happened to Malfoy?" Brenda asked  
" His face is cluttered with boils" Severus said then smirked, " Both of them looked funny"  
" Well it sure sounds funny" Brenda said with a smile  
" Well go on, the second years are coming in ten minutes" Severus said  
" Thanks dad" Brenda said and gave her dad a hug  
" For what? Saving your life" Severus asked  
" Not just for that" Brenda said, " I was very nervous about the task, I feel better now since we talked about it"  
" You're welcome" Severus said with a smile  
Brenda left to find her brother, after five minutes of searching she found him with Hermione, his nose was back to normal  
" Brenda you're ok" Hermione said and hugged her, " I was so worried"  
" Yah, Snape used Diffindo a lot of times before I could take the hair growth stopping potion, then he used Difindo many more times until I was back to normal, Harry I heard you looked like Pinnocio" Brenda said  
" Yah, Hermione spelled my nose back to normal, Malfoy tried cursing Hermione and me again but Moody came just in time and turned Malfoy into a ferret?" Harry said  
" That would be so funny to see" Brenda said with a smile  
" Malfoy went down Crabbe's shirt and pants" Harry said laughing  
Brenda chuckled and even Hermione smiled but she got serious again  
" But Professor Moody got in trouble by Professor McGonagall" Hermione said  
" Moody then took me to his classroom and we talked about the task" Harry informed  
" Speaking of that, it will be wise if you learned the summoning spell" Brenda said  
" Yah I'm planning on flying" Harry said, " I'm going to have to summon it because all we can use is a wand"  
" Well let's get started then" Hermione said  
" How did you two learn the charm anyways and when did you learn it?" Harry asked  
" I learned it the summer after first year" Brenda said  
" I learned it during our second year" Hermione said, " You need to start studying Harry"  
" So when do we actually get to learn that spell?" Harry asked  
" This year after Christmas" Brenda said, " Snape told me"  
They went into an empty classroom that had a bunch of school supplies  
" Ok, lets try a quill first" Hermione said  
" What you have to do is concentrate on the quill, take your wand out and say Accio... and whatever the object is" Brenda informed  
Hermione grabbed a quill, walked a few feet away from Harry and placed the feather in her palm  
Harry took out his wand and said, " ACCIO QUILL" The quill shivered a bit  
" Concentrate Harry" Hermione instructed  
Harry concentrated on the quill, " ACCIO QUILL" The quill came flying at him and he caught it  
" Very good, ok let's practice that a few times more then we'll start rolls of parchment" Brenda said  
Harry practiced five more times with the quill then he Accioed rolls of parchment then he moved onto books, small books first. He had a bit of trouble with the books and it took him fifteen tries to summon it to him and it was wobbly  
" I'll never master this spell in time" Harry said when they finished at midnight, "The task is tomorrow and I can barely summon a heavy book, I'm not going to be able to summon my broom from the Quidditch Pitch" Harry said  
" Calm down Harry, you will be able to summon your broom, just relax" Brenda said  
" Brenda how can I relax? I won't be able to summon my broom" Harry said  
" We have all day tomorrow, you did good for a half day Harry, just relax and get some sleep" Hermione said  
" Who could sleep at a time like this" Harry thought  
" Do you want a sleep potion?" Brenda asked reading his thoughts  
" No, that stuff can be addicting" Harry said  
" Only if you take it too much, one dose isn't going to be addicting" Brenda said  
" Ok fine," Harry said  
Brenda went up to the girls dorm and brought down a sleep potion for Harry  
" Thanks" Harry said and swallowed it and grimaced at the taste  
" Well goodnight Harry" Brenda said and went up the stairs back to the dorm  
" Night" Harry called after her  
Harry practiced the summoning spell all during his free time and even when he was in class. Divination was very boring, Trelawny was predicting that people with July birthdays were going to die horrible deaths because of the planets arrangements  
" Why is she always predicting our deaths?" Brenda thought  
Finally class was over for the day  
" I don't want to die a horrible death" Neville said aloud  
" Calm down Neville, you're not going to die a horrible death" Brenda said  
" My birthday is July 30" Neville said  
" I know, and mine and Harry's is July 31, nobody is going to die, you know her predictions are fake" Brenda said  
" Well how do you know you guys are not going to die? Tomorrow is the first task" Neville said  
" Um... Harry want to help me out with this one?" Brenda asked  
" We faced scarier things then a dragon, we faced a Basilisk our second year" Harry said  
" And V... you know who, three times" Brenda said  
" A dragon should be easy" Harry said  
They were reassuring themselves more then Neville  
" Well we got to go and practice a summoning spell" Brenda said  
" We'll talk to you later Neville" Harry said and the two left  
They went into an abandoned classroom and Brenda had Harry summon Hogwarts A History, it took him five times to master it  
" You're getting better" Brenda said reassuringly  
" Yes but will I be ready by tomorrow?" Harry asked  
" Ok let's try something, I'm going to go to the next room with Hogwarts A History and I want you to summon the book from there" Brenda said  
Harry nodded and Brenda left the room with the book and went into the other room  
" ACCIO Hogwarts A History" Harry called  
Brenda saw the book quiver, " Concentrate Harry" Brenda thought to her brother  
Harry thought of the book, the color of the book, the texture of the book, the weight of the book and then said, " ACCIO Hogwarts A History"  
The book came flying to Harry  
" YOU DID IT HARRY, YOU DID IT" Brenda came in excitedly taking the book away from him, "Let's do it again"  
She went back in the next room  
Harry concentrated on the book again thinking of all the things he had to think about it, " ACCIO Hogwarts A History"  
The book came flying to him  
They used the Hogwarts A History book fifteen more times so Harry would get the hang of it then they waited for Hermione to finish her Ancient Runes class and they all went out to the Quidditch Pitch  
" ACCIO FIREBOLT" Brenda called and her firebolt came flying out of the castle and down to them, " Harry do the same, you have to do it tomorrow and we need practice flying"  
" We're both good fliers" Harry said  
" We're not chased by a dragon everyday" Brenda said  
" Good point... ACCIO FIREBOLT" Harry yelled but it didn't come  
" Concentrate Harry" Hermione said  
Harry thought of his Firebolt, how fast it is when flying, the lightness of it, the color, the texture, " ACCIO FIREBOLT" The broom came flying down, " All right it worked"  
" Now we need to practice flying and turning at fast speeds" Brenda said  
That is what they did until it was time to go inside for Dinner  
Finally it was the day of the first task  
" Oh no, oh no oh no" Brenda was panicking  
" Brenda calm down, calm down" Hermione said  
" I have to face a dragon Hermione, a dragon" Brenda said  
" Brenda you faced a Basilisk this is nothing" Hermione tried calming down her friend  
When they got down to the common room and everybody who was down there were looking at both the Potters and they were all wearing Gryffindor colors and Potter on their shirts or faces  
" Good luck both of you" Neville said  
" You'll win I know you will" Seamus said  
" Nothing can stop you two, you'll beat whatever the task is" Fred said  
" Get ready to party after the task" George said  
A lot of other Gryffindors were wishing them luck and Harry and Brenda smiled at all of their supporters. They all went down to the Great Hall for breakfast  
All the champions ate light, first they didn't want to get a stomach ache while facing the dragon, and they were not hungry from being so nervous. Finally it was time to go down to the Quidditch Pitch which now was full of fire rocks and will hold a dragon  
The Champions were told to go down into a tent where they will wait for further instructions and wait their turn to face the dragon  
" I can't believe this day is finally here" Brenda said  
" I've been looking forward to it and dreading it" Cedric said  
" I still don't think tis fair that there are three Ogwarts Champions" Fleur complained  
Harry and Brenda rolled there eyes  
" How did you get your name into the Goblet" Victor asked  
" We didn't put or names in, we don't want to do this, we get into enough trouble as it is, we don't need to face a dragon for our lives to be dangerous" Harry said  
" Wow Harry has a point" Cedric said  
" Thank you" Harry said  
" A likely story" Fleur said in a huff, " They just want more danger in their lives or glory"  
" Fine Fleur, have your parents die from the killing curse, kill an evil Death Eater Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and watch him crumble into ash because he has you know who in the back of his head, go down into the Chamber of Secrets and kill a basilisk without getting killed yourself, and then face a werewolf " Oh yah we don't have enough danger in our lives" Brenda said sarcastically  
Fleur glared at her but Brenda just glared back  
" I think I'm scared" Victor said  
" We don't want to get in between those two" Cedric said  
" I don't know much about Fleur, but Brenda can get mean, and she has this glare that can give Snape a run for his money" Harry said  
Cedric laughed  
" I heard that" Brenda said  
" Well it's true" Harry said afraid of what his sister is going to do  
" I know" Brenda said with a shrug  
Finally Dumbledore started talking to the audience and the Champions were being quiet trying to hear  
" Pss, pss, Brenda, Harry" Hermione called  
" Hermione is that you?" Harry asked  
" Yah it's me, how are you two feeling?" Hermione asked  
" Fine" They said together  
" Ok remember you two, the key is to concentrate, after that..." Hermione couldn't finish  
" All we have to do is battle a dragon" Brenda said  
Hermione couldn't take it anymore, she had to see her best friends, she went inside the tent and hugged Brenda and then hugged Harry, unfortunately when she hugged Harry Rita Skeeter showed up and took a picture  
" Young love... how... stirring... If everything goes unfortunately today, you two might make the front page" Rita said  
" You have no right being here, this tent is for Champions and friends" Victor said  
" No matter, I got what I wanted" Rita said with a smile to Harry and Hermione and then left the tent  
" I really hate that woman" Brenda said  
Dumbledore came in with Madam Maxime, Karkoroff, Moody, Snape, Mr. Diggory and Barty Crouch and started talking, " Good day champions, Gather around please. Now you've waited, you've wondered and at last the moment you all have been waiting for has arrived. The moment only the five of you can fully appreciate... Gather around gather around here"  
The champions gathered around and Dumbledore saw Hermione  
" What are you doing in here Miss Granger? Dumbledore asked  
" Oh sorry, I'll just go" Hermione said and hastily left  
" What is Snape doing here" Cedric wondered  
" Barty, the Bag please" Dumbledore said  
" Ok everybody gather around me, champions stand in front of your adults" Barty said  
" What do you mean?" Harry asked  
" To see you off to your task" Barty said  
" How are you doing son?" Diggory said with pride  
" I'm fine Dad" Cedric said  
Everybody stood in front of their adults as Barty put it  
" Professor Dumbledore assigned me to be your adult Ms. Potter since McGonagall doesn't have the stomach to send children off into danger, I on the other hand have no problem sending children off into danger" Snape said to Brenda as a cover  
Brenda was glad her dad was here but she had to glare for affect  
" So that's why Snape's here, he's Brenda's adult, poor girl" Cedric thought  
" Ok Miss Delacour if you will select out of here" Barty said  
Fleur put her hand in the smoking bag and pulled out a green dragon  
" That is the Welsh Green" Barty said, " Mr. Krum you're next"  
Victor pulled out a red one  
" Ooh the Chinese Fireball" Barty said, " Mr. Diggory"  
Cedric pulled out the Swedish Short-snout  
" Miss Potter your turn" Barty said  
Brenda took a deep breath and pulled out  
" The Norweigian Ridgeback" Barty said, " And that leaves"  
" The Horntail" Harry whispered  
" What did you say?" Barty asked  
" Nothing" Harry said and he pulled out the last dragon  
" The Hungarian Horntail" Barty said, " These represent very real dragons, each of which has been given a golden egg to protect. your objective is simple, collect the egg. This you must do, for each egg contains a clue without which you cannot hope to proceed to the next task... Any questions?  
There were none  
" Ok we are going oldest to youngest with this task" Dumbledore said  
Harry and Brenda looked at each other and back at Dumbledore  
" Who's older, Harry or me?" Brenda asked  
" You were never informed?" Dumbledore asked  
" No" Harry said  
" Harry's older by five minutes" Dumbledore said, " So Harry you will be going before Brenda"  
" Oh great I'm last" Brenda thought  
" Ok now that's taken care of, Mr. Diggory you are first, at the start of the cannon" Dumbledore didn't finish because the cannon went off  
" Good luck son" Mr. Diggory said and hugged his son  
" Thanks dad" Cedric said and took a deep breath and went out into the pitch to face his dragon  
" Amos come with me, you can watch your son from the stands" Dumbledore said and led Amos away from the tent  
It didn't take Cedric long to get the egg. He Transfigured a boulder into a Labrador, which distracted the dragon long enough to let him steal the egg. He was burned in the process though  
" NEXT UP IS VICTOR KRUM" Dumbledore boomed  
Everybody cheered for Victor, he took even longer than Cedric did to get his egg away from the dragon what he did was he used a Conjunctivitis Curse dragon but the beast went into convulsions and damaged her other eggs as he was retrieving the golden one but this caused him to lose points. At the end everybody cheered for him  
" NEXT UP IS FLEUR DELACOUR" Dumbledore boomed  
Fleur had trouble getting the egg away from her dragon, first she tried using the sleep bewitched spell and put the dragon to sleep but the dragon was too powerful for that spell. During her task she got hit by fire and used AGUAMENTE a few times and finally dodged the dragon and got the egg. She took the longest time getting her egg away from the dragon and there were cheers coming from the audience  
" NEXT UP IS HARRY POTTER" Dumbledore boomed  
" Good luck Harry" Brenda said giving her now found out big brother a hug  
" Thanks, you too" Harry said and went out to face his dragon  
Severus waited until Moody left the tent to watch it in the stands before going over to his daughter  
" Take a deep breath and calm down" Severus said  
" I can't calm down, that looks really bad, he forgot about his wand already" Brenda said  
" Yah but Miss Granger reminded him and he got his firebolt" Severus said, " You and Miss Granger are very good teachers"  
Brenda smiled  
" Remember you can do this, you faced scarier things then a dragon" Severus said  
" I know" Brenda said  
" And the Horntail looks like the worst one, you have a Norweigian Ridgeback" Severus said  
" It's still a dragon, but I think you're right, the Horntail looks the scariest" Brenda said then watched her brother and the dragon. The dragon got off it's leash  
" OH MY GOD!" Brenda gasped  
" Well, this task just got interesting" Severus commented  
" Interesting? This is dangerous, the dragon is off the leash, I got to go help him" Brenda said about to walk out there  
" No you don't" Severus said and grabbed her arm  
" Dad please let go" Brenda said  
" This is Harry's task, you will have your own in a few minutes, Dumbledore isn't going to let anything bad happen to Harry, just calm down" Severus ordered  
Brenda had tears in her eyes but she didn't escape the tent, she couldn't, Severus had a hold of her wrist in a deathgrip. After another five minutes Harry flew back to the Quidditch Pitch without the dragon following him  
" He's all right, he's all right" Brenda cheered  
Harry got the golden egg  
" Oh... now it's my turn" Brenda said with gloom  
" You'll do fine, just remember to concentrate and get your broom like Harry did" Severus said  
" I know" Brenda said  
" Good luck Brenda" Severus said giving her a hug  
" Thanks dad" Brenda said  
" FOUR OF OUR CHAMPIONS SUCCESSFULLY FULFILLED THE TASK, NOW OUR LAST CHAMPION... BRENDA POTTER" Dumbledore boomed  
" Good luck" Severus said again  
Brenda smiled and nodded and took out her wand and walked out of the tent  
Out of nowhere the beast shot fire at her and she just dodged it and got behind a rock, she looked at her surroundings and saw the egg  
" If only I could summon it, but that would be too easy and probably cheating" Brenda thought and dodged another fire attack, " Oh I wish I knew the water spell, we don't learn that until next year though" She thought and then finally said, " ACCIO FIREBOLT"  
Her firebolt came flying down to her and people were cheering  
The dragon chased Brenda around the Quidditch Pitch  
" At least it's still on the chain" Brenda thought and she did a loopy loop to confuse the dragon and it blew fire at her but she dodged it, " Come on Brenda, I need to get that egg" She thought about a way to confuse it for just a minute or trick it, " ACCIO DUNGBOMBS"  
Brenda's Dungbombs came flying down to her and she caught them then she poured twenty of them out and confused the dragon because it was looking at what smelled horrible and while it was busy Brenda grabbed the egg while on her broom  
" AND BRENDA POTTER GOT THE EGG" Dumbledore boomed  
" I did it, I did it I did it" Brenda thought to herself, glad that the task was over  
The Gryffindors celebrated in the Common Room, Harry was picked up and put on George and Lee Jordan's shoulders and Brenda was picked up and put on Fred and Seamus's shoulders  
" YOU TWO DID IT. FIRST AND SECOND PLACE. WOOHOO" George cheered  
" WE KNEW YOU TWO WOULDN'T DIE" Fred said  
" YOU MIGHT HAVE LOST AN ARM" George said  
"OR A LEG" Fred said  
"BUT YOU PROBABLY THOUGHT" George said  
" NEVER" Fred said  
" Go on you two, what's the clue?" Seamus asked  
" I don't know Harry, should we open them?" Brenda asked slyly  
" Oh come on come on don't make us wait" People were saying  
Harry and Brenda smiled at each other then at the other Gryffindors and said together, " OK WHO WANTS US TO OPEN THEM?"  
The Gryffindors cheered  
" One" Brenda said  
" Two" Harry said  
" Three" They said together and opened them at the same time  
There was a deafening screech and Harry and Brenda were dropped because everybody covered their ears. The Potters struggled to get the blasted things closed and they finally got them closed  
" What the bloody hell was that?" Ron said from across the room  
There was an awkward silence until Fred broke is " All right everyone, go back to your knitting or chess games, or studying or whatever, this is going to be awkward enough as it is without all you sods listening in "  
" Thanks Fred" Brenda said with a smile  
" You're welcome Brenda" Fred said with a wink and a smile  
Harry and Brenda went up to Ron  
" I'm sorry" Ron said, " I figured you'd have to be barking mad to put your own names in the fire"  
" Caught on have you? Well it took you long enough" Harry said still a little mad at him  
" Well it wasn't just me who kept thinking and saying it, loads of people were talking behind your backs" Ron said  
" Great, that makes us feel loads better" Brenda said sarcastically  
" At least I warned you about the dragons" Ron said  
" Hagrid warned us" Brenda said  
" No I did, don't you remember? I told Hermione to tell you that Seamus told me that Parvati told Dean that Hagrid was looking for you. Seamus never actually told me anything, so it was really me all along. I thought you two would figure it out... or at least you Brenda and you would tell Harry and then everything would be all right between us" Ron said  
Brenda thought for a few minutes, " Ron... How could anybody figure that out? It's very confusing and what's the word I'm looking for?"  
" Completely mental" Harry asked  
" Exactly" Brenda said  
" I guess it is isn't it, I guess I was distraught" Ron said  
Hermione rolled her eyes and said, " It's about time"  
" Well I'll see you three later, I'm going to go see Snape for a bit, and tell Grandfather Severus all about the task if he doesn't know all ready" Brenda said  
" Ok, see you in a few hours then" Harry said  
" No just an hour, we still have a party going on here" Brenda said happily and then left the Common Room to head down to the apartment  
Grandfather Severus asked, " Password Brenda?"  
" Mermaid Scale" Brenda said  
He opened up, let her in and returned to another portrait inside, Severus was not in the apartment  
" So how was the task?" Grandfather Severus asked  
" It was terrifying" Brenda said, " I had the Norweigian Ridgeback, it's not as bad as the Hungarian Horntail, Harry's dragon got off the leash and chased him all over the castle, I distracted mine with dungbombs"  
" Interesting" Grandfather Severus said, " So what place did you get?"  
" Second, Harry got first, Cedric got third, Fleur got fourth and Victor got fifth, because he made the dragon burn up all of the other eggs" Brenda said  
Finally Severus came in  
" Hi dad" Brenda said  
" Hi Brenda, congratulations, second place, smart thinking on the dungbombs" Severus said  
Brenda smiled  
" Krum was an idiot using that spell on a dragon that is why he was docked so many points, Igor wasn't happy that happened" Severus said then looked at the golden egg in Brenda's arms, " So what is the point of the golden egg?"  
" I don't know, Harry and I opened them and they just... screeched" Brenda answered, " The sound like screaming banshees or something"  
" That's very odd" Severus said  
" You want to take a look at it?" Brenda asked  
" Sure" Severus said and Brenda handed it over and he opened it. The screech was so loud that he almost dropped and broke it but he managed to shut the cursed thing  
" This tournament is something, risk your lives for an egg that does nothing but screech, what is Dumbledore planning?" Severus asked  
" I don't know, I guess it's a test or something, Harry and I will just have to figure it out" Brenda said  
" I'm sorry I cannot be any help with the task" Severus said  
" That's ok, well I guess I'll go back up to Gryffindor Tower, we're celebrating up there" Brenda said happily  
" Just don't stay up too late" Severus ordered  
" Yes dad" Brenda said with a smile and rolled her eyes  
They hugged and Brenda left the apartment and went back up to the Gryffindor Tower  
The next day during breakfast a few things happened, one Harry kept staring at Cho Chang from Ravenclaw and he accidentally spit out his pumpkin juice from his mouth while looking at her, two, Ron got a package too big for owls so a first year named Nigel delivered it to him  
" Parcel for you Mr. Weasley" Nigel said  
" Thank you Nigel" Ron said and looked at it  
" Um... Ron, why is he staring at us" Brenda asked  
" Not now Nigel... later... go on" Ron shooed him away but he had a gloomy look on his face  
Ron's three best friends stared at him  
" I told him I'd get your autographs" Ron said  
Brenda rolled her eyes and Harry shook his head and they began eating again while Ron opened up his package  
" Oh look, mum sent me something... mum sent me a dress" Ron said holding it up  
" Well it does match your eyes, is there a bonnet to go with it?" Brenda asked  
Harry dug in the package and found a lace thing  
" Here it is" Harry said  
" Ginny these must be for you" Ron said going over to his younger sister  
" I'm not wearing that... it's ghastly"  
Hermione was laughing  
" What's so funny?" Ron asked  
" There not for Ginny, there for you" Hermione said and the Gryffindor table laughed  
" For me? What for?" Ron asked  
" They're dress robes" Hermione said  
" Dress robes?" Ron asked, " Why do I need dress robes?"  
" Well we'll find out I guess" Hermione said  
After breakfast McGonagall had all of her house students to follow her to the assembly room and she split up the students with girls on one side and boys on the other  
" I wonder what's going on" Lavender Brown said  
McGonagall waited until the group settled down before she began talking  
" The Yule Ball has been a tradition of the Tri-wizard tournament since its inception. On Christmas eve night we and our guests gather in the Great Hall for a well mannered frivolity. As representatives of the host school I expect each and every one of you to put your best foot forward, and I mean this literally because the Yule Ball is first and foremost... a dance  
There were a lot of groans coming from the guys side and a few cheers coming from the girls side  
" Silence" McGonagall commanded, " The house of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the wizarding world for nearly ten centuries. I will not have you in the course of a single evening ruining that name by behaving like a bunch of babbling, bumbling band of baboons"  
" Say that five times fast" Fred whispered to George  
" Babbling bumbling band of baboons, babbling bumbling band of baboons" George started  
Brenda was watching them, she couldn't hear what they were saying and they looked real funny talking to themselves like that and she smiled  
Fred saw her smiling at them and he smiled back and winked  
" Now to dance is to let the body breathe, inside every girl is a secret swan that slumbers and is longing to burst forth and take flight" McGonagall said  
" Inside every boy is a lordly lion prepared to prance" McGonagall said  
Ron said something that sounded like he was talking about how stupid dancing is and about somebody having two left feet  
" Mr. Weasley will you join me?" McGonagall asked  
" Me?" Ron asked  
" Yes" McGonagall said  
Ron stood up and McGonagall pulled him into the center of the room, " Now place your right hand on my waist"  
" Where?" Ron asked surprised  
" My waist Mr. Weasley" McGongall said pointedly  
Ron placed his hand on her waist and his two older brothers whistled at him  
Brenda and Hermione tried not to laugh and across the room Harry, Fred and George were laughing, along with all the other guys  
" Now hold my hand and bend your arm like that... ok... Mr. Filch start the music" McGonagall said, " And one two three, one two three, one two three"  
" You're not going to let him forget this are you?" Harry asked the twin Weasleys  
" Never" Fred and George said  
Finally McGonagall and Ron stopped  
" Ok everybody on your feet" McGonagall said  
All the girls stood up and walked forward to the guys  
" Ooh we get to dance with them" Lavender was excited  
The boys didn't get up  
" Boys on your feet" McGonagall instructed  
Only Neville stood up and asked Ginny to dance  
" Come on Boys" The girls said together  
The girls finally got the boys on their feet, McGonagall paired everybody up for this dance, Brenda was actually excited she was paired up with Fred. Hermione was paired up with Harry, Lavender was paired up with George  
They didn't get to talk, they had to learn to waltz  
Fred looked at George and smiled big  
Fred and George knew what each other were thinking at that moment  
The next day the girls in all the houses were talking about the dance and what they were going to wear to it and the boys were scared about asking out the girls to the dance  
" So are you going to ask Cho to the dance Harry?" Brenda asked  
" Why would I?" Harry started then saw the look on his little sisters face, " Oh you know?"  
" Don't have to read your mind to figure it out" Brenda said  
" I don't know how to ask her" Harry said, " You girls have it easy, you just wait until a guy asks you"  
" True, but we only have a second to answer, and then there's the thing about having to wait, not knowing if we will have a date or not, and then there's the whole dress and hair and makeup issue" Brenda said  
" So has anybody asked you out yet?" Harry asked  
" Not yet" Brenda said, " Well I got to go, I can't figure out what to wear"  
" Why is it so difficult?" Harry asked  
" Because a lot of colors don't look good on me, all that is in the Hogsmead catalog are the colors that do not look good on me, pink, yellow, orange etc...  
" Wow you do have a problem, why can't you just go with black?" Harry asked  
" I'll settle for black, but I can't find black, I can't find anything that will look good" Brenda said  
" Why don't you owl Mrs. Weasley, I'm sure she can help you" Harry said  
Brenda nodded, "I think I will"  
Brenda left and went up to the Gryffindor Tower where Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were goofing off  
" Hey Fred there she is" George whispered  
" What if she says no?" Fred said  
" She won't" Lee said, " She looked pretty excited being paired off with you when we all were practicing"  
" She was excited to just dance, not because of me" Fred said  
" Just go ask" George said, " It won't hurt"  
Fred took a deep breath and stood up, " Hey Brenda can I talk to you?"  
" Sure" Brenda said and she waited  
" Um... in private" Fred asked  
" Ok" Brenda said her heart pounding  
They went up to the Boys dorms and into the six year room  
" Are girls even allowed in here?" Brenda asked  
" Yah, Boys aren't allowed in the girls' though, I don't know why though" Fred said  
They just stood there for five minutes  
" You wanted to talk about something?" Brenda asked  
" What? Oh yah... Brenda we have known each other for a few years right?" Fred began  
" Yes" Brenda said thinking this conversation is getting weird  
" And we have become good friends right?" Fred asked  
" Of course" Brenda said with a smile, thinking she knew where this was going, her heart was pounding, she was sure Fred could hear it  
Fred was very quiet  
" Fred do you want to ask me to the ball?" Brenda whispered  
He was caught off guard and didn't say anything  
" Well is that what you wanted to ask?" Brenda asked  
" Has anybody asked you yet?" He asked  
" No" Brenda said with a smile  
" So... would you like to go with me?" Fred asked  
Brenda smiled big, " Yes"  
Fred smiled back  
" Ok confession, I really liked you since fourth year" Fred admitted  
" I have a confession too, I've really liked you since... second year too" Brenda said shyly, " Spent days just looking at you waiting for you to smile and wink at me"  
Fred smiled and winked, " Wow this is easier than I imagined"  
Brenda giggled and said, " We should keep it a secret"  
" Why" Fred asked  
" Just until the Ball, to drive Ron and Harry mad" Brenda said  
Fred thought about it, " I like it"  
" Good" Brenda said  
Fred and Brenda headed back down to the common room and George and Lee were waiting for Fred to answer, his only answer was a big smile and a wink  
Brenda giggled  
" All right" George cheered  
" So who are you taking?" Brenda asked  
" I'm hoping to ask Angelina" George said, " So Fred got any pointers?"  
" Um... get to the point?" Fred said, " And smile and wink"  
Fred looked at Brenda and did just that, loving that she loves the wink  
" Turns out we both liked each other two years ago" Brenda said, "We want this to be a secret, we want to... drive Ron and Harry mad" Brenda said  
" Wow Brenda has a joker side, welcome to the club" George said  
Brenda smiled  
A few weeks passed and it was getting closer to Christmas eve, Brenda forgot to Owl Mrs. Weasley and she still couldn't find a dress and neither Harry or Ron asked anybody to the Ball, They were both running late for Study period and they were looking at all the girls trying to ask one  
" Why do they all travel in packs? How are you supposed to get one alone to ask them out?" Harry asked  
" Blimey Harry, you faced a dragon, if you can't get a date who can?" Ron asked  
" To tell you the truth, I'd rather face a dragon right about now" Harry said as a bunch of girls glared at them, " Well we better get going or we're going to be late for Study period"  
" Who is it this time?" Ron asked  
" Today it's Snape" Harry said  
" Oh great, he always makes us study, we can't talk or anything" Ron complained  
" Come on" Harry said pulling his arm  
They finally made it to Study period in the Great Hall and sat down in their seats  
" It's about time you got here, what took you so long?" Brenda whispered  
" We were trying to ask girls out to the Ball, they always travel in packs" Harry said  
" Why do they do that?" Ron asked  
" Same reason why you hang out with your friends" Brenda informed  
" And most of them talk about boys" Hermione said glaring at Lavender  
Finally Snape came in the room, " Begin studying, if you don't have anything to study come to me and I will give you a book, I want them all back at the end of the period I don't want to hear any talking whatsoever, understood?"  
" He's worse than McGonagall" Ron whispered  
" Shh" Hermione spat and got up to get a book  
" Wow she was unprepared?" Ron asked  
" No she finished her book and she hasn't gone to the library yet" Brenda said also getting up to get a book, " I also finished my book and I haven't gone to the library yet, and I studied already"  
They were into an hour of studying  
" Once you are finished studying for two hours or you have finished your book, you may leave" Snape announced  
" Two hours? How does he know if we studied for two hours?" Ron asked  
" We can't get out of here unless we did" Harry said  
Ron went back to his studying, five minutes later he was distracted again  
" This is madness, at this rate we'll never get out of here and we'll never ask a girl to the Ball" Ron said  
Snape walked past and slapped Ron on the head and one to Harry for good measure with the book he was reading  
" What was that for?" Ron mouthed and glared at Snape's back  
" For your talking duh... you know he's strict" Brenda mouthed, " Now get back to your studying"  
Ron wasn't listening, " We'll be the only ones without dates, well besides Neville"  
" Then again, he can take himself, did you see the way he was dancing when we found out about the Ball?" Harry asked and they both started chuckling  
" Well it might interest you to know that Neville already asked someone" Hermione said  
" And she said yes" Brenda said  
Ron gasped, " Now I'm really depressed"  
George wrote a note and threw it at Ron, Ron picked it up  
The note said, " Get a move on or all the good ones will be taken"  
" Well who are you going with?" Ron whispered  
George and Fred looked at each other and smiled then George threw a paper ball at Angelina  
Brenda saw that Snape saw the paper ball and he glared but didn't do anything  
" What" Angelina mouthed  
" Would you like to go to the Ball with me?" George mouthed  
" The Ball? Yah" Angelina mouthed with a smile  
George looked at Ron and winked but Ron just glared  
" Who are you taking" Ron asked Fred  
" I'm not telling you a thing little bro" Fred said with a wide grin  
" Do you have somebody?" Ron asked  
" Yes" Fred said with an even wider grin  
When Ron wasn't looking, Fred smiled and winked at Brenda  
Brenda smiled too  
" Hey Hermione, you're a girl" Ron said with a smile  
" Well that's obvious" Hermione said  
" Come on, it's one thing for a guy to show up alone, but for a girl it's just sad" Ron said  
" Well Ronald, for your information I will not be going alone because someone asked me... and I said yes" Hermione said and got up from her seat and returned her book to Snape then stormed out of the Great Hall  
" Bloody Hell" Ron said then looked to Brenda, " What's her problem and who asked her? It wasn't Neville was it?"  
" No it wasn't Neville, but he did ask her but she was already taken" Brenda said, " I will not tell you who is taking her because it is not my place to say"  
" So how about you Brenda, would you like to go with me to the Ball?" Ron asked  
" Sorry but can't, like Hermione, I'm taken too" Brenda said and got up to return her book to her father, " Thanks for not getting mad" She whispered to him  
Snape nodded and discreetly handed Brenda a piece of paper  
Brenda smiled and walked out of the Great Hall giving Fred a smile as she passed him  
Brenda didn't read the letter until she got back to the Gryffindor Common Room  
" Brenda, come down to the apartment after dinner, I want to talk to you... don't worry it's nothing bad... dad"  
It was a very short letter and it got to the point  
" I can't be in trouble can I? He said it wasn't bad... I can't be in trouble, this is the longest I have gone without having to stay down there because I was grounded" Brenda thought to herself, " I wonder what he wants to talk about"  
The letter bugged her for the rest of the day in her classes  
" Brenda are you going to tell us who you and Hermione are going with?" Harry asked  
" No" Brenda said with a smile  
" Harry just read her mind" Ron said  
Brenda slapped Ron on the head with a book  
" Hey that's what Snape did" Ron said  
" Duh, I was there remember?" Brenda said, " Don't abuse your powers Harry"  
" I'm not going to, we'll find out soon enough" Harry said  
" Oh come on tell me" Ron begged  
" Why don't you stop worrying who Hermione and I are going with and worry about who you two are going with, Harry I heard from McGonagall that the Champions and their dates start the first dance" Brenda informed him  
" What? I... no... oh no" Harry stuttered  
" Do you want me to help you?" Brenda asked  
" I want to ask Cho out, how am I supposed to do that?" Harry asked  
" Try catching her at the Owlery, she's mailing her dress order" Brenda said  
" How do you know this?" Ron asked  
" I'm a girl, girls know these things" Brenda said  
" Speaking of dresses, did you ask Mrs. Weasley?"  
" Oh... I knew I forgot to do something, I was caught up in... stuff" Brenda said, " Well its too late now, the dance is in a week, there is no way I can owl her and she owl me back in that amount of time, I'll figure something out, you should go to the Owerly Harry and ask her"  
" Oh yah, thanks" Harry said and he started to leave but turned around, " How do I ask her?"  
" Just ask, Cho would you like to go to the Ball with me?" Brenda said, " It's not that hard, why do you guys always think there should be special wording for something so simple?"  
" Um... I better go then, see you at dinner" Harry said and he rushed out  
" So what did you and Harry talk about after I left?" Brenda asked  
" Well we agreed that tonight we will both have dates for the dance" Ron said, " But then Snape heard us talking and pushed our heads back to our studies, that really hurt, why didn't he do that to Fred and George or you and Hermione? You were talking too"  
Brenda shrugged  
" Hey you want to play some chess?" Ron suggested changing the topic  
" Ok" Brenda said and watched Ron get the game out  
Harry came back from the Owerly before they were done with the first game  
" So mate how did it go?" Ron asked  
Harry looked down  
" She said no?" Brenda guessed  
" She would but... Cedric asked her first and she said yes" Harry said  
" Oh Harry I'm so sorry" Brenda said getting up and gave her brother a hug, " Do you want me to ask somebody for you guys?"  
" No, we should be able to ask them ourselves" Ron said  
" Ok" Brenda said, " Well lets go down to Dinner then" Brenda said  
" Where's Hermione at?" Ron asked  
" Up in the girls dorm, she's mad at you" Brenda said  
" It's like she gets mad at me at least once every year" Ron said annoyed, " Is she going to come down?"  
" Hold on, I'll go up and ask" Brenda said and left the boys and headed up to the dorm, " Hey Hermione are you going down to Dinner?"  
" Yah, I guess, you didn't tell them right?" Hermione asked  
" That you're going with Victor? No, it's not my place to tell" Brenda said  
" Thank you" Hermione said with a smile  
" Hey, I like driving Ron and Harry mad, I won't tell them who I'm going with either" Brenda said with a wicked smile  
" You're going with Fred aren't you?" Hermione asked  
" Yah" Brenda said with a smile, " I have had a crush on him since second year  
" Yah, you told me that" Hermione said with a smile  
" This ball is going to be so much fun, if only I could find a dress" Brenda said  
" Couldn't you find anything in the catalogs?" Hermione asked  
" No, nothing looked like it would look good on me, I was going to ask Mrs. Weasley for help but I forgot after I was asked out, now it's too late" Brenda said  
" So what are you going to do?" Hermione asked  
" Well, I do have a dress, it's not a ball gown like what I wanted, but it'll do, it's a plain sky blue one that goes down to my ankles" Brenda said  
" I'm sorry" Hermione said  
" It's not your fault, it's mine" Brenda said, " So are you ready to go down?"  
Hermione nodded and the girls met the boys down in the Common room and with a lot of glaring from Hermione to Ron they headed down as a foursome  
Everybody at every table was talking about the Ball and what they were wearing, who they were taking and everybody was having a good time, all except Ron and Harry  
" This is madness, it sounds like we are the only ones without dates" Ron said  
" We can't be the only ones" Harry said  
They ate dinner talking about the dance and who they were planning on asking  
" I'll meet you three in the common room, I have... to go see Professor Snape  
" Ok, see you later" Hermione said and the four split  
Brenda was heading towards the dungeons and ran into Malfoy  
" What do you want?" Brenda asked  
" What are you doing down here Potter?"  
" None of your business" Brenda said trying to get past him  
" You're not supposed to be down here" Malfoy spat  
" I need to see Professor Snape now get out of my way" Brenda said with a glare  
" Why would Professor Snape want to see you?" Malfoy asked  
" Because she has detention with me Malfoy, now if you will let her get to the classroom it would be much appreciated" Snape said  
Malfoy was startled and just glared at Brenda  
" This way Miss. Potter" He said and led her to the classroom  
" That was a close one" She said when they were in the classroom  
" Yes, Malfoy seems to stop you a lot when you're trying to get down here" Severus said  
" Yah, I somehow dodge him though" Brenda said  
" I think it's time I show you a secret entrance to the apartment in case this happens again, I believe you're running out of excuses" Severus said  
Brenda nodded, " Wait there's a secret entrance?"  
" Of course, it opens up from the bare wall next to my room and the portrait door" He said  
" I was wondering why that wall doesn't have anything on it, everywhere else has Grandfather Severus portraits" She said smiling  
" Yes, well you still need to say the password to get in, it's just another way to get in if you need it" He said and he led her to the potions storage room  
" How many potions stores do you have?" She asked  
" This one and the one I give for detentions" He said and he went to a wall and said, " Mermaid scale" and he walked through  
" Cool it's almost like the entrance at Kings Cross" She said and did the same thing and entered the living room where Severus was  
" Exactly" He said with a smirk, " So what was with all the whispering during Gryffindor Study Hall?"  
" Mostly about the Ball, George was asking Angelina and he wanted to prove a point to Ron" Brenda said, " Harry and Ron don't have dates yet and George told them to get a move on before all the good ones are taken" She rolled her eyes  
" So who asked you?" He asked  
" Fred" She said with a grin  
" Fred Weasley?" Severus grimaced  
" Yes" She said and grinned again, " Thanks for not getting them in trouble"  
" You're welcome, I was about to smack them upside the head" He said seriously  
" I know" She said  
" Of course your brother and Ron were getting on my nerves, they were whispering louder after you left so I pushed their heads down and made them study" He said  
" Yah, I heard" she said with a chuckle  
" Ok, next topic" Severus started, " Do you have a dress yet?" He knew perfectly well that she didn't, he spelled the catalogs she was reading so there would only be colors that she wouldn't want  
" No, I can't find anything that will look right" She said  
" Don't say that I'm sure you'll find something in time" He said, " Now go to your room and think about what I said"  
When she opened her bedroom door, to her surprise there was a glittery violet ball gown that would look great on her. It dipped down a bit but not too much and there were spaghetti straps  
She screamed with excitement and ran to it  
Severus walked behind her with a smile  
" Oh my gosh dad, where did you, how did you, when did you... oh my gosh" Brenda said picking it up and holding it up to herself  
" You like it?" Severus asked  
" I love it" Brenda said happily, " Where and how and when did you get it?"  
" I knew about the Ball, I got it for you after you were fitted for your robes at Madam Malkin's" He said  
" I thought she only does robes" She said  
" She does clothes, just mostly robes, she had your size from your fitting of your robes and I had her make it especially for you" He said  
" Thank you so much, I couldn't find anything in the catalogs" She said  
" I know" Severus smiled wickedly, " I charmed the catalogs so you wouldn't find anything good, I wanted to surprise you"  
" Well you did a very good job at it" She said happily  
" Try it on, I want to know how it looks on you" He said and left the room  
Brenda got changed into the dress, it was very comfortable and soft on the inside and she came out of her room and spun around for her father  
" Beautiful" He said, " You remind me of Lily"  
She stopped spinning  
" Your mother was beautiful at the dances too" He said with a sad smile then with a happy smile, " That dress is missing two things, first it's missing shoes, " Accio dress shoes"  
Violet glittery matching shoes came out of Severus's room  
" Oh my god" Brenda gasped and she stepped into them  
" And the next thing it's missing is... well you need to close your eyes for this one" Severus said with a smile  
Brenda smiled and closed her eyes and Severus took out the necklace he bought her and put it around her neck and brought her to a mirror  
" Ok open them" He said with excitement  
Brenda opened her eyes and she saw on her neck a necklace with her name on it and it was in diamonds and on each end of her name was a heart  
" It's beautiful" Brenda said in awe, " Thank you"  
" You're welcome" Severus said with a big smile that reached his eyes, " Now the magical part about this dress and those shoes, the shoes match every dress you get, they are originally silver and they change color to match your dress perfectly, and that dress, with a spell it turns into a blanket with your name embroidered on it"  
" Cool, is that why this dress is so soft?" Brenda asked  
" Yes" Severus said with a smile  
" I love it, thank you so much" Brenda said and gave her father a big hug  
" You're welcome" He said  
________________________________________  
Chapter 33: Chapter 33  
________________________________________  
After Brenda changed back into her day clothes, put an anti-wrinkle spell on her dress, folded and shrunk it, shrunk her shoes and put them in the bag, and put her necklace in her bag, hugged and thanked her father again she headed up to Gryffindor Tower  
" So what was the talk about?" Hermione asked when Brenda came back  
Brenda smiled, " I'll tell you in the dorm... I mean show you in the dorm"  
Hermione smiled and they ran upstairs  
" I want to see" Harry called  
" You have to wait Harry" Brenda called after him and giggled  
Brenda took out the dress and showed Hermione  
" Wow that is pretty, Professor Snape got you that?" Hermione asked  
" Yes, after I was fitted for robes" Brenda said, " It was a surprise and he spelled all the catalogs to have colors I wouldn't like in them, he also got me shoes that match every dress I get and he got me a diamond necklace with my name on it"  
She took those out too  
" They're gorgeous" Hermione said, " I just got mine today too"  
" Ooh what's it look like?" Brenda asked  
Hermione smiled and got in her wardrobe and pulled it out, it was pink and ruffely  
" Wow that is beautiful" Brenda gasped, " Victor will be very stunned"  
Hermione smiled and put it back  
Brenda put her dress in her wardrobe also  
" Just one week" Brenda said to herself  
" Lets go back down" Hermione suggested  
Brenda nodded and they went back down to hang out with everybody who was there, Ron wasn't there  
Finally Ron came back with Ginny and Neville helping him, Ron looked very shakey  
" Ron are you ok" Brenda asked  
" What happened to you?" Harry asked  
" He just asked Fleur Delacour out" Ginny said  
" Well what did she say?" Harry asked  
" No of course" Hermione said  
Ron shook his head  
" She said yes?" Hermione gasped surprised  
" Don't be silly, there I was just walking by and I was watching them walk, you know how I like watching them walk, and it just sort of... slipped out" Ron said  
" You looked like you were in a trance Ron" Ginny said, " Of course so did you Neville"  
" I think Fleur is part Veela, she seems to have that affect on a lot of the guys" Brenda said  
" Well Ron didn't actually ask her, he kind of screamed at her, it was a bit frightening" Ginny said  
" So what did you do after that?" Harry asked  
" What else? I ran for it, I don't know what got into me" Ron said  
" Like I said, she's part Veela" Brenda said  
Lavender,and Parvati walked by the group  
" Hi Harry" Lavender said and the two giggled  
" Hi" Harry said distracted then did a double take  
" Hey Brenda are any of the Patil twins taken or Lavender?" Harry asked through thought  
" Padma and Lavender aren't taken, Parvati is going with Seamus" Brenda thought back  
" Thanks" Harry said, " Hey Lavender, Parvati can I talk to you two?"  
" Sure Harry" Lavender said  
" Would you like to go to the ball with me?" Harry asked  
" Sure I'll go with you" Lavender said  
" Parvati would you ask your sister if she would like to go with Ron?" Harry asked  
" Ok, sure" Parvati said, " I'm sure she'll say yes, I'll let you know tomorrow"  
" Great... perfect" Harry said awkwardly, " I'll go tell Ron then"  
Harry left the three and told Ron  
" I might be going with Padma?" Ron asked," Thanks Harry"  
" You're welcome" Harry said  
" Now who are you two going out with" Ron asked Hermione and Brenda  
" We're not telling" The girls said  
" Oh come on" Ron begged  
" Ron you're just going to have to wait until Christmas Eve, it's only in a week" Brenda said  
" Harry why don't you use your twin connection and read your sisters thoughts" Ron asked  
" Ron we already had this conversation, I am not going to abuse the mind reading power and lose my sister's trust" Harry said  
" Thank you Harry " Brenda said with a smile  
The next day Ron was relieved that Padma said yes  
Finally it was the night of the Ball, it was Christmas Eve  
" Tonight is the night, oh I can't wait" Lavender said excitedly  
" So what does your dress look like?" Hermione asked  
" Red with gold sparkles, spaghetti straps, dips a bit, and I have red matching shoes" Lavender said excitedly  
" Mine is glittery violet, it dips down a bit but not too much and there are spaghetti straps, I'm wearing matching dress shoes and a diamond necklace that has my name on it" Brenda said  
" I have a pink ruffely dress, it's dark pink at the top with lighter pink on the straps, theres a light pink at the bottom darker pink at the very bottom" Hermione said  
" It is very pretty" Brenda said  
" Oh I have to see them" Lavender said  
Hermione got her dress out  
" Wow" Lavender said, " That is beautiful"  
" Thanks" Hermione said with a smile  
" Here's mine" Brenda said getting hers out  
" Wow" That is also beautiful, oh tonight's going to be so much fun" Lavender cheered then got hers out, " Here's mine"  
" Wow, that is very pretty" Hermione said  
" It's very christmasy" Brenda said  
" You think Harry will like it?" Lavender asked  
" Yes" Brenda said  
" So who are you two going with?" Lavender asked  
" Ok we'll tell you, just don't tell Harry and Ron or anybody else, we're on a roll at driving them nuts" Brenda said, " I'm going out with Fred Weasley"  
" And I'm going out with Victor Krum" Hermione said  
" You're going out with Krum? Do you realize how lucky you are? So many girls have been following him around these past few weeks" Lavender said, " How in the world did you get him to ask you?  
" I guess I just caught his eye" Hermione said, " And I was one of the few girls who wasn't following him everywhere"  
" Brenda I knew you and Fred would get together sooner or later, you both keep looking at each other. He keeps winking at you, I've noticed it in second year, I have a knack for these things" Lavender said  
Brenda smiled  
All day long everybody was talking about the Ball, everybody was excited about the Ball and Christmas tomorrow  
Finally it was time to get ready, Brenda and Hermione put their dresses on and then did their hair. It took Hermione a long time for her hair to get it the way she wanted since her hair was always bushy, she had to use an antifriz potion that she and Brenda made in advance for her. After Hermione's hair was antifrized she used her wand and said the hair fixing charm and her hair was in an updo with strands of hair down and curled, it was beautiful  
" How does it look?" Hermione asked  
" Looks perfect, your hair will stay like that all night" Brenda said  
" Good" Hermione said with a smile  
" Hmm what should I do with my hair?" Brenda asked  
" I have an idea" Hermione said, " Close your eyes, I'll do it for you"  
Hermione used her wand and took all of Brenda's hair and put it in a curly updo then she curled Brenda's bangs to hide the scar. She spelled her hair to stay like that all night with the scar hidden  
" Ok you may now open your eyes" Hermione said with a smile  
Brenda opened her eyes and looked in the mirror  
" Oh I love it, you even got my scar covered" Brenda said  
" I thought you might like that" Hermione said with a smile  
" Thank you so much" Brenda said and hugged her friend  
" You're welcome" Hermione said  
Finally it was time for the makeup, to be safe they both used eyeshadow that matched their dresses, Hermione's was a light pink and Brenda's was a light violet, they both used a very light pink to brighten up their cheeks, Both of them put on lip gloss instead of lipstick, they both put on mascara and eyeliner but not too much, they didn't want to overdo the makeup, when they were done, they looked beautiful  
" Well do you think we're ready to go down now?" Brenda asked  
" Yes, it's time to meet our men and Harry and Ron" Hermione said with a smile  
They giggled and left the girls dorms and went down to the dance, they saw that Harry and Lavender, Ron and Padma were talking  
" Oh my gosh, they're beautiful" Padma said  
" What?" Ron asked  
" You guys turn around" Lavender said, " You finally get to see your friends and sister's dresses  
They turned around  
" Wow" Ron said," All dressed up and no one to dance with"  
All of a sudden Victor Krum went up to Hermione and took her hand  
" This is it Hermione" Brenda said, " Have fun"  
Hermione smiled at Brenda then took Victor's hand and walked off and smiled at the boys and their dates  
" She... She's with... Victor Krum?" Ron stuttered  
" Ok so now who is Brenda's date?" Harry asked  
Right on cue Fred came up to Brenda on the steps and he bowed  
Brenda smiled and curtsied  
" Ok this is weird" Fred said  
" Yah, now bowing please" Brenda said  
" Fine with me, you look beautiful" Fred said  
" Thank you, and you look very handsome" Brenda said  
" Thank you" Fred said with a smile  
" Are you ready for the first dance? The champions and their dates start it off you know" Brenda said  
" Yes I am" Fred said, "McGonagall is a very good professor, she taught us well" He held out his hand and Brenda took it and they passed Harry and Ron  
" She's going out with Fred?" Ron asked, " Why did Fred ask her? They're two years apart"  
" Fred and Brenda liked each other for two years now" Lavender said, " I've known about it before they even did"  
The Champions and their dates had to go into a different room and wait for the announcement, everybody else had to stand around in the Great Hall  
Finally the music for the first dance started  
" I welcome the Champions of the Tri-Wizard tournament" Professor Flitwick said  
Then the Champions came in the order their names were drawn  
" Isn't this exciting?" Brenda whispered to Fred  
" Very" Fred said smiling  
The slow dance started and everybody danced alike, they would dance in a circle then the girls would be lifted up in the air then dance in a circle again and the girls would be lifted up in the air again, then other people joined in, Neville and Ginny, George and Angelina, Dumbledore and McGonagall, Hagrid and Madam Maxime, even Filch and his cat Mrs. Norris  
" Look Filch is dancing with his cat" Fred said  
Brenda chuckled  
Finally the song ended  
" May I introduce the WEIRD SISTERS" Flitwick shouted the last part  
All the teenagers cheered for the Weird Sisters and the dance heated up  
They danced for a couple fast dances having a real fun time  
" Hey what's wrong with Ron and Harry" Fred asked  
" What?" Brenda asked  
" Harry only had that one dance and Ron hasn't danced at all with Padma, Padma and Lavender look kind of mad" Fred said, I've an idea, get Hermione, Victor and I will get drinks, go talk to them and figure out what's eating them"  
" Good idea" Brenda said  
" Tell my young brother to start dancing with Padma" Fred said, " He's being rude"  
" Ok, I'll give him the message" Brenda said then they went to get Hermione and Victor  
" Good idea" Hermione said  
The girls went to their best friends and brother and the guys went to get drinks  
" Wow it's hot in here" Brenda said, " What happened to Lavender?"  
" She was asked to dance by a Durmstrang" Harry said  
" Well Victor and Fred are getting drinks, do you care to join us?" Hermione asked  
" No we don't care to join you and Victor, I can't believe you are joining them Brenda" Ron said with a glare  
" What in the world got your wand in a knot?" Brenda asked  
" He's a Durmstrang" Ron said, "You both are fraternizing with the enemy" Ron said  
" The enemy?" Hermione asked stunned  
" Ron you were the one who wanted his autograph" Brenda said  
" The whole point of the tournament is international magical cooperation, to make friends" Hermione said  
" Well I think Victor has a little more than friendship on his mind" Ron said  
" So immature" Hermione said and walked off  
" Ron are you going to ask me to dance or not?" Padma asked  
" Not" Ron said  
Padma walked off  
" Ron all you had to do was ask Hermione first" Brenda said  
" Brenda why are you going out with Fred?" Ron asked  
" Because he asked me and I said yes" Brenda said, " I'm glad he asked me"  
" Because you had a crush on him since 2nd year right" Harry asked  
" How do you know about that?" Brenda gasped  
" Lavender told us" Harry said  
Fred came over to the group and handed Brenda her drink  
" Hey you guys, what happened to your dates?" Fred asked then took a swig of his butterbeer  
" They left" Ron said gloomy  
" Well that's what you get for not dancing with them" Fred said, " You bored them to death"  
" Lavender is going to be mad, she was so excited about this dance and that dress is beautiful" Brenda said  
" I'm just not in the dancing mood I guess" Harry said  
" I can't get in the mood, not with this ancient dress robe on" Ron said  
" That's not an excuse, you're jealous of Victor" Brenda said  
" I am not" Ron spat  
" Yes you are little bro" Fred said  
" Shut up" Ron said  
" Hmm, well we're not making any progress, Brenda what do you say we go see if Hermione's ok then let's hit the dance floor again?" Fred asked  
" Sounds fun" Brenda said, " Well have fun you two... just sitting here"  
The two left  
Later that night Fred and Brenda left the dance floor and just walked outside, they got to a bench and sat down  
" Oh what a beautiful night" Brenda said  
" Yes, very beautiful" Fred said  
He put his arm around her and she leaned into him  
They watched the snowflakes fall for five minutes and it was very peaceful  
" Hey Brenda?" Fred asked  
" Hmm" Brenda asked  
" I just wanted to ask... never mind" Fred said  
" No, what were you going to ask?" Brenda asked  
" Why am I so scared? I had dates before, I had girlfriends before and I kissed them, why am I so scared with her?" Fred thought, " It's because this time, I'm dating Brenda, I've been in love with her for two years now"  
" Fred?" Brenda asked  
" Maybe I should do the move" Fred thought, " But what if she doesn't like it and pulls away? Then I just lost the only chance with her, man it's hard being a guy"  
" Fred are you ok?" Brenda asked  
" Yah I'm fine" Fred said  
" Fred, do you want to kiss me?" Brenda asked  
" What?" Fred asked with wide eyes  
" Well you were about to ask me something and you changed your mind, you were really quiet like you were thinking, the only thing I could think of what you were thinking is kissing, so I'm asking, do you want to kiss me?" Brenda asked  
" Only if you want to kiss me" Fred said  
Brenda smiled, " I thought you'd never ask  
Fred smiled and the two moved their heads closer to each other and they had their first kiss together, it was a long and passionate kiss  
" I've been waiting to do that all night" Fred admitted  
" Me too" Brenda said with a smile  
They kissed again and then Fred put his arm around her again and they looked at the stars  
All of a sudden Harry came up to them and his eyes were wide  
" What's up Harry" Fred asked  
" Snape and Karkaroff are acting very strange, Karkaroff wanted Snape to lift up his sleeve for some reason  
" Which sleeve" Brenda said with wide eyes  
" His left one, saying something that it's getting stronger" Harry said, " I think Karkaroff is scared about something and Snape is not, but I don't know what he's scared about, oh you two better watch it, Snape is catching students kissing and he's docking points. He's not in a good mood"  
" Have you two been kissing?" Snape asked, he was right behind them  
All three of them jumped and Fred pulled his arm off Brenda's shoulders  
" D... Professor you scared us" Brenda said  
" I see that since you three jumped about a foot off the ground, now what is it I hear about kissing" Snape asked and looked at Brenda  
" You didn't catch us, I didn't know it was wrong, and it's Christmas Eve one of the romantic nights of the year" Brenda tried talking herself out of trouble  
" Hmm, you bring up a good argument... Very well, this time you will not get in trouble, mainly because it is Christmas and that dress is very beautiful on you"  
Brenda smiled, " Thank you sir, my very caring and understanding adoptive father got it for me"  
Fred and Harry were trying not to smile because this conversation just got funny  
" Yes he does" Snape said, " Well I suggest you three go inside and dance or head up to your Tower, it is getting late and the dance is dying down" He left the three with his robes billowing behind him  
" Now can we laugh?" Fred asked  
" Now we can laugh" Brenda said chuckling  
The three of them started laughing  
" So are you ready to dance?" Fred asked once they calmed down  
" Yah, Harry are you going to come?" Brenda asked  
" I think I'll just head up to the Common room, I'll see you two later, have fun" Harry said and they went their separate ways"  
Fred and Brenda danced to one more slow song and then they saw Hermione get mad at Harry and Ron and ordered them to go to bed and she fell on the steps crying  
" Now what did Ron do?" Fred asked  
Fred and Brenda and George and Angelina went up to Hermione  
" Hermione are you ok?" George asked  
" Ron ruins everything, he should have just asked me in the first place and not as a last resort" Hermione said through tears  
" You want us to" Fred started  
" Knock some sense into him?" George finished  
" That'll do no good, he... he needs to open his eyes" Hermione said  
" What?" George asked  
" He needs to see that Hermione likes him, she already figured out that he likes her but he won't do anything about it" Brenda informed  
" Where's Victor at" Angelina asked  
" He's coming, he had to talk to Karkaroff about something, I'm getting tired, I'm going to bid him goodnight when he comes back, it has to be past midnight by now" Hermione said  
" It's 12:45" George said checking his watch  
" Happy Christmas" Fred cheered  
" Happy Christmas" Everybody else cheered  
" I'm getting kind of tired, we've been here since 7:00" Angelina said  
" Come on Angelina, lets head up" George said  
Angelina nodded and those two left  
" We'll wait with you for Victor" Brenda said  
" Thanks you two" Hermione said with a tired and sad smile  
Victor came to them fifteen minutes later and the party was very deserted, the only ones left were, Neville, Ginny, Fred, Brenda, Filch, Norris, Hagrid, Maxime, Hermione, Victor, Malfoy, Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Karkaroff and Moody  
" Sorry for taking a long time, I was talking to Karkaroff" Victor said  
" That's ok, listen Victor, I had a really good time, but it's time we start leaving it's 1:00... Happy Christmas" Hermione said  
" Happy Christmas" Victor said, " I will walk you back to your tower"  
Hermione smiled and the Gryffindors and Victor headed up to Gryffindor Tower  
Victor kissed Hermione's hand and bid her goodnight and left before anybody said the password to the room  
Fred and Brenda kissed again before they headed up to their dorms  
" Let me see it again" A voice commanded  
A sleeve rolled up and under the sleeve was a marking of a skull and a snake on the arm  
" Ah yes, the time is close now. Harry and Brenda! At last! Step aside Wormtail so I can give our guests proper greetings" The voice commanded  
There was a green blinding flash and Brenda woke up sweating and breathing hard, she didn't know it but Harry was also awake sweating and breathing hard  
Brenda couldn't go back to sleep so she got her robe and slippers on and headed down to the Common room, she met Harry down there too  
" Bad dream?" Harry asked  
" Yah" Brenda said, " That voice sounds eerie"  
" That green flash startled me awake" Harry said  
" Yah startled me awake too, luckily I didn't scream" Brenda said  
" I startled Neville" Harry said, " He just came in"  
" Wow I bet Ginny had a fun time" Brenda said with a smile  
" Neville sure seemed happy" Harry said  
They stayed up and talked for two hours, it was now 5:00 in the morning  
" We should probably go back to bed, we have to get up in an hour or two, Christmas you know" Brenda said  
" Yah I know, so what did you get Snape?" Harry asked  
" I got him a book by Edgar Allen Poe, it's a new one that just came out" Brenda said  
" I thought that guy was dead" Harry said  
" He is, he's a ghost, he just doesn't write for muggles anymore, they don't understand" Brenda said  
" He was a wizard?" Harry asked  
" Yes" Brenda said with a smile  
" I did not know that" Harry said  
" Well now you do" Brenda said with a smile  
They headed back up to their dorms to catch a little more sleep  
Everybody was tired Christmas morning, but everybody had a fun time, presents were handed out, Christmas games were played, the Christmas feast was spectacular, it was a very good Christmas  
After Christmas and Christmas break both Harry and Brenda were getting worried, the second task was coming up in about a week and they couldn't figure out the egg, every time they opened the eggs the eggs would just screech  
Harry, Brenda and Hermione were on the bridge outside Hogwarts looking down at the ground  
" I thought you two had the eggs figured out, you both haven't been working on it" Hermione said, " The task is in a week"  
" Really Hermione, we didn't know" Harry said sarcastically  
" We are trying to figure it out Hermione, but they just keep screeching at us" Brenda said  
" I suppose Victor already figured it out" Harry said  
" I wouldn't know, we don't really talk about the tournament, we really don't talk at all" Hermione said, " He's mostly a physical being"  
Harry and Brenda looked at her and smiled, Hermione just thought of what she said and smiled  
" I mean he's not particularly... most of the time he just watches me study, it's kind of annoying actually" Hermione said, " You two are trying to figure the egg out aren't you?"  
" Of course we are" Brenda said  
" These tasks are supposed to test you, they are so dangerous and almost cruel, you both got past the dragons by luck and nerve, I'm scared for both of you, I don't think luck and nerve will help next time" Hermione said  
" We just have to keep telling ourselves, we have faced scarier things then what we are facing now" Brenda said  
" Is it working?" Hermione asked  
" Somewhat" Harry said, " Don't get us wrong, it's very scary going out there and facing dragons and such, but Brenda and I did face You know who on many occasions, we defeated a basilisk, we all faced a werewolf and we faced dementors, we have had experience in the dangerous department, we just have to keep telling ourselves that we'll live through it"  
" Don't forget the troll first year" Brenda said  
" Oh yah, we also faced a troll" Harry said  
" You two have faced a lot, just don't get cocky" Hermione said  
" We won't get cocky, it just helps us calm down when we think about all that we faced in the past" Brenda said  
" HEY POTTERS... POTTERS" Cedric yelled running to them  
Harry saw Cedric and rolled his eyes  
" Cool it Harry" Brenda thought to him  
"Potters" Cedric said one more time  
" Yes Cedric" Harry said annoyed  
" I'm glad I caught up to you two" Cedric said  
" Ok" Brenda said  
" So how are you two" Cedric asked  
" Spectacular" Harry said with sarcasm  
" We're fine" Brenda said, " What's up?"  
" Look, I really never thanked you two properly for telling me about the dragons" Cedric said  
" Forget about it, I'm sure you would have done the same thing for us" Harry said, " Come on Brenda"  
They started walking  
" Exactly... here's a tip... bring your eggs with you when you take a bath, mull things over in the hot water" Cedric said  
He left after he said that  
" Take a bath with it? He must be out of his mind" Harry said  
" Well let's just try it, it can't hurt" Brenda said  
Harry was still glaring  
" Give it a rest Harry, he asked Cho before you did, there is nothing we can do about that now, the dance is over with" Brenda said  
" I know, but now they're dating" Harry said  
" I'm sorry... really I am but you have to move on, there are other girls out there, and you never know, Cho and him might break up, but just try to move on" Brenda said  
Harry sighed  
" So are you going to do what he suggested?" Brenda asked  
" I guess it won't hurt" Harry said  
" Good" Brenda said, " Now I think we're getting somewhere"  
At night after everybody else was in bed Brenda took her egg and walked to the bathroom and to the tub and drew the water and undressed and took her egg and put it under water. She heard something pretty under the water so she went under it and heard the music, " Come seek us where our voices sound. We cannot sing above the ground. An hour long you'll have to look, to recover what we took"  
She came up from the water, " Well that's going to be a problem"  
The next day Harry and Brenda were the first ones up  
" Did you take a bath with it?" Brenda asked  
" Yah did you?" Harry asked  
" Yah" Brenda said  
" How exactly are we supposed to stay underwater for an hour?" Harry asked  
" I don't know... I don't know... there is only one charm I can think of but neither of us have time to learn it" Brenda said and she was pacing back and forth  
" Brenda calm down, we'll... we'll figure something out... what's the charm?" Harry asked  
" It's the Bubblehead charm, we don't learn it until sixth year" Brenda said, " I heard it is very tricky to learn"  
" There has to be something we can do" Harry said  
" Something you can do about what?" Hermione asked as she came down, Ron was right behind her  
" We figured out the egg, now we have another problem" Brenda said  
" The egg said, Come seek us where our voices sound. We cannot sing above the ground. An hour long you'll have to look, to recover what we took" Harry informed her  
" There is only one charm I know that will let you breathe underwater, and that is the Bubblehead charm, but we don't learn that until sixth year and it's supposed to be very challenging, we don't have time to learn it" Brenda said  
" Well lets start researching anything about breathing underwater, Brenda do you know of any potions that can help us?" Hermione asked  
" Not that I know of" Brenda admitted  
" Come on lets go to the Library" Hermione said and the four of them went to the library to research breathing underwater spells, potions or plants  
They were there at all hours of the night for about a week it was now the night before the task and they still couldn't find anything that would help them  
" Tell me the rhyme again" Hermione said  
" Come seek us where our voices sound we do not speak above the ground" Harry said  
" The Black lake, that's obvious"  
" An hour long you have to look, to recover what we took" Brenda finished  
" Also obvious, but potentially problematic" Hermione said  
" Potentially problematic? When was the last time you held your breath underwater for an hour Hermione?" Harry asked almost yelling  
" Look Harry, we can do this, the four of us can figure this out" Hermione said  
" We have been here for about a week nonstop, we can't find anything" Ron said  
" Don't say that, we have to find something" Hermione said  
Moody came into the library and to them  
" Good evening professor" Brenda said  
" McGonagall would like to see you" Moody said  
All four of them got up  
" Not you Potters, just Granger and Weasley" Moody said  
" But sir the task is only hours away and" Hermione started but was cut off  
" Exactly and the Potters should get some rest, Ms. Potter, Professor Snape would like to see you in his classroom, I don't know why though, probably forgot to turn in an assignment or something right?" Moody asked  
Brenda shrugged and nodded  
The three left Harry and Moody  
Brenda headed down to the Potions classroom and found her father in there, " You wanted to see me?"  
" Yes, have you figured out the egg yet?" Severus asked  
" Yes, but we now have a bigger problem, we have to stay underwater for an hour, I don't know how Harry and I are going to do that"  
" Well there are three ways I know of" Severus said, " You are too young for the first way and that's the"  
" Bubblehead Charm, yah we know" Brenda said  
" There is Gillyweed" Severus said  
" Gillyweed? You can breathe underwater with Gillyweed? I thought that was just gibberish for a password" Brenda exclaimed  
" No Gillyweed is actually a plant that lets you breathe underwater, the other way is kind of harder because it involves a mermaid scale in the person's wand" Severus said  
" I have a mermaid scale in my wand, my wand is, mermaid scale and phoenix feather, holly, 11 inches" Brenda said, " So how complicated is this spell?"  
" Well since you have a mermaid scale, it probably won't be too hard, it's a mix between a spell and a potion, which by the way I have" Severus said and he went to his stores and pulled it out and came back," What you need to do is drink this potion then take your wand and put it to your throat and say, MERMADO TRANSFORMO, Then jump in the water and you will look... well... you will look like Arial from the little mermaid"  
" I'll look like a mermaid?" Brenda asked excitedly  
" Mermaids are not pretty, but with this potion you will look like a mermaid you see in Disney cartoons" Severus said  
" Cool" Brenda said getting excited  
" It would only work for people who have mermaid scale in their wands, so it will work for you" Severus said and handed her the potion  
" Thank you" Brenda said  
" Now I suggest you stay down here tonight and get a good nights sleep, here take some dreamless sleep potion so you don't have nightmares, you'll do fine" Severus said and handed her the vial of dreamless sleep  
They went into the apartment and Brenda headed straight towards her room to get her pajamas on then Severus came in to tuck her in and watch her drink the sleep potion  
" Goodnight dad" Brenda said sleepy  
" Goodnight Brenda" Severus said and left the room  
The next day was a very cold day, of course it was cold, it was February. It was even colder for the champions because they had to wear swimsuits and swimming trunks, in the middle of winter, the only one who wasn't fazed by the coldness was Victor Krum because well he lives up North and it is almost always cold there  
Harry and Brenda looked very nervous and they couldn't eat anything for breakfast  
" Where are Ron and Hermione?" Brenda asked when she got to the table  
" Where have you been?" Harry asked  
" Apartment, have you seen those two?" Brenda asked  
" No, last time I saw them we were in the library" Harry said  
" Harry do you know what you're going to do for this event?" Brenda asked  
" Neville said something about Gillyweed, but I don't know how to get at it" Harry said  
Neville came up to them  
" Have either one of you seen Ginny?" Neville asked  
Harry and Brenda shook their heads no, " Have you seen Ron and Hermione?"  
Neville shook his head no  
" So did you get it?" Harry asked  
" I looked in Sprouts stores but she doesn't have any" Neville said  
" What's it look like? Maybe I can help" Brenda said  
Neville got out his plant book and showed Brenda a picture of Gillyweed  
" I know where we can get some, come with me" Brenda said  
" What about breakfast, you two have to eat" Neville said  
" Not hungry" Harry and Brenda said at the same time and the three of them left the Great Hall  
" Where are we going?" Harry asked  
" Shh" Brenda said and they went down into the dungeon and to the classroom," ALOHOMORA" Brenda said and the three of them walked in  
" Are we allowed to be in here?" Neville asked  
" No, but Harry needs Gillyweed so we have to get him some, I saw some in here the other day, I didn't know it was Gillyweed until now"  
Brenda went to Snape's stores and took out her wand, " ACCIO GIILLYWEED"  
A jar came down and landed in her hands, she took some of the Gillyweed out and handed it to Harry  
" That is plenty for an hour" Neville said  
Brenda put the jar of Gillyweed back onto the shelf with " WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA"  
" Let's get out of here, I hate being in here when we have class, we don't have class and it's still creepy" Neville said  
" All right, let's go" Brenda said and they left the classroom the way it was when they came in  
It was finally time for the task to begin, everybody was heading outside to the Black lake and they were all getting into boats  
" BETS BETS WE'RE TAKING BETS ANYBODY WANT TO BET ON THE CHAMPIONS" The twins shouted  
Harry, Neville and Brenda looked at them  
" Sorry you two, we know you two will win" Fred said and he and Brenda kissed, " That's for luck" He winked  
" Thanks" Brenda said with a smile  
" I still think that's gross" Harry thought to his sister  
Brenda looked at him and rolled her eyes  
" So have you two seen Ron, Hermione or Ginny" Brenda asked  
" No, haven't seen any of them today" George said  
" That's very odd" Neville said  
" Well good luck you two, we're going to be cheering for you" Fred said and kissed Brenda again  
" Be lucky Professor Snape isn't out here yet" Brenda teased  
" See you two later" George said and the Weasley twins left the champions and Neville  
They hurried and got in a boat and the boat went to the platform that the headmasters and mistress were on with the champions and Moody and Snape and Crouch  
" I saw that kiss" Severus whispered to Brenda, " Now do you have the potion?"  
Brenda nodded, " Don't be mad" Brenda whispered  
She took off her clothes and underneath was a purple swimsuit  
" I'm not, I just like teasing you" Severus whispered with a smirk  
Finally Dumbledore boomed over the crowd, " WELCOME TO THE SECOND TASK. LAST NIGHT SOMETHING WAS STOLEN FROM EACH OF OUR CHAMPIONS. A TREASURE OF SORTS. THESE FIVE TREASURES, ONE FOR EACH CHAMPION, NOW LIE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BLACK LAKE. IN ORDER TO WIN EACH CHAMPION NEED ONLY FIND THEIR TREASURE AND RETURN TO THE SURFACE. SIMPLE ENOUGH. EXCEPT FOR THIS, THEY WILL HAVE ONE HOUR TO DO SO AND ONE HOUR ONLY. AFTER THAT THEY'LL BE ON THEIR OWN"  
" Brenda drink that" Severus whispered and at the same time Moody said to Harry, " Put that in your mouth"  
Harry put the Gillyweed in his mouth and swallowed it and Brenda drank the potion  
The cannon fired and everybody but Harry and Brenda jumped in  
" MERMADO TRANSFORMO" Brenda said and jumped in and the next thing she knew she was having trouble breathing for thirty seconds and then her feet turned into a green mermaid tail  
" I really do look like Arial" Brenda thought, " Is Harry ok?"  
She saw her brother fall into the water and he sprouted gills and webbed feet  
" You ok" Brenda asked  
" Yah" Harry said  
" Let's jump, I've always wanted to do that" Brenda said  
They both swam up to the surface and jumped up and back into the water  
" Wow, Brenda turned into the Little Mermaid" Seamus said  
" Is Harry ok? I didn't kill him did I?" Neville asked  
" He's fine" Dean Thomas said  
The Potters stayed together for the whole thing, they figured out why it's called the Black lake, everything was very murky. They swam through fish, rocks, and seaweed  
" I just hope we don't run into the giant squid" Harry thought to Brenda  
Brenda nodded in agreement  
They saw Fleur swimming and noticed that she used the Bubblehead charm. They took a different path then her and two minutes later heard her scream, when they turned around she was gone  
" Ok that's creepy" Brenda thought  
Harry nodded in agreement  
They heard Dumbledore boom above them, " The Beauxbatons champion Miss Delacour has unfortunately been forced to retire. She will take no further part in this task"  
" Ok so it's just us four then" Brenda thought  
They search around more and then saw their treasures, they were Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Cho and a blond girl from Beauxbatons  
" Ok I'm thinking, Ron is yours, Hermione's is Victors, Cho is Cedric's and Ginny is mine, and the blond girl is Fleur's" Brenda thought  
" But she's not here" Harry thought, " We have to take her"  
Brenda nodded and went to Ginny first since Ginny was her treasure  
" Why is Ginny your treasure?" Harry asked through thought  
" I share a room with her at the Weasley's, we're like sisters" Brenda thought  
Cedric got to the group and used his wand to undo Cho then indicated the time  
Brenda nodded and Cedric left  
Harry got Ron undone first and started undoing Hermione but a mermaid stopped him  
" But she's our friend too" Harry said  
" Only one" The mermaid said  
" I am so glad I don't look like that" Brenda thought  
All of a sudden the merpeople scattered  
" What's wrong with them?" Harry thought  
" Harry look out" Brenda said and got Harry out of the way before a shark got him, they figured out the shark was Victor  
" We don't learn that until sixth year either" Brenda thought  
" We have to save all of them" Harry thought  
" No kidding" Brenda thought  
They looked around and the merpeople were not paying attention to them  
" Start heading up with them" Brenda thought  
Harry did as he was told and Brenda Diffindoed the other rope on the blond girl and caught up with her brother and the other three  
The merpeople were coming after them now  
" FLIPENDO" Brenda cast and it knocked half of them out for like thirty seconds, " Well that didn't work" She thought  
The merpeople grabbed their legs/tail and were pulling them down, Harry and Brenda let go of the unconscious people and were dragged down even more, they were getting scared now because they were turning back to normal. With their last few breaths they both cast a Flipendo spell and knocked some of the merpeople out and they swam up but then they were sinking because they were back to normal now and they were losing air  
" What spell what spell" Harry thought  
It's hard to think under this much pressure and worry  
" ASENDIO" Brenda thought  
They raised their wands and with their last bit of air said together, " ASENDIO"  
They were shot up out of the water and they landed on the platform sputtering out water  
" BRENDA! HARRY!" Hermione cheered  
" GET THEM MORE TOWELS" Barty Crouch called  
" I WANT THE JUDGES OVER HERE NOW" Dumbledore yelled  
" You both saved my sister when she wasn't yours to save, thank you so much" Fleur said and kissed Harry and hugged Brenda  
" You're welcome" Brenda said  
" And you Ron, you helped" Fleur said and kissed him, " Ginny you helped too" Fleur hugged her  
Ginny smiled awkwardly  
" Are you two alright?" Hermione asked, " You must be freezing, Ginny get them more blankets"  
Ginny nodded and left to get more blankets  
" I think you two behaved admirably" Hermione said  
" We tied for last place Hermione" Brenda said, " How do they score that anyway?"  
" Next to last, Fleur didn't get her treasure" Hermione said  
" Well that's true" Brenda said  
" ATTENTION, ATTENTION! THE WINNER IS... CEDRIC DIGGORY FOR SHOWING UNIQUE COMMAND OF THE BUBBLEHEAD" Dumbledore boomed, " THE WAY I SEE IT, THE POTTERS WOULD HAVE FINISHED FIRST TOGETHER" Dumbledore chuckled, " THEY SEEM TO DO EVERYTHING TOGETHER. IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THEIR DETERMINATION TO RESCUE NOT ONLY THEIR OWN TREASURES BUT THE OTHERS AS WELL. WE HAVE AGREED TO AWARD THEM TIED FOR SECOND PLACE FOR OUTSTANDING MORAL FIBER"  
Finally it was time to get off the platform and return to the shore  
Fred and George went up to the group  
" Congratulations you guys" George said  
" All that moral fiber eh" Fred said  
" Blimey, even when you two do something wrong, it always turns right" Ron said  
" No I think for me it was all that kissing" Brenda said and turned to Fred with a toothy grin  
Fred smiled and gave her a kiss and a wink  
" You two really need to get a room or something" George said  
Fred and Brenda smiled and Fred put his arm around her and they kept on walking until Barty Crouch stopped them  
" Congratulations Potters, Fine achievement. A tie, that's a new one. Well done. I'm sorry we haven't spoken, after all your story is one I have heard many times. Quite remarkable. Tragic of course, to lose your parents. Never whole again are you? Still, life goes on. And here we stand, you me, and your friends. I'm sure your parents would be very proud today you two" Crouch said  
" I think he had that memorized or something" Brenda thought to her brother  
" Yah, nobody can say that much without stopping" Harry thought  
" It just sounded rehearsed" Brenda thought  
Moody came up to them, " Bartimus! Not trying to lure the Potters into one of the ministry's summer internships are we? Last teenager who went into the department of ministries never came out"  
Barty looked real close at Moody and then walked away from the group  
" And they say I'm mad" Moody called  
" Thanks Professor, he was kind of getting on our nerves" George said  
" Be going with you all, it's time to celebrate the Potters' victory" Moody said and left the group  
" Well let's do what the professor wanted us to do, let's go celebrate" Fred cheered  
A week after the task things were settling down again and classes were back in session. Hagrid asked the four of them if they wanted to help him catch a couple unicorn foals for class  
" Unicorns, that sounds like a good idea" Hermione said with a smile  
" Yah we'll help you" Brenda said with a smile  
" Great" Hagrid said, " We need to go into the Forbidden forest, I'm going to get permission from Dumbledore"  
That night the four bundled up and went with Hagrid into the Forbidden forest to look for Unicorn Foals  
" Remember, unicorn foals are a pure gold color, they are easier to spot then adult unicorns, they turn silver when they are around two and they get their horns at about four" Hagrid said teaching them  
" Class hasn't started yet Hagrid" Brenda said teasingly  
" I remember when we went unicorn searching last time, you all were a bunch of misfits I have ever laid eyes on" Hagrid said, " You four reminded me of myself when I was younger  
" Well we're still misfits, just older" Ron said  
" True, yah you're right you're still misfits" Hagrid teased  
Harry was walking away from the group and Brenda followed him  
" Harry are you ok" Brenda asked  
" Yah, just the tournament you know" Harry said  
" Yah, wouldn't it be funny if we both got the cup at the same time? Brenda asked, " Then Dumbledore would be right, we do everything together"  
Harry chuckled at that then saw something behind the trees, " What's that?"  
The two of them ran to the trees and saw a dead Barty Crouch  
" HAGRID" Harry and Brenda yelled  
" What, what is it?" Hagrid asked worriedly  
" It's Barty Crouch" Harry said  
" He's dead" Brenda exclaimed  
" We have to notify the Headmaster immediately" Hermione said  
" We're deep in the forest, it'll take a while to get out" Hagrid said  
" Wait, isn't there a way with the patronus to communicate with people?" Brenda asked  
" Yes" Hagrid said, " Just say what you need to say after you cast it and it'll go up to whoever you want it to go to"  
" Ok" Brenda said, " EXPECTO PATRONUM"  
Her patronus was cast and Brenda talked into it and made it go to Dumbledore  
" Should we bring the body" Ron asked  
" Of course we should, I'll take it, here Hermione, here's the lantern" Hagrid said and gave her the lantern then picked up Crouch  
When they got out of the forest, every teacher and the headmaster and Fudge were out there waiting for them, the teens' faces were white as ghosts  
" Oh my, come along you four, I'm taking you back to Gryffindor tower" McGonagall said  
" Minerva, I'm going to need to speak with the Potters, I believe they saw him first" Dumbledore said, " Am I right?"  
" Yes sir" Brenda said  
" Very well" Dumbledore said, " Hagrid take Crouch up to the hospital wing... and put the sheet over his head"  
" Yes sir" Hagrid said  
The seven of them left, McGonagall, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Brenda, and Hagrid carrying the late Barty Crouch  
The Gryffindors got up to their Towers and they all sat around the fire  
" This has been one scary night hasn't it?" McGonagall asked  
The four nodded  
" I'm curious, who's patronus was that?" McGonagall asked  
" Mine professor" Brenda said, " Hagrid told me what to do to communicate because we were too far away to get somebody and run back"  
" You all did the right thing" McGonagall said, " I suggest you two get to bed," She indicated to Hermione and Ron, " Dumbledore wants to talk to you two" She indicated to Brenda and Harry  
The four nodded and the two went upstairs to go to bed and McGonagall led the Potters to Dumbledore's office and they got on the stairs  
" Liquorice snap" McGonagall said and the stairs started moving up  
The Potters could hear arguing coming from Dumbledore's office  
" A man has died here. He won't be the last, you must take action" Dumbledore said sternly  
" I will not. In times like these the wizarding world looks to its leaders for strength Dumbledore" Fudge argued  
" Then for once show them some" Dumbledore said  
" The Tri-wizard tournament will not be canceled. I will not be seen as a coward" Fudge said  
" But surely that is what's right, no matter what others think" Dumbledore said sarcastically  
" What did you say? What did you say to me?" Fudge asked threatenly  
" Excuse me gentlemen, it may interest you to know that this conversation is no longer private, and such language I know will be said is not appropriate for young ladies ears" Moody said  
" Wow he must be old if he still thinks that" Brenda thought to her brother  
Harry nodded  
Moody opened the door and the Potters stepped in  
" Harry, Brenda, how nice to see you two again" Fudge said  
" We can come back later professor" Harry said  
" Oh not necessary. The minister and I are done. I'll be back in a moment. Minister after you, you two feel free to indulge in liquorice snaps in my absence, I must warn you though, they're a little sharp" Dumbledore said and the three left  
Harry and Brenda were the only ones in the room  
" Well this is fun" Brenda said sarcastically  
Harry took a handful of the liquorice snaps and they bit his hand  
" AH" Harry yelled  
" You ok?" Brenda asked  
" Yah I'm fine, for candy these things sure bite hard" Harry joked  
All of a sudden a compartment in the wall opened up, there was a glowing blue pool of water in there. Harry went over to it  
" Harry I wouldn't do that, you don't know what it is" Brenda warned  
" Come on Brenda, what's the worst that can happen, it's kind of pretty" Harry said  
Against her better judgment Brenda also walked over to the pool of water and they both looked in and they fall into the pool and start spinning for a few seconds and they land in another place  
" That is why I didn't want to do that, this is too much like the diary" Brenda said, " Where are we anyway?"  
" It looks like a courtroom" Harry said, " Oh look there's Dumbledore, maybe he can tell us where we're at"  
They go up to Dumbledore, " Professor" Harry asked  
Dumbledore looked younger but he still looked old and he didn't answer  
" Professor" Brenda said  
Dumbledore still didn't acknowledge  
"Professor" somebody behind them said and shook hands with Dumbledore and the hands went right through Harry and Brenda  
" Ok so it is like Riddle's diary" Brenda said  
" It better not be or we're in trouble" Harry said  
" It's not evil, I'm just saying by the going into people's memories part" Brenda said  
All of a sudden a cage appeared in the middle of the room and in the cage was Igor Karkaroff  
" The Durmstrang Headmaster is in a cage? What the heck is this?" Harry asked  
" Shh, Crouch is speaking" Brenda said  
" Igor Karkaroff, you have been brought from Azkaban at your own request to present evidence to this counsel. Should your testimony prove consequential. Counsel may be prepared to order your immediate release. Until such time you remain in the eyes of the ministry a convicted deatheater. Do you accept these terms?" Crouch asked  
" Yes" Karkaroff said  
" Wow Karkaroff is a deatheater" Harry asked  
" I guess so" Brenda said  
" What do you wish to present" Crouch asked  
" I have names" Karkaroff said, " There was Rosier, Evan Rosier"  
" Evan Rosier is dead" Crouch said  
" I did not know sir" Karkaroff said  
" He took a piece of me with him though" Moody whispered to Dumbledore and chuckled  
" Is that all the witness has to offer?" Crouch asked  
" No! No! There was Rookwood, he was a spy" Karkaroff said  
" Augustus Rookwood? Of the department of ministries?" Crouch asked  
" Yes, yes the same. He passed information to you know who from inside the ministry itself  
" Very well. Counsel will deliberate. In the meantime you will be returned to Azkaban" Crouch said  
" NO WAIT PLEASE! I have more. Snape, Severus Snape" Karkaroff said  
Brenda gasped when he said her father's name  
" I know about it, but it's just weird for somebody to say it" Brenda said  
" The counsel is very much aware you have given evidence on this matter. Severus Snape was indeed a deatheater and prior to Lord Voldemort's downfall turned spy for us at great personal risk. Today he's no more a deatheater than I am" Dumbledore said  
" Go Dumbledore" Brenda said with a smile  
" IT'S A LIE! Severus Snape remains faithful to the dark lord" Karkaroff pleaded  
" NO HE DOESN'T" Brenda shouted very aware that nobody could hear her, she just had to chew that man out  
" Calm down Brenda" Harry said  
" SILENCE" Crouch commanded, " Unless the witness possesses any name of genuine consequence this session is now concluded"  
" Oh no no no no no, I have heard about one more" Karkaroff said with an evil chuckle  
" What's that" Crouch asked  
" The name" Karkaroff said  
" Yes?" Crouch asked  
" I know for a fact this person took part in the capture, and by means of the cruciatus curse, torture of the aurors Alice and Frank Longbottom and..." Karkaroff said  
" The name, give us the damn name" Crouch yelled  
" BARTY CROUCH... JUNIOR" Karkaroff said with an evil smile  
Barty Crouch Junior was in the building and he began to run when his name was called. Moody saw him and zapped him with his magic and Crouch Junior fell into the center of the court and the guards seized him and brought him up to his father. Junior was fighting a lot  
" Hello father" Junior said  
" You are no son of mine" Crouch said still stunned, " Get him out of here"  
" AHHH" Junior screamed trying to get at his father  
" Wow" Brenda said, " He was in our dream"  
Harry nodded  
All of a sudden they were lifted out of the pool and Dumbledore was there  
" Curiosity's not a sin, but you should exercise caution. It's called a pensieve, useful if like me you find your mind a wee bit stretched. It allows me to see what small things I've already seen. You see, I have searched and searched for something, some small detail. Something I might have overlooked, something that would explain why these terrible things have happened. Every time I get close to an answer it slips away. It's MADDENING" Dumbledore said  
" Sir, Mr. Crouch's son, what happened to him?" Harry asked  
" He was sent to Azkaban. Destroyed Barty to do it. But he had no choice, the evidence was overwhelming. Why do you ask? Dumbledore asked  
" Well... we both dreamed about him over the summer before school" Harry said  
" In the dream we were both in the house and Voldemort was there but he wasn't quite human, and Wormtail was there too and so was Mr. Crouch's son, we didn't know it was him until now though" Brenda finished  
" Have there been other dreams like this?" Dumbledore asked  
" Yes, it's always the same one sir" Harry said  
" And you both have it at the same time?" Dumbledore asked  
" Yes" They said together  
" These dreams that we keep having, you don't think it's actually happening do you?" Brenda asked  
" I think it's unwise for you two to linger over these dreams, I think it's best if you just... simply... cast them away" Dumbledore said as he took his wand to his head and took out a silver strand that is a memory, " I think it's time for you two to return to Gryffindor Tower now"  
" Yes sir, goodnight sir" Harry said  
" Goodnight sir" Brenda said  
" Goodnight you two" Dumbledore said  
They left Dumbledore's office and were in deep thought on the way back to the tower, when they passed Snape's stores, Snape and Karkaroff were in there  
" It's a sign Severus, you know what it means as well as I" Karkaroff said  
He opened the door and glared at the Potters then left  
" Potters... whats your hurry?" Snape asked  
" Well sir it is kind of late" Brenda said  
Snape looked at her and glared  
" Ok he's in a bad mood" Brenda thought to her brother  
" Yah" Harry thought in agreement  
" Well I think congratulations are in order your performances in the black lake were inspiring, you two always seem to do the same thing and you wound up tying for second place, that has never happened before" Snape said, " Now I know what you used Brenda, but Harry, was that Gillyweed I saw?  
Harry didn't say anything  
" Gillyweed is a rare herb you don't find in most gardens or lakes" Snape said and went on a latter in the stores, " and neither is this" He came down and showed them  
" Do either one of you know what this is?" Snape asked  
Brenda's eyes widened she knew the answer  
" Bauble juice" Harry guessed  
" No, it's Veritaserum" Brenda whispered  
" Very good Brenda" Snape said, " Three drops of this and you know who himself will spill his darkest secrets. The use of this on a student is... regrettably forbidden, even if you use it on your own kids"  
Brenda gasped  
" However should you ever steal from my personal stores again, my hand might just slip over your morning pumpkin juice" Snape warned  
" We haven't stolen anything from your stores professor" Brenda snapped  
" Don't lie to me Brenda. Where else would you have gotten the Gillyweed? Snape asked  
" The lake" Brenda said, " Check yourself, all of your Gillyweed is in the jar"  
Snape glared at her and checked  
" But we did go in his stores" Harry thought to her  
" Yes but I replenished it when he wasn't looking" Brenda thought back  
Snape came back, " The Gillyweed is all accounted for, but Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed? You and your friends are brewing polyjuice potion again and believe me I'm going to find out why" He closed the stores door in their faces  
" Rude enough dad" Brenda thought  
They hurried and returned to Gryffindor Tower  
A week later was a trip to Hogsmeade and Sirius wrote to them and told them that he was at Hogsmeade  
The letter said, " Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade ( past Dervish and Banges) at 2:00 on Saturday afternoon. Please bring as much food as possible"  
" He's in Hogsmeade" Ron asked  
" Looks like it" Hermione said  
" I can't believe him" Brenda started  
" If he's caught" Harry started  
" But he has made it this far right?" Ron asked, " And the place isn't swarming with Dementors anymore"  
Harry and Brenda looked at each other  
" We really do want to see him again, it's been ages" Brenda said  
" With the four of us we can carry a lot of food" Harry said  
Everybody smiled at that, they all wanted to see Sirius again  
" But before Saturday we have class, and right now we have Potions" Brenda said  
" We have double potions" Ron corrected  
" He's still in a foul mood" Brenda said  
" Well that sucks" Ron said  
" Come on, lets go before we're late" Hermione said and the four of them left Gryffindor tower and headed down to potions  
When they got down to the dungeons, all of the Slytherins were huddled together giggling  
" This can't be good" Brenda said to her friends and brother  
" Never is" Harry said  
" Oh look there they are, there they are" Pansy said pointing  
" What's so funny" Hermione asked  
" Here read it, page four" Pansy said giving her the magazine of Witch Weekly  
Before Hermione could open up the magazine, Snape stormed into the room and everybody took their seats  
The foursome discreetly looked over the magazine and read it, they did not like what it said it was titled POTTERS' SECRET HEARTACHES, the article said  
" Harry Potter, A boy like no other, perhaps yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, He has no man to talk to now that his father died. Fourteen year old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Muggleborn Hermione Granger"  
Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy, since the arrival at Hogwarts of Victor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and hero of the last Quidditch World Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with both boys' affections."  
The second half said  
" Brenda Potter, A girl like no other, misses her parents terribly since they were killed, and like her brother is deprived of love. She has no woman to talk to now that her mother died, she finds comfort in the arms of her redheaded boyfriend Fred Weasley, Before and after each tournament Fred and Brenda would kiss passionately, they shared there first passionate kiss on Christmas Eve, how romantic.  
Fred Weasley, A brother of six, has had a crush on Brenda since his fourth year at Hogwarts. He doesn't know how to ask a girl out because Brenda had to ask him out first, he doesn't know how to kiss a girl either, Brenda had to ask him if he wanted to kiss her."  
" How dare that woman say those things about us" Brenda whispered, " Those things about Fred were supposed to be private"  
Snape heard the commotion and went over to the table they were at  
" Hmm talking instead of working, that will be 10 points from Gryffindor, hmm, reading a magazine is another 10 points from Gryffindor... what have we here" Snape said and he took the magazine from Brenda  
" Looks like the Potters have to keep up with the press, lets see what Rita has to say this time" Snape said  
The Slytherins laughed very hard but the Gryffindors just glared, nobody was glaring worse then the golden four  
" Hmm, Potters' Secret Heartaches, this should be interesting" Snape said then said aloud  
" Harry Potter, A boy like no other, perhaps yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, He has no man to talk to now that his father died... Oh poor Potter... Fourteen year old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Muggleborn Hermione Granger... I didn't know you two were dating... now lets see what it says about Miss Granger shall we?" He asked, "Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy, since the arrival at Hogwarts of Victor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and hero of the last Quidditch World Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with both boys' affections... I guess she has class" Snape said, " Now what does it say about Miss Potter?"  
" Professor... this isn't reading class, this is potions class" Brenda snapped and her glare was just as scary as Snape's  
" Well if this is potions class then why were you reading the magazine?" Snape asked  
" We weren't reading it, we were skimming it, before the bell even rang for class to start" Brenda explained still glaring, " If you haven't noticed professor, class doesn't start for another two minutes"  
Everybody gasped at Brenda's boldness  
" SILENCE" Snape commanded the class, " Ms. Potter I will see you after class"  
" May I ask why Professor?" Brenda asked  
" For your cheek" Snape said  
" I am just stating the facts, class doesn't start for another minute and thirty seconds" Brenda said and then stood up, " And you have no right to read something that embarrassing to the class, you are only doing it to make us Gryffindors mad so you can dock off points, oh yah we figured out your game a long time ago, now either give us the magazine back or put it in your desk, I don't care, but if you finish that article, I am taking this up to the Headmaster" Brenda was surprised she threatened her dad like that and everybody was silent and they had wide eyes and their mouths were open, nobody ever stood up to Snape before  
" DETENTION FOR A WEEK . IN HERE EVERY DAY AT 7:00" Snape yelled, " NOW SIT DOWN!"  
" Not until you do something with that magazine" Brenda argued  
Snape glared at her but she just glared right back, finally Snape locked it in his desk  
" You may pick it up after detention Ms. Potter  
" Fine" Brenda said and sat down  
" Class starts now" Snape said still glaring  
After class Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at Brenda and their expressions were like "Are you crazy?"  
" He pissed me off" Brenda said and walked away  
" You have detention with him for a week" Ron said  
" So" Brenda said  
" You know that's not all he has planned for you" Hermione said  
" No kidding" Brenda said, " I couldn't have him say what was written in the article about Fred and me" How the heck did she get that stuff anyway? We were in the sixth year boys dorms for crying out loud, and we kept it a secret, she was nowhere in site when we kissed on Christmas Eve, something smells fishy and it's not the black lake"  
The rest of the school day was weird, it was like everybody had a Witch's Weekly magazine  
Fred came up to Brenda during lunch  
" Brenda did you read this?" Fred asked shocked  
" Yes, and so did all the Slytherins in Potions class" Brenda said annoyed  
" I thought this was supposed to be a secret" Fred said  
" It was supposed to be a secret, I don't know how Rita found out, you asked me out in your dorm for crying out loud, I didn't tell anybody, I doubt George and Lee told anybody, nobody else knew how and where you asked me out so I don't know how Rita got that information" Brenda said  
" Well I'm glad it wasn't you who told her" Fred said  
" I would never, I got so mad in potions when I read the article, I yelled at Snape, I have detention for a week and I'm most likely grounded but it felt good to stand up to him, I did not want him to read that article out loud" Brenda said  
" Wow now I know for sure you didn't tell her, you yelled at Snape and risked detention just so he wouldn't read that article?" Fred asked  
" Yes, you can ask all the fourth year Gryffindors and Slytherins" Brenda said  
" No need, I trust you" Fred said  
Brenda smiled  
Brenda headed down to the Potions room at 6:55 and made it down there at 7:00 and she knocked on the door  
" Come in" Snape called  
Brenda opened the door and she found out she was the only one who had detention with him  
" Oh great" She thought  
" Come sit down in the front" Snape said  
She did as she was told  
" Your outburst today was not tolerated in my class Ms. Potter" Snape said  
Brenda didn't say anything she just lifted her eyebrow  
" I will not have you back talking to me ever again, do I make myself clear?" Snape asked  
Brenda still didn't say anything  
" I demand an answer" Snape said right up close to Brenda's face, " Do not defy me Brenda Lillian Potter"  
" Professor ever hear of personal space?" Brenda asked, " Because you're in mine"  
Snape glared at her, " 10 points from Gryffindor for your cheek"  
Brenda stood up from her seat, " What in the world is your problem? You have been grumpy since we found Crouch in the forest, you have been taking points from all the houses including Slytherin ever since that night, what you did today... well that was plain evil, that wasn't acting, that was it, I don't know what is going on, but you seriously need an attitude adjustment"  
" Sit down Ms. Potter, you do not talk to your elders that way" Snape said  
" Well then tell me what is going on, you have been very grumpy and I would like to know why, what are you and Karkaroff whispering about? What is going on and does it have anything to do with mine and Harry's dreams?" Brenda asked  
" No... wait what dreams?" Snape asked  
" We keep dreaming about you know who, Barty Crouch Jr. is there so is Wormtail" Brenda said sitting down, " Does it have to do with the dark mark, is that why you're grumpy?"  
Severus sighed and sat down in his desk chair, " Yes Brenda, that is why I've been... grumpy, the mark is getting clearer and Karkaroff keeps telling me it's a sign, I'm starting to think he's right. I'm sorry Brenda, I shouldn't have read that article, here" Severus got in his desk and pulled it out and gave it to her " I shouldn't have lost my temper like that... tell you what, since you were only trying to make me stop reading that article because I was grumpy, I'm going to ignore the detentions and you punishment ok?"  
Brenda smiled, " Ok" She got up from her chair and went over to Severus and gave him a hug and he returned it  
Brenda left Severus' classroom and went up to Gryffindor Tower  
" So how long are you grounded for?" Ron asked  
" I'm not, no detentions either, he admitted he was grumpy and he told me I didn't have detention anymore" Brenda said  
" That's good, so you're coming to Hogsmeade then?" Hermione said  
" Of course I am" I'd be going even if I was grounded" Brenda said  
A few days later it was Saturday and it was time to go to Hogsmeade, they got as much food as possible, four dozen chicken legs, a dozen in each backpack, four loaves of bread, and four flasks of pumpkin juice  
When the carriages got to Hogsmeade the four of them went to where Sirius wanted to meet them. five minutes later a black dog came up to them and sniffed the bags then wagged his tail and left with the four teens following behind. When they were safe Sirius turned into a human and they saw Buckbeak too  
" You guys bring chicken?" Sirius asked  
They nodded and Harry handed over his bundle of food first  
" Thanks" Sirius said grabbing a drumstick and biting a large chunk with his teeth, " I have been living on rats mostly, I can't steal too much food from Hogsmeade, I'd draw too much attention to myself"  
" What are you doing here Sirius" Brenda asked  
" I'm fulfilling my duty as godfather" Sirius said and saw the worried faces of his godchildren," Don't worry about it, I'm pretending to be a lovable stray"  
The rest of the time was talked about the Tri-wizard tournament, the article Rita wrote about them, and Crouch  
A few weeks later in the middle of March it was time for the third and final task  
" This is it Harry" Brenda said coming down from the dorm  
" The third task" Harry said  
" We haven't been told what this one is though" Brenda said  
" Well we'll only find out when we get out there" Harry said, " Are you sure you want to wear that necklace?"  
Brenda was wearing her BRENDA necklace  
" Yes I'm sure. It's good luck" Brenda said  
" It's from Snape" Harry said  
" Exactly" Brenda said  
They were both wearing House shirts with POTTER on the back, Harry was wearing a maroon and gold shirt with the Gryffindor crest on the front and Brenda was wearing a Gold shirt with the Gryffindor crest on the back and GRYFFINDOR in glittery Maroon letters on the front, she pulled back her hair thinking it will be easier to see  
" Ok so do you have your wand?" Brenda asked  
" Check" Harry said  
" Do you know all the defensive spells we were taught?" Brenda asked  
" Yes" Harry said, " You're sounding like a big sister when I'm the older brother"  
" By like five minutes" Brenda said, " I'm the mature one"  
" Yah right" Harry teased  
The Potters hung out with their friends all day, the task for this one didn't start until 5:30 at night  
Brenda went down to the apartment for a bit before the task started, Severus was down there  
" Are you ok Brenda?" Severus asked  
" I'm just nervous that's all, I don't know what this one will be like" She said  
" Would you like a calming drought?" He asked  
" I don't think I should be calm for this event, I've learned the more nervous you are the more alert you are" She informed him  
" That's a good point" He said, " I see you're wearing the necklace I got you"  
" Yes, I think it's good luck" Brenda said, " It got me my first kiss and I was wearing it when you were grumpy" She smiled  
" I guess it is good luck, you're going to need it" He said  
" Yah" Brenda agreed  
" Brenda it's 4:55, you should be heading up to your friends and to the Quidditch pitch" Grandfather Severus interrupted  
Brenda gasped  
" Calm down Brenda you'll do fine" Severus said and he went over to her and hugged her, " This is for good luck too"  
" Thank you" Brenda said not wanting to let go  
" I think you'll feel better if you go find Fred and give him a hug as well" Severus said  
" You're right" Brenda said and she was almost crying  
" You'll get through this" Severus said, " I promise"  
" Ok" Brenda said, " I'll get through this, I can get through this"  
" I'll see you on the Quidditch pitch" Severus said  
Brenda nodded and left the apartment and headed up to the entrance of the castle to wait for Fred. She spotted George and Lee and asked, " Hey have you seen Fred?"  
" He's coming down in a minute, don't worry" George said, " Good luck out there Brenda"  
" Thanks" Brenda smiled  
Fred was down in a minute and he walked straight to Brenda and hugged her  
" Are you ok?" He asked  
" Yes" Brenda said  
" You'll do fine, I just know it" Fred reassured her  
Brenda smiled  
" And this is for luck" Fred said and gave her a kiss  
" I can use all the luck I can get" Brenda said  
" Well in that case, here's another one" Fred said and kissed her one more time  
" We better go, don't want to be late you know" Brenda said  
Fred agreed and he put his arm around her and they walked down to the Quidditch pitch together and they were sad when they had to split up, she had to go down to the Quidditch pitch and Fred had to go wait in the stands  
" Hi Harry" Brenda said and went up to him  
" Are you ok?" Harry asked  
" Just really nervous that's all" Brenda said  
" Yah I know what you mean, I'm nervous too" Harry said, " Did you get a chance to talk with Snape?"  
" Yah, so are Hermione and Ron up there?" Brenda asked looking for them, there were too many Gryffindor colors it was hard to tell  
" They're right next to Neville and Seamus, Ginny is there too, and Fred and George are over there behind them" Harry said pointing  
" Oh I see them" Brenda said and smiled and waved  
Harry also waved  
Dumbledore came and went to the podium to start his speech  
" Earlier today Professor Moody placed the Tri-wizard cup deep within the maze. Only he knows its exact location. Now as Mr. Diggory and Mr. Potter tied for first position they will be the first to enter, followed by Ms. Potter then Mr. Krum and then Ms. Delecour"  
There were cheers coming from everybody  
" The first person to touch the cup will be the winner. I've instructed the staff to patrol the perimeter, if at any point should a contestant wish to withdraw from the task he or she need only send up red sparks with their wands. Contestants, gather round" Dumbledore said  
All five of them and their adults gathered around Dumbledore  
" In the maze you'll find not dragons or creatures of the deep. Instead you'll face something more challenging. You see, people change in the maze. Oh find the cup if you can, but be very weary you could just lose yourselves along the way" Dumbledore said  
" Champions prepare yourselves" Moody instructed  
Cedric hugged his father, Brenda and Harry hugged, Brenda nodded at Snape discreetly and he nodded back  
Harry and Brenda both waved to their friends who waved back and then they took their positions. Harry and Cedric waited until the cannon was shot then they went inside, a minute later Brenda went inside, when she stepped inside everything was dark, she looked behind her but it was blocked and no music or cheers could be heard  
" Ok this is a little creepy" Brenda thought  
The maze was misty looking and gloomy and there were creature noises to be heard everywhere. She started walking through the maze and was about fifty feet in and was stopped by a dementor  
" First challenge, a dementor" Brenda thought, " EXPECTO PATRONUM" Her patronus appeared but nothing happened  
" Ok so you're a boggart" Brenda thought, " RIDDIKULUS"  
The dementor turned into a colorful tent  
" Thank you Lupin" Brenda said aloud and she kept on walking  
About 100 yards in she saw Harry and Cedric  
" What happened to your sleeve?" Brenda asked  
" Hagrid's Blast-ended skrewts, they're giants now" Cedric said  
" This place is weird, I was stopped by a boggart" Brenda said  
" Well, see you two later I guess" Cedric said taking a path  
" Want to stay together or split up?" Brenda asked  
" Split up" Harry said, " Thats what we need to do"  
" Well then see you later" Brenda said and took a different path then Cedric  
Brenda went on walking and then she was stopped by a giant troll  
" You have got to be kidding" Brenda thought to herself  
The troll tried using his club on her and smash her into the ground but she dodged it  
" Think Brenda think, oh yah, " WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA" The club was out of the trolls hand and she hit him with it and knocked it out, there was a big thud. She kept on walking  
" Well I think I'm going the right way" Brenda said," Just to be sure...point me"  
She did a point me spell that told her she was going in the right direction  
She headed in that direction and then she heard Fleur scream  
" Fleur" Brenda said and ran to where she heard the scream, she found Harry running toward it as well  
When they got to Fleur she was disappearing under the branches  
" She needs help" Brenda said and she shot up red sparks  
" Won't that disqualify you?" Harry asked  
" No I'm not the one in trouble and they can't pinpoint who shot the sparks" Brenda explained  
All of a sudden the wind picked up and the walls were closing in  
" We got to go" Harry said and he pushed his little sister in the right direction  
Brenda ended up pulling her big brother out of the closing walls since she was running faster then he was  
" Well that's one champion down" Harry said breathlessly, "and Krum is bewitched, I saw his eyes"  
" Some game huh" Brenda said  
" Some game" Harry agreed  
They looked at their surroundings and came across a giant snake  
"At least it's not a basilisk" Brenda thought to her brother  
In Parseltongue " What do you want" Harry asked  
" Try to pass me, this is the right way to go, but only if you pass me" The snake said  
" In Parseltongue " All we have to do is pass you?" Brenda asked  
" Yes" The snake said  
" Very well" Brenda said, " STUPIFY"  
It hit the snake straight in the eye and it was knocked out  
" Very good sis" Harry said  
" Lets go" Brenda said and they passed the snake  
They walked a little more ways and then they were in the middle of a battle between Victor and Cedric  
" GET DOWN" Cedric yelled  
They got down just in time to avoid getting hit by a stupify cast by Victor. Cedric zapped Krum and got him down then went to him  
" No stop, Cedric he's bewitched, he's bewitched Cedric" Brenda said as Harry jumped on him  
" Get off me" Cedric said  
" He's bewitched" Harry said  
The three see and run after the cup, the plant life grab and tangle both Cedric and Brenda  
" HARRY! Brenda screamed  
" HARRY HELP US" Cedric yelled  
Harry looked at the cup and looked at his friend and sister then back at the cup then back at his friend and sister, " REDUCTO"  
The plant life released the two  
" Are you two ok?" Harry asked  
" Yah, this is some game" Brenda said  
" For a moment there I thought you were going to let it get us?" Cedric said  
" Yah... so did I" Harry said  
" This maze messes with people's minds" Brenda said, " I can't wait until it's over"  
" Well lets go toward the cup" Harry said  
" Good idea" Brenda said looking in back of them, "There's a windstorm of some sort coming"  
All three of them ran to the cup with the wind coming closer  
" Take it Harry, you saved our lives" Cedric said  
" We'll all take it, together on the count of three... one... two ... three" Harry said  
They touch it at the same time and are teleported out of the maze  
The three of them landed in a graveyard with an umph  
" You two ok?" Harry asked  
" Yah" Cedric said  
" Yah" Brenda said  
" Where are we?" Cedric asked  
Harry and Brenda looked around then looked at each other with wide eyes  
" We've been here before" Brenda said  
" It's a portkey, you guys the cup is a portkey" Cedric said  
" Cedric we've been here before" Harry said, " In a dream, WE GOT TO GET BACK TO THE CUP"  
" What are you talking about?" Cedric asked  
Both Potters fall back in agony and hold their scars  
" What is it?" Cedric asked worriedly  
" GET BACK TO THE CUP" Brenda commanded  
Wormtail and Voldemort walked towards them  
" Who are you what do you want?" Cedric asked and he had his wand raised  
" Kill the spare" Voldemort ordered  
" AVADA KADAVRA" Wormtail said and the spell hit Cedric in the chest and he went flying  
" NO" Brenda screamed  
" CEDRIC" Harry screamed  
Cedric was dead on the ground  
Wormtail used his wand and pushed the Potters up onto a statue and made the statue bind them to it  
" Do it now" Voldemort said  
A cauldron was on the ground and Wormtail dropped a human thing into the cauldron  
" Bone of the father unwillingly given" Wormtail said and with his wand dropped a bone in the cauldron, " Flesh of the servant willingly sacrificed" Wormtail took a knife and cut off his own hand with a scream and dropped it in, " Blood of the enemy forcibly taken" Wormtail went over to Harry and Brenda and first cut Harry's arm and took some of his blood then cut Brenda's arm and took some of her blood, they were both screaming " Got to take both, you both are the enemy" Wormtail explained then dropped the blood in the cauldron, " The dark lord will rise again"  
The cauldron burst into flame and in it's placed stood a scary bald mad  
" Voldemort" Brenda and Harry thought at the same time  
" My wand Wormtail" Voldemort said and Wormtail handed it to him and bowed deeply, " Your arm Wormtail"  
" Thank you master" Wormtail said thinking that he was going to get his hand back  
" Your other arm Wormtail" Voldemort snapped  
At first Wormtail hesitated but did as his master wished. Voldemort stuck the wand into Wormtail's arm and the sky changed, the others have been summoned  
" Welcome my friends. Thirteen years it's been, and yet you stand before me as though it were only yesterday. I confess myself disappointed, not one of you tried to find me" Voldemort said and started taking the deatheater masks off of their faces, " Not even you Lucius"  
" I knew that guy was evil" Brenda thought  
" My lord. Had I detected any sign or whisper of your whereabouts" Lucius started  
" There were signs and more than enough whispers" Voldemort said  
" I assure you I never renounced the old ways. The face I have been obliged to present each day since your... absence, that is my true mask" Lucius said  
" I have returned" Wormtail spoke  
" Out of fear not loyalty" Voldemort said, " Though you have proven yourself useful these past few months Wormtail" He gave Wormtail a new hand  
" Thank you master" Wormtail said  
Voldemort went to Cedric's corps and turned his head with his feet, " Pity, such a handsome boy"  
" DON'T TOUCH HIM" Brenda and Harry yelled still stuck to the statue  
" The Potters, I'd almost forgotten you two were here, both of you standing on the bones of my father. I'd introduce you but word has it you two are almost as famous as me these days. The twins that lived. How lies have fed your legend Potters. Shall I reveal what really happened that night thirteen years ago? Shall I divulge how I truly lost my powers? It was love. You see when dear sweet Lily Potter gave her life for her children she provided the ultimate protection. I couldn't touch either of you, I tried killing you first Harry, but when I didn't succeed, I wasn't dead yet but merely weak, I tried going after you Brenda, but when I went after you that is when I lost all of my powers. It was old magic, something I should have forseen. But no matter, things have changed... I can now touch both of you without getting weak" Voldemort said and he went up to both of them and touched their scars with his thumbs  
" AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Harry and Brenda screamed and Voldemort screamed with pleasure, finally he stopped  
" Astonishing what a few drops of your blood will do" Voldemort said and released the Potters from their imprisonment, " Pick up your wands Potters... I said pick them up, get up... GET UP... You've been taught how to duel I presume. First we bow to each other" He said  
The Potters didn't bow

" Come on Potters Dumbledore would not be pleased if you forgot your manners now would he. I said bow" Voldemort said and he used his wand to force them to bow

" That's better, and now... CRUCIO DUPLICO" Voldemort spelled and both Potters were writhing in pain

" What luck, I discovered a new way to cast spells at twins, you say Duplico after every spell, charm, curse or whatever" Voldemort said, " That's it, your parents would be proud, especially your filthy mudblood mother. I'm going to kill you Potters, I'm going to destroy you both. After tonight no one will ever again question my powers. After tonight if they speak of you two they will only speak of how you begged for death and I being a merciful lord obliged to it. Now get up" Voldemort commanded and he released the curse and rose the teens to their feet  
Harry and Brenda moved away and went behind a rock

" Don't you dare turn your backs on my Potters. I want you two to look at me when I kill you, I want to see the lights leave your eyes" Voldemort roared

Brenda and Harry looked at each other and nodded, they knew what they were going to do

" FINE!" Brenda yelled

" Have it your way then" Harry finished  
They took a step towards Voldemort and a step away from each other  
Voldemort smiled and cast, " AVADA KADAVRA DUPLICO" at the same time that Harry and Brenda cast, " EXPELLIARMUS"  
A magical gold energy is formed around the three

" Two wands are always better than one" Brenda thought to her brother

" Do nothing, these two are mine" Voldemort commanded his death eaters  
Shapes were forming around the magical energy, the shape of an old man, the shape of James Potter, Lily Potter and Cedric Diggory

" Kids, when the connection is broken you must get to the portkey. We can delay him for a moment to give you time but only for a moment, do you understand?" James asked  
Brenda and Harry nodded

" You guys take my body back will you? Take my body back to my father" Cedric said  
Brenda was crying now

" Let go. Sweethearts you're ready, let go, let go" Lily said  
They let go of the spell and went to Cedric's body

" ACCIO CUP" Brenda yelled and the cup flew to both hers and Harry's hands and they teleported back to the stadium and landed on the ground where the music was playing.

 

Both of them had the wind knocked out of them and they began crying on Cedric's body, everybody was cheering because they didn't know what was going on, but when the Potters or Diggory didn't get up they were settling down

Dumbledore ran to the trio

" Harry, Brenda, Cedric" Dumbledore started

" He's dead, Cedric's dead" Brenda blurted

Fleur screamed at that news

" Who killed him?" Dumbledore asked

" Voldemort. He's back, Voldemort is back" Harry blurted

" He's human again" Brenda said though tears

" Cedric asked us to bring his body back, we couldn't leave him there" Harry said crying

" It's alright it's alright you all are safe" Dumbledore said

" Keep everybody in their seats" Fudge said to Snape, " A boy has just been killed" To Dumbledore, The body must be moved Dumbledore, there are too... many people "

" Let me through, let me through, that's my son... that's my boy" Amos wailed and started crying very loudly, at this point everybody knew what happened

" Come with me you two, I'll take a look at that" Moody said pointing to the wounds that were made from Wormtail

They followed him into the Defense Against the Dark Arts room and he conjured up two chairs for them, " Sit" They sat

" Are you two ok?" Moody asked

They nod, Brenda was still crying and had tears running down her cheeks

" Do they hurt?" Moody asked

" Not so much anymore sir" Harry said and Brenda agreed with a shake of the head

" I still think I should take a look at them, they could get infected you know" Moody said, " So what happened?”

" The cup was a portkey and it took us to where Voldemort was at, a potion was made and he returned" Harry said, Brenda was still crying she couldn't talk

" So what was he like?" Moody asked

" Who?" Brenda asked

" The dark lord, what was it like to stand in his presence?" Moody asked

" I don't know, it was like a nightmare" Harry said

Brenda agreed

Moody started acting strange, like he was gasping for air, he tried his flask but it was empty he then tried his jars but those were empty too

" Were there others? In the graveyard?" Moody asked, " Did he forgive them."

" Harry we didn't tell him about the graveyard" Brenda thought to him wiping her tears away.

" How do you know we were in a graveyard? We didn't say anything about a graveyard" Harry said.

Moody smiled evily, " Wonderful creatures dragons are, do you think that Hagrid would have shown you two the dragons if I haven't suggested it? Do you think Cedric would know to put the egg in the water if I haven't told him? Do you think Longbottom would know about Gillyweed if I didn't give him the book that led him straight to it?"

" Why are you telling us this?" Brenda asked getting a little worried.

" You both won tonight because I made it so, actually only one of you were needed, but both of you are better" Moody said.

Harry and Brenda's eyes went big.

" It was you, you put or names into the fire, you bewitched Krum" Harry said.

" Oh My Goodness! Brenda gasped, " You're a Deatheater."

" BINGO" Moody said, " And now your blood runs though the dark lord's veins" Moody touched both of their arms and made them sting, " I wonder how I'll be rewarded once I kill you two."

" You won't be, he wants to do that himself" Brenda said angry and bit Moody on the arm hard and he let go of the twins, they ran to the door but Moody locked it with magic then used the imperious curse to bring them to him and then he and used crucio on both of them

" AHHHHHH" They screamed.

They were being tortured for thirty seconds, but that is a long time if you're being tortured.

" BOMBARDA" Dumbledore yelled, " STUPIFY" Moody fell over backwards and the cruciatus was taken off, Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape ran into the room, Dumbledore and Snape went to Moody and Snape had a potion which he poured down Moody's throat.

Harry and Brenda got up with some help from McGonagall.

“Are you two ok?" McGonagall asked.

They nodded, they were just shaken up, Brenda was crying again from rage and sadness and the cruciatus curse hurt.

“Go sit on the chairs" McGonagall instructed.

They did as they were told.

“Do you know who I am?" Dumbledore asked roughly.

“Albus Dumbledore" Moody spat.

“Are you Alaster Moody?" Dumbledore asked roughly.

“No" Fake Moody said

“Is he in this room?" Dumbledore asked roughly, “IS HE IN THIS ROOM?" He shouted.

Moody looked past the teens on the chairs and to the trunk.

“Out of the way you two" Snape said and he took his wand and got rid of the chairs and unlocked the trunk and inside was Moody, everybody looked inside the trunk.

“Are you alright Alaster?" Dumbledore asked.

“I’m sorry Albus" Moody said.

“Well if that's Moody then who's that?" Brenda asked pointing to the fake Moody.

“We’ll have you out in a few minutes" Dumbledore said.

The fake Moody started making gurgling noise and they all looked at him, he was changing, Snape took the flask away and smelled it, “Polyjuice potion."

“Now we know who has been in your stores Severus" Dumbledore said.

The man was now back to his normal self.

“Barty Crouch Jr." Dumbledore said.

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours" Crouch said.

“Give me your arms" Dumbledore said to the Potters, the cuts turned into the Dark mark design.

“He has returned" Crouch said with a smile.

“Minerva call the Azkaban Guards, they'll be missing him" Dumbledore said.

“I’ll be welcomed back a hero" Crouch said.

“Well personally, I have no time for heroes, Severus watch him while I take these two to the Hospital Wing" Dumbledore said

Severus nodded and put his wand to Crouch's face.

Dumbledore took the twins to the Hospital Wing and ordered them to lay down on the beds.

“Albus what happened to them?" Poppy asked.

“The Cruciatus curse and Voldemort" Dumbledore said.

“Oh My Goodness" Poppy gasped.

“They’ll be fine, come with me, the real Moody is in a trunk, and the fake Moody is Barty Crouch Jr. he's under Severus's wand right now" Dumbledore said.

“Professor how did you know that was the fake Moody?" Harry asked.

“The real Moody wouldn't have taken you two away from us, or he would have told me first before he did" Dumbledore said.

“That makes sense" Brenda said trying to stop crying.

“Now you two rest up, I sent note to Hagrid to bring the Black dog that is now at his hut to come on up. The Weasleys and Ms. Granger got note too and they will come up as well" Dumbledore said, “Severus will be up shortly as well."

The teens nodded and Dumbledore and Poppy left. Harry and Brenda were still very shakey. Fifteen minutes later Hagrid and Sirius came into the wing, Sirius was still in dog form and that is when Madame Pomfrey and Dumbledore came in with the real Moody and put him on a hospital bed, Dumbledore left and went back to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room to wait for the guards with Snape.

“Get that dog out of here" Poppy commanded.

Sirius turned back into human.

“Oh My Goodness, Sirius Black" Poppy gasped.

“Is not evil" Brenda and Harry said sitting up, “He was framed."

“Are you sure?" Poppy asked.

“Yes" They said together.

“Are you two ok?" Sirius asked hugging both of them.

“We’re fine, just very shakey" Harry said.

“Yes, Dumbledore said you two were under the cruciatus curse" Sirius said.

“Twice" Brenda corrected him.

“Twice?" Sirius asked.

“Once with Crouch and once with Voldemort" Brenda said.

“Wow, I heard that curse hurts afterword’s, you two are lucky to be alive" Sirius said.

“No kidding" Harry said, " And it hurts a lot."

A few minutes later after Pomfrey calmed down by seeing Sirius the Weasley family and Hermione came in.

“Oh Brenda, Harry, are you two ok?" Hermione asked hugging Brenda then going over and hugging Harry.

“Yah we're fine" Harry said.

“What happened" Mrs. Weasley asked after hugging them to death.

“Can we wait and tell the story when everybody gets here?" Brenda asked.

“Of course you can" Mr. Weasley said.

“I’m so glad you're ok" Fred said hugging his girlfriend.

Brenda smiled a sad smile.

Sirius stepped out of the corner he was in, he didn't like this many people all at once.

“Wow it's Sirius Black" George said.

The Weasleys besides Ron gasped.

" It's alright, he was framed, Wormtail is alive and he is the one who betrayed our parents" Harry said.

" He's our very loving Godfather" Brenda said.

" It's good to see you again Sirius" Mr. Weasley said.

" Good to see you too Arthur" Sirius said.

Finally Snape and Dumbledore came into the Hospital Wing and Severus saw Sirius.

" Black" Severus spat and he drew his wand.

" Dad no, don't" Brenda said getting out of bed and running to him, " He's innocent."

" Innocent? What do you mean?" Severus spat

" He didn't betray our parents, Wormtail did, he's alive, he was the one who brought Voldemort back" Harry said.

Almost everybody in the room gasped at that name.

" Are you sure" Severus asked glaring at Sirius.

" Yes" Brenda said.

" Very well" Severus said putting his wand down but not away and still glaring at Sirius

Brenda couldn't stand anymore and her legs collapsed but Severus caught her.

" You should be in bed young lady, a cruciatus curse would make anybody weak" Severus said and put her back in her bed.

" What happened to Crouch?" Harry asked.

" Fudge gave the Dementors permission to kiss him, the task is done" Dumbledore said.

" Now will you two like to explain what happened tonight?" Severus asked.

" Well the maze is one scary place to be" Brenda started, " You can actually lose your mind in there, Crouch bewitched Krum, stunned Fleur and was hoping that Krum will mess up Cedric."

" Cedric stunned Krum and was about to hex him again but we interfered together" Harry said and saw Snape roll his eyes.

" Yes professor, Brenda and I do almost everything together" Harry said.

Severus glared and Fudge walked in the Hospital Wing, Sirius turned back into a dog before he saw him and Fudge listened to the story

" All three of us raced to the cup but the plant life on the ground grabbed both mine and Cedric's legs and we couldn't get untangled, the maze messes with people's minds and Harry almost thought that the cup was more important, I'm glad he didn't think so, he untangled us and we all ran after the cup and touched it at the same time" Brenda said.

" The cup was a portkey and we landed in the graveyard that Voldemort's father was in, we dreamed about it a lot" Harry said " We told Cedric to get back to the cup but he didn't because Wormtail was only a few yards away from us and he was carrying Voldemort."

" Voldemort looked like a baby in his arms, he probably was, he told Wormtail to kill the spare and that meant kill Cedric, Wormtail followed orders and then he forced us on a statued grave and bound us there" Brenda said, " He then did a potion of bone of the father, flesh of the servant and blood of the enemy and that is what brought Voldemort to life."

" He told us that he couldn't touch us when we were babies because of old magic of love from our mother, but he now can touch us" Harry said, " He proved that by touching our scars."

" I have never felt worse pain than that in my entire life" Brenda said, " Well maybe the cruciatus but not by much."

" How did he curse both of you?" Severus asked.

" By saying Duplico after the spell" Brenda said, " He said he made it up, and let me tell you, it works."

" He wanted to kill us and so he made us get up and grab out wands, he also wanted to see the whites of our eyes when he killed us" Harry said, " We ran behind a rock for a minute to regroup and we both thought of the same spell and we knew that we could beat him if we worked together."

" When we faced Voldemort he said the killing curse and we said, Expelliarmus at the exact same time and a gold energy appeared right before our eyes" Brenda said.

" Priori Incantatem" Dumbledore said, " Did you see your parents tonight?"

" Yes, and an old mad and Cedric" Harry said excitedly, " They helped us escape by distracting him for a moment and we ran to Cedric's body and Brenda accioed the cup and we portkeyed back here."

" You two were crucioed twice? In the same night? Wow I would never be able to survive that" Ron said.

" That is the... fakest story I have ever heard, Voldemort can't come back he was destroyed thirteen years ago" Fudge said," How much glory do you two want?"

" What are you talking about?" Brenda asked, " We would not make this up."

Fudge and Dumbledore argued over the matter.

" If the Dark Lord isn't back, then why would the death mark be this clear? Snape asked and showed Fudge the mark, " It is only this clear when Voldemort is near, it hasn't been this clear for thirteen years."

" It is insane to think that you know who is back, he is dead and will forever be dead" Fudge said, " I demand you not to tell your students about him, you will scare all of them of something they shouldn't be scared about, Good night everybody."

Fudge left.

" All he cares about is the position he has in the Ministry" Fred said, " He doesn't care about the Wizarding world."

" I guess it's just hard for him to believe, hopefully he'll turn around." Arthur said.

" And if he doesn't?" Brenda asked.

" We'll get through this" Arthur said.

 

Madame Pomfrey made Harry and Brenda stay in the Hospital Wing that night to recover from the curse, they had their arms bandaged up and they were still shakey. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stayed at Hogwarts that night, they were not going to leave Harry and Brenda alone in the Hospital Wing and Sirius stayed in the Hospital Wing all night as well, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George wanted to stay as well but Poppy shooed them out saying that they needed rest too. Snape stayed as late as he possibly could without being that tired the next day, he only left when Brenda kept saying she was ok. Dumbledore visited them when almost everybody was gone.

" May I speak to Harry and Brenda alone please?" He asked the Weasleys and Sirius.

They nodded and left.

" Yes professor?" Brenda asked.

" I wanted to tell you about the Priori Incantatem" Dumbledore said, " No spell can can reawaken the dead . Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy. But remember this both of you, you both have friends here and you're not alone."

Finally they could get out of the Hospital Wing, it wasn't going to be a fun day, Dumbledore was going to say a speech against Fudge's wishes about how Voldemort is back and how Cedric Diggory died. Everybody gathered in the Great Hall and waited for Dumbledore to speak.

" Today we acknowledge a really terrible loss. Cedric Diggory was as you all know, exceptionally hard working, intricately fair minded. And most importantly a fierce fierce friend. I think therefore you have the right to know exactly how he died. You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered by the order of Lord Voldemort. The ministry of magic doesn't wish me to tell you this. But not to do so would be an insult to his memory. Now the pain we all feel at this dreadful loss reminds me, reminds us that while we may come from different places and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one. In light of recent events the bonds of friendship we made this year will be more important than ever. Remember that and Cedric Diggory will not have died in vain, you remember that. And we'll celebrate a boy who was kind, honest, brave and true right to the very end." Dumbledore spoke and it was very quiet at the end.

two days after the speech the Weasleys returned home and Sirius left after a lot of convincing from Harry and Brenda that he'd be safer. A week after the speech it was time for the other schools to return to their own schools, everybody was saying goodbye to everybody. There were a lot of people who wanted Harry and Brenda's autographs because this year was the first time they have ever seen the twins that lived.

" You'd think they would want our autographs at the beginning of the year, not at the end" Brenda thought to Harry.

" They also want them because we won" Harry thought.

" Cedric should have been here too" Brenda thought.

" Well in a way he is" Harry thought.

" Yah, I guess you're right" Brenda thought and smiled.

Finally after everybody said goodbye to everybody the four go up to Ron who was sitting on a bench.

" Get all of your autographs signed" Ron teased.

" Well we wrote our names about 150 times" Brenda said.

" You counted?" Harry asked.

" Yah" Brenda said with a laugh.

" Fleur just kissed me" Ron said and he was still red.

" Yah we saw" Brenda said and smiled.

Ron smiled " So do you think we'll ever have a quiet year at Hogwarts" Ron asked.

" No" Hermione said.

" I don't think so" Harry said.

" What's considered a quiet year?" Brenda asked.

" So everything is going to change now isn't it?" Hermione asked.

" Yes" Harry said.

" More so then before" Brenda said.

" Promise you three will write this summer" Hermione said.

" I won't you know I won't" Ron said.

" You two will won't you?" Hermione asked.

" Yes, every week" Harry said chuckling.

" Oh yah you can count on it" Brenda said.

They walked and watched the schools leave Hogwarts.

" I got Victor's address, we're becoming pen pals" Hermione said.

" That's good" Brenda said.

One week later it was time to go home, Brenda was in the apartment.

" So do you have everything packed?" Severus asked.

" Almost" Brenda said, "I'm trying to find a couple books I took from home."

" Did you look under the bed? You seem to put a lot of things under there, I found three quills under there last year at the end of the year." Severus said.

Brenda rolled her eyes and looked under the bed, they were there but she couldn't reach them.

" Accio books" Brenda said and they came to her.

" Told you" Severus smirked.

" Thanks" Brenda said.

" So what books did you bring and how did they end up under the bed? You only slept down here once which is a record for you." Severus said.

" I don't know, probably the house elves or something" Brenda said, " They're just books on Legilimens and Occlumens."

Severus's eyes went a little wide

" They're pretty interesting, I didn't know that people could read other people's minds, well except for the twin connection of course but not everybody is a twin" Brenda said, " I think it will be cool to learn Legilimency and Occlumency"

Severus's face was blank, he wasn't going to tell her that she used to be able to use legilimency and Occlumency when she was a second year, "Mind reading and mind blocking is too powerful for a girl her age" He thought and said, " Well hurry up and pack, you're leaving tomorrow and going with the Weasleys.

Brenda smiled at that.

" Oh great, I can't stop you and Fred from snogging" Severus said and he slapped his forehead.

" We're not going to be snogging 24/7, relax dad" Brenda teased.

" You better not" Severus warned.

" Yes dad" Brenda said smiling and rolling her eyes.

Severus looked down at Brenda's necklace, " Well it looks like that necklace is good luck."

" I think it is" Brenda said smiling.

" Well with your getting in trouble record, you need all the luck you can get" Severus said, " Well if you have everything, you should probably get back to Gryffindor Tower."

" Ok" Brenda said and she gave her dad a hug, " See you in a few days then."

" Yes in a few days" Severus said.

Brenda headed up to Gryffindor Tower and hung out with her friends.

 

When they got on the train from Hogsmeade Hermione showed the three what she caught, or should I say who she caught.

" Hermione why do you have a beetle in that jar" Harry asked.

" This beetle is Rita Skeeter" Hermione said.

" No" Ron gasped.

" It can't be" Brenda gasped.

" Wow" Harry gasped.

" Yes" Hermione said, " She is an animagus, an illegal animagus and I have caught her."

" So that is how she knew everything that went on between Fred and me" Brenda said.

" Exactly" Hermione said.

" So what are you going to do with her?" Ron asked.

" I'm going to keep her in there for a while, it's her fault that she been snooping" Hermione said.

" Yah she deserves it" Brenda said.

The beetle looked like it was glaring.

" Glare all you want Rita, you know you deserve it" Brenda glared back.

A few hours later they returned to Kings Cross station.

" We should all listen to see what is going on in the world this summer, see what Voldemort is up to" Hermione said.

" Yah, I'll... try to listen, Vernon and Petunia don't really let me watch the t.v. much" Harry said.

" Well even if you can't watch it you can hear it right?" Brenda asked.

" Yah I'll do that" Harry said.

" Well good luck with the Dursleys, we'll write to you and anything we find out we'll tell you" Brenda said.

" Thanks" Harry said with a smile.

They finally got off the train and got their stuff.

" Boy get over here, I don't want to waste any more time than I have to" Vernon yelled.

" Yes Uncle Vernon" Harry said and walked to him.

" See you later Harry" Ron, Hermione and Brenda said waving.

" See you" Harry said waving.

" Well there's my parents, remember to write this summer" Hermione said.

" I will Hermione" Brenda said.

" Ron?" Hermione asked.

" Maybe" Ron said.

" Maybe is better than no" Hermione said, " See you later."

" See you" Ron and Brenda said.

Hermione left.

" Now where are my parents? Where are my brothers and sister?" Ron asked.

" Well Fred and George are over there with Lee" Brenda said pointing, " And Ginny is talking to a girl from Ravenclaw."

" Ok so where are my parents? You know where everybody else is at" Ron said.

" I just pay attention, your parents are over there" Brenda said smiling.

" Show off" Ron said.

Brenda smiled and lifted an eyebrow.

" Show off and know it all" Ron teased.

" That's me" Brenda said, " Come on let's go greet them."

They headed towards Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

" I was wondering where you lot were" Mrs. Weasley said, " Where are Fred, George and Ginny?"

" Fred and George are talking to Lee, Ginny is talking to a girl from Ravenclaw, Harry and Hermione already left.

" Are you and Harry feeling ok?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

" Yah we're fine, we had a few weeks to get over the shock and the shakiness" Brenda said.

" That's good, I think we should get the other three now and leave, the sooner we get home the better" Mr. Weasley said.

" I'll get Ginny" Ron said.

" I'll get Fred and George" Brenda said and started walking.

" Just don't kiss Fred when you get there" Ron said.

" Ron" Brenda said annoyed.

" Just kidding" Ron said, " Somewhat."

Brenda rolled her eyes and went to get Fred and George.

" Don't look now but it's lover boy's girlfriend" Lee teased.

" Lee" Fred said annoyed.

George smiled.

" Hey, your dad wants to leave" Brenda said.

" Are you sure you just didn't come over here to snog with Fred?" George joked.

Fred and Brenda glared at George.

" Wow if glares could kill" George said.

" We'd both be dead" Lee said.

" Come on George, let's go, mum and Dad are scared enough being out here because of you know who" Fred said.

" Like he's going to show up with this much people" Lee said.

" Home is safer, well Lee we'll write to you about the stuff" Fred said.

" Ok, don't forget" Lee said.

" Don't worry we won't" Fred said, " Come on you two."

They walked back to the group.

" Ok do we have everybody?" Mr. Weasley asked.

" Let's see... Fred, George, Ron, Brenda, Ginny, You, me... Yes we have everybody" Mrs. Weasley said.

" Great, lets get out of here" Mr. Weasley said.

They went to the building with the floo connection.

For the days that Brenda stayed at the Weasley's they played Quidditch a lot since they couldn't play it at school because of the Tri-wizard tournament and Fred and Brenda only made out three times. They didn't do anything rated R, just kissed some and cuddled, the rest of the time Fred and George were mostly locked in their rooms doing who knows what, there were a few explosions and screams from Mrs. Weasley. Ron and Brenda and Ginny played Exploding Snap a lot and chess. Nothing was in the news about Voldemort. Finally it was time for Brenda to go to Snape Manor.

" We'll have you over as soon as possible" Mrs. Weasley said.

" Sounds good Mrs. Weasley" Brenda said.

" So do you have everything?" Severus asked.

" Yes" Brenda said with a smile then said goodbye to everybody with hugs from Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and Fred and also a kiss (Surprise there) from him.

Severus rolled his eyes when Fred and Brenda kissed.

" Relax professor" Fred said when he saw his look.

Snape glared his watch it glare.

" Dad's one of those over protective fathers" Brenda whispered to him.

" Yah I can tell" Fred whispered back.

Finally it was time to go and Severus and Brenda flooed to Snape Manor.

" Home sweet home" Brenda said with a smile and was thinking of the potions lab in her room and the potion that was almost ready for more ingredients.

 

"Master Snape and Ms. Brenda is back. Minnie is so happy" Minnie cheered.

" Hi Minnie, it's good to see you too" Brenda said.

" Brenda I suggest you go unpack your things" Severus said.

" Ok" Brenda said and took her trunk upstairs to her bedroom, " Hello bedroom, long time no see."

She unpacked her things and made sure that Severus wouldn't be coming to her room any time soon and she went into her secret potions lab to put the rest of the ingredients in the potion.

" This will be ready in three months" She thought to herself, "And then Dad will no longer be a death eater, now things are even scarier then before."

She looked through the potions books for other potions.

" Hmm, Felix Felicis" Brenda thought and read, " Drinker will tend to succeed. Potion gives the drinker an exhilarating sense of confidence and tremendous sense of opportunity. If taken in excess the potion can cause giddiness, recklessness and dangerous overconfidence. It's highly toxic in large quantities. The color is gold, a vial can last for 12 hours. The potion is banned in organized competitions like sporting events, examinations and elections. Tricky to make and disastrous to get wrong. Takes six months to make" Brenda thought for a moment, " Hmm, not a good idea to make, I don't have six months."

She flipped through the book and found a few she would like to make like the Forgetfulness potion, Babbling Beverage, Belch powder, Hiccuping solution, Blood replenishing potion, Calming draught.

" Some of these potions are for jokes, I can be like Fred and George, Babbling Beverage, Hiccuping solution and Belch powder sound funny, the Blood replenishing potion would be good to have in stock, never know when that will be needed" Brenda thought, " Forgetfulness potion might be good too, Calming draught wouldn't be bad either. I should probably replenish the burn heal paste."

Brenda looked at more potions and lost track of time and hurried up to her room before Severus came in there.

Severus came into her room five minutes later and he didn't look happy.

" Dad what's wrong?" Brenda asked putting down her book she picked up.

" I have something to tell you" Severus said.

" Ok" Brenda said.

" I'm going to be gone at nights most of the time" Severus said.

Brenda looked confused.

Snape sighed, " Before the Dark Lord was destroyed thirteen years ago, I was his potions maker, and since I'm still a death eater I must go to the meetings, he has a lot of meetings, I'm telling you in advance, usually when I get back from these meetings I get... grumpy, mostly if you just do as you're told and follow your summer schedule then everything will be fine"

" Why can't you just stop going to these meetings? You don't want to be a death eater so just stop" She said

" I can't, I'm... spying for Dumbledore, I give him information about what the Dark Lord is up to, I must go to these meetings" Snape said, " So can I count on you to behave?"

" Yes Dad" She said

" Good girl" He said

" So how long are you grumpy for?" She asked

" A day or two" He said

" Ok, I'll behave" She said

After these meetings is there anyway I could help you?" She asked

" Just stay out of my way" Snape warned, " I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just warning you"

" Ok, I understand" She said

" There's a meeting tonight, just stay on your schedule and try to stay out of the way most of the time" He said

" Ok... Dad do the meetings ever take place here?" She asked worriedly

" No, never at our homes, the meetings are always in a secret area" Snape explained

Brenda nodded, " So stay out of your way for the next two days, don't do anything to make you mad and everything will be fine"

" Yes" Snape said, " You got it"


	5. Chapter 5

Severus was basically gone every other night and when he got back home every night he was scary, Brenda tried staying out of his way as much as possible. She faced his wrath twice and she didn't like it, she couldn't sit down for a week each time and the only reason why she was punished is because she was five minutes late getting in from her outside time and two minutes late getting to bed. After the two days of his grumpiness Severus would apologias for his actions. Severus would not let Brenda read the Daily Prophet and it drove Brenda mad, she wanted to know what was going on in the world, but she didn't want to yell at Severus for fear of getting spanked again. Brenda kept having nightmares about Cedric and Voldemort and she was afraid that if she cried out Severus would spank her for waking him up at night so she took a dreamless sleep potion every night

Brenda had her birthday, she got many nice things from her friends and dad, she got books, shirts, chocolates, and potion ingredients. They had a small party with just her, Severus and Minnie

Two days after Brenda's birthday Severus was at a meeting, he just left and Brenda was in her room reading

" I don't want to do anything wrong that'll make him angry" Brenda thought

While Brenda was reading her book at Snape Manor in the Wizarding world. Harry was at the park with Dudley and his gang, Dudley was making fun of Harry for having nightmares

" Who's Cedric Harry? Is he your boyfriend?" Dudley asked

" SHUT UP" Harry yelled

" Ooh hit a nerve did I Potter?" Dudley asked

" Wow" Brenda thought, " Can we communicate this far away?"

Brenda stopped reading and payed attention through thought, she wanted to know what was going on with Harry

Dudley started talking about their mum Lily and that made Harry very angry

" I said SHUT UP" Harry yelled, he took his wand out and pointed it at Dudley and he now shut up

" You... You can't use magic outside school" Dudley said scared

" Watch me" Harry said

" Harry don't do anything stupid" Brenda thought

All of a sudden in the park in Little Winging it got very dark and cold

" What are you doing?" Dudley asked Harry

" I'm not doing anything" Harry said scared, he knew what was going to happen

" Lets get out of here" Dudley's friends said and ran away

" Dudley we got to go" Harry said

" What's going on?" Dudley asked

" Come on we got to get home" Harry said again and they started to run

They didn't get far, Harry was scared now, he wasn't supposed to use magic but desperate times calls for desperate measures, the air was cold for a summers night so cold that he could see his breath

" Dementors" Harry thought

" Oh No, Harry get out of there" Brenda thought

" I can't, not with Dudley here too" Harry thought, " Wow this is weird, I didn't know we could communicate this far away"

" No kidding, Harry get out of there" Brenda thought again

Too late, the dementors attacked, there were about 15 of them

" Oh my goodness oh my goodness, I have to help him, I can't get there in time though, floo won't get me there, brooms are too slow, I need to be there now" Brenda said aloud, " Apparition... oh but I'm not of age yet... know what, I don't care, I read enough on it, I can do it"

She concentrated on her destination, she was determined, and she was deliberate and she thought of her brother, and the next thing she knew she was pulled from her navel and it was nauseating but she wound up in Little Winging with just her hair cut a bunch where she looked funny

" Wow I was lucky that it was just my hair" Brenda thought and saw her breath when she breathed, " I'm coming Harry"

Brenda ran to where her brother and cousin were and she cast her patronus

" EXPECTO PATRONUM" Brenda yelled and the one on Harry's neck disappeared

" Thanks" Harry said, and he cast his patronus and got the one off Dudley, together they got all of the dementors away, it took a while though

Dudley looked stunned and he wouldn't get up

" Dudley come on we got to go" Harry said

" Dudley get up" Brenda said

All of a sudden an old lady came to them

" Hurry Brenda it's Mrs. Figg, put your wand away" Harry thought

They both put their wands away

" Mrs. Figg what are you doing here?" Harry asked

" Don't put your wands away, they might come back" Figg said

" What?" Brenda asked

" Take out your wands, the Dementors might come back" Figg said

They took out their wands

" I'll help you lift him, you two must get home, the dementors might come back" Figg said

They lifted Dudley and Brenda and Harry got on either side of him to walk him back to Number 4 private drive

" Dumbledore wanted me to look after you Harry" Figg said, " I'm sorry I couldn't say anything all those years ago but if the Dursley's knew that you liked it at my house, they would never let you come back"

" Good point" Harry said

Harry and Brenda carried Dudley up to the house and thanked Mrs. Figg and walked in

" Is that my Dinky Diddydums?" Petunia asked

" What?" Brenda thought with a smile on her face

" One of Petunia's nicknames for Dudley, stupid I know" Harry said

They walked into the living room and Petunia shrieked, " DUDLEY" She ran to him and pushed the Potters out of the way, " DUDLEY, DUDLEY... VERNON GET IN HERE QUICK"

Vernon came in and saw Dudley and then turned to the Potters," What did you do" Vernon asked

" We didn't do anything" Harry said

" Why is he like this?" Petunia asked

" The Dementors did it to him" Brenda said

" What are you doing here girl?" Vernon asked

" Saving my brother and cousin" Brenda said

Petunia and Vernon pushed Harry and Brenda out of the way and brought Dudley to a chair. His face was very pale

" He looks like he's going to be sick" Brenda thought, " Where's the trash?"

" It's in the kitchen under the sink" Harry thought back

Brenda ran into the kitchen and got the trashcan, she brought it just in time because Dudley vomited 30 seconds after she set it in front of him

" Good thinking" Harry whispered," Now how did you get here and what happened to your hair?"

Brenda looked guilty and said, " I apparated here and I lost some of my hair on the way, it's called splinching"

" Brenda we're not supposed to apparate until we come of age" Harry scolded

" Well I had to do something, you didn't really have the upper hand in the situation" Brenda argued

After Dudley was done vomiting petunia asked, " Who did this to you?" Dudley pointed to his cousins, " What did they do darling? Did they use their wands on you? Dudley nodded

" He's lying" Brenda said

" We didn't do anything to him, it was the" Harry didn't finish because two owls swooped down and gave both of them letters

" OWLS? I WILL NOT STAND FOR OWLS IN MY HOUSE!" Vernon yelled

They opened their letters and they said, " We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus at 9:23 this evening in a muggle-inhabited area and in the presence of a muggle. The severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand. Your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 9:00 A.M. on August 12, Hope you are well, sincerely, Delores Umbridge. That is what both of the letters said except they added apparition to Brenda's

Brenda gasped after she read the letter, " Oh My Goodness, this cannot be happening" She thought

" We got to leave" Harry whispered and Brenda nodded. They started for the door

" Where do you think you two are going? You are going to explain what happened to Dudley" Vernon commanded

" Leave us alone" Brenda ordered and pulled out her wand

" What are you going to do with that?" Vernon asked, " You can't use magic outside of that school"

" Well that school just expelled us, you have three seconds to get out of our way... one... two..." Brenda started then there was a CRACK

There was another owl with a letter tied to its leg, it was addressed to both of them, “Harry, Brenda, Dumbledore arrived at the Ministry and he's trying to sort it all out, DON'T LEAVE YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE’S HOUSE DO NOT USE ANYMORE MAGIC AND DON'T SURRENDER YOUR WANDS! Brenda, Snape will be their soon, don't move out of the house... from Arthur Weasley

" WHERE ARE THESE OWLS COMING FROM?" Vernon yelled

" Well the first one is from the Ministry of Magic expelling us and the other one is from Arthur Weasley telling us to stay here" Harry said

" Wait a minute, your kind is in Government? No wonder the country's going to the dogs. Why did they write you anyway?" Vernon asked " Why were you expelled"

"Because we used underaged magic" Harry said

" So you admit doing that do Dudley" Vernon accused

" No that wasn't us" Brenda said

Dudley spoke up, " Yes it was"

" No it wasn't" Harry argued

" Shut up Potter. Go on son what happened?" Vernon asked

" He pointed his wand at me and made it cold and it was all dark and I heard... things in my head" Dudley explained

" What did you hear?" Petunia asked

Dudley didn't say anything, he just shook with a look of horror on his face

" Dudley's a spoiled brat and nothing happens to him, what is he afraid of?" Brenda thought

" I don't know" Harry thought

" Why did you fall over and get dirty?" Vernon asked

" I tripped and then I was really really cold and then I f- felt" Dudley began but couldn't finish

" As if you would never be happy again" Harry and Brenda said together

Dudley nodded

" WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SON?" Vernon yelled at the twins

" WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING THEY WERE DEMENTORS" Brenda yelled and glared

" They were what?" Vernon asked

" De-men-tors" Brenda said slowly

" There were fifteen of them" Harry said

" Dementors guard Azkaban" Petunia said and made Harry and Brenda gasp because she knew

" How do you know that?" Harry asked

" I heard that awful boy telling her about them" Petunia snapped

" Her being our mother and boy being our father?" Brenda asked

" No, Boy with pale skin, black greasy hair and a long hooked nose" Petunia described

" Snape" Harry and Brenda said together

" Yes that was his name" Petunia said

" So these dementy things exist?" Vernon asked

Petunia nodded

All of a sudden another owl flew in with two letters

" BLOODY OWLS" Vernon bellowed

" It's from the ministry" Harry whispered and handed Brenda hers

They read the letters that said, " The ministry of magic revised their decision to destroy your wand forthwith, you may retain your wand until your hearing on August 12 at which time an official decision will be taken. Following discussions with the Headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the ministry has agreed that the question of your expulsion will also be decided at that time. You should therefore consider yourself suspended from school pending further inquiries. with best wishes... Delores Umbridge

Harry and Brenda looked at each other relieved that they weren't definitely expelled

" So what did the letters say? Did they sentence you to anything? Do you go to jail? Do they have a death penalty?" Vernon asked gleefully

Brenda glared at him

" No uncle Vernon we have a hearing" Harry said

" You're going to be sentenced there?" Vernon asked

" Maybe" Harry said and Vernon smiled, " Well if that's all, Brenda and I will head up to my room" They started leaving

" NO THAT ISN'T ALL! SIT DOWN" Vernon yelled

" Now what?" Brenda asked

" What happened to Dudley?" Vernon asked

" Well to put it in short terms... he was near a dementor and that is the effect" Brenda said pointing to Dudley

" What's a dementoied?" Vernon asked

" We told you, it's a creature that sucks all the happiness out of you and if they get the chance they kiss you" Harry explained

" Kiss you?" Vernon asked surprised and disgusted

" Not like that, it's just what they call it when they suck the soul out of your body" Brenda said

Petunia screamed and hugged her son, " They didn't take it out of him did they?" She asked worriedly

" No they didn't" Harry said

" Fought them off did you Dudley? Give them the old one two? Vernon asked proudly

" No there's only one way to fight them and that is with a patronus" Brenda said

" What's a patronus?" Vernon asked but before he could answer another owl came into the living room, " BLOODY OWLS" He yelled

The letter was from Sirius and he told them to stay put

" Why don't they say well done or something? we're being punished for saving our lives" Harry thought

" I AM SO SICK OF THESE OWLS" Vernon yelled

" We can't do anything about them" Brenda said

" I want to know why the Dementors were after Dudley and why you've been expelled, you admitted that you used magic" Vernon said

" Uncle Vernon listen... we did the patronus charm to get rid of the Dementors" Brenda said

" What were dementys doing in Little Winging?" Vernon asked

Harry and Brenda looked at each other with worried looks, " He must have sent them" They said together

" Who" Petunia asked

" Lord Voldemort" They said

" I've heard of him... he was the one" Vernon started

" Who murdered our parents" They finished

" But he's gone" Vernon argued

" Well he's back" Brenda said

" Back?" Petunia gulped

" He came back a little more than a month ago" Brenda said

" Are you telling me that some madman is coming after you two?" Vernon asked

" You could say that" Harry said

" OUT! GET OUT! AND DON'T COME BACK, I WILL NOT HAVE MY WIFE AND SON ENDANGERED BECAUSE A MADMAN IS COMING AFTER YOU" Vernon yelled

Another owl came in and dropped a red letter at petunia

" BLOODY OWLS" Vernon yelled

Petunia picked up the letter and looked at it

" Fine read it, we'll hear it anyway, that's a Howler" Harry informed

" Leave it alone Petunia, it's been on an owl it could have germs or rabies" Vernon ordered

" It's addressed to me" Petunia said and it started smoking

" OPEN IT HURRY" Harry and Brenda shouted

" I'm scared" Petunia said and she dropped it on the coffee table

Brenda snatched the letter and opened it " REMEMBER MY LAST... PETUNIA" That was all it said and Petunia looked pale

" Petunia are you ok?" Vernon asked

" H-Harry st-stays... Br- Brenda waits until her guardian gets her" Petunia said, " When Brenda leaves Harry, go to bed"

" Who's the letter from?" Harry asked

" NO QUESTIONS" Petunia snapped

" Are you in touch with the wizarding world?" Brenda asked

" I SAID NO QUESTIONS" Petunia shrieked

It was quiet in the room until another owl came in the living room with a red letter

" NOT ANOTHER ONE" Vernon yelled

This howler was addressed to Brenda

" Oh, no" Brenda said aloud and opened it," BRENDA LILIAN POTTER!" The howler yelled in Severus Snape's voice, " YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE WHEN I GET YOU HOME YOUNG LADY. UNDERAGED MAGIC, APPARATION, ENDANGERING YOUR LIFE, ESCAPING THE WARDS AROUND THE HOUSE, EXPELLSION! WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU. YOU THINK I WAS GRUMPY BEFORE, YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING YET"

The letter ended and tore up and Brenda was in a corner at that point and had tears in her eyes, " He just came back from a meeting" Brenda thought

" What was that?" Vernon asked uncovering his ears

" M-My g-guardian" Brenda whispered through tears

" Professor Snape" Harry said

" Snape? The boy who told Lily about the Dementors? Petunia asked

Brenda and Harry nodded

Chapter: 82

 

Thirty minutes after the letter all of the owls left the house

" Finally all of those ruddy owls are gone" Vernon said, " Why doesn't your kind use the post office like all us normal people?" Vernon asked

" Post office takes too long" Harry explained

" Your kind are nothing but freaks" Vernon said

Brenda glared at her uncle from her spot in the corner on the floor she didn't move from

" Stop glaring at me like that girl" Vernon ordered

" Then stop calling us freaks" Brenda said, " Oh and my name is Brenda, not girl"

Vernon glared at Brenda but instead of shrinking back she glared defiantly right back

" Vernon Dudley still has a stunned look on his face" Petunia said worriedly, " We need to take him to the doctor"

" Just give him some chocolate" Brenda said

" But that's not on his diet" Petunia said

Brenda was surprised, " Harry, he's on a diet?" She thought

Harry grinned, " Yah... I don't think it's working though" He thought

" What are you two thinking?" Vernon asked suspiciously, " Are you planning on doing something to Dudley?"

" He needs chocolate" Brenda said getting up and getting in her bag and pulling out a chocolate frog

" What is that?" Vernon asked

" It's a chocolate frog, it's just milk chocolate in frog form" Brenda said

" Dudley is not eating a chocolate covered frog" Vernon said

" Relax Vernon, I've had these before, Lily brought them home a lot when she went to that school" Petunia said, " Are you sure it'll help him?"

" Yes" Brenda said, " Harry and I have faced Dementors before and chocolate always helps, just try to catch it when I open it"

Petunia nodded and Brenda opened the chocolate and it jumped once and into Petunia's hands

" Dudley, Dudley have some chocolate Dudley" Petunia coaxed

Dudley took the chocolate, he hasn't had chocolate in a long time, he didn't care that it was in frog form

" He'll be better in a few minutes" Brenda informed

Brenda was right, Dudley felt better in five minutes after he ate the chocolate

" How do you feel Popkin?" Petunia asked

" Popkin?" Brenda thought

" Another nickname, he has too many of them, they're all funny though" Harry thought

Brenda nodded

" Fine" Dudley said, " That chocolate was good"

" I think you should go to bed Dudley, you have had a trying night" Petunia said

" Ok" Dudley said

Petunia took Dudley upstairs

" That have better not been poisoned" Vernon warned

" I'm not evil, I wouldn't do that" Brenda said, " And why would I help save him if I wanted to kill him? Think before you speak Uncle Vernon"

Vernon was speechless

" Brenda one, Vernon zero" Harry thought and smirked, " Vernon isn't use to people talking back at him"

" Well if I can talk back to Snape, I can talk back to Vernon" Brenda thought, " Oh... Snape" Brenda looked scared again

Harry gave her a sad look and Petunia came back down from tucking Dudley in

" So did your guardian say when he's coming to get you?" Vernon asked annoyed

" No" Brenda said

" Well he need to ruddy hurry it up, it's past 10:00" Vernon said, " I have better things to do then babysit you two"

" We can take care of ourselves, you and aunt Petunia can go to bed" Harry said

" And wake up to find a destroyed house? I don't think so" Vernon said

" Ok Vernon is weird if he thinks we'd destroy the house" Brenda thought

" Both Vernon and Petunia are paranoid" Harry thought

" Well since we're waiting, I'm going to see if there's anything interesting on the Telly" Vernon said and he went to the television and turned it on

" Haven't seen a t.v. for years" Brenda said, " They don't have them in the Wizarding world"

" What do you do for fun without a t.v.?" Vernon asked

" Quidditch" Harry and Brenda said together

" And that is what?" Vernon asked

" Combination between football, and basketball" Brenda said, " And you play it on brooms"

" It's very popular in our world. The most popular sport actually" Harry added

Vernon stopped paying attention to them and flipped through the channels until he came across a movie that looked very boring, but they watched it anyway, they had nothing better to do

An hour later at 11:15 somebody knocked on the door

" Get that Harry" Vernon commanded, he couldn't use Potter because there were two Potters and if he used boy, Brenda would argue

Harry got up glad to get up since the movie was so boring and he answered the door and outside was a very angry looking Potions Professor

" P-Professor Snape" Harry said aloud

" Oh no" Brenda gasped

" Is he finally here?" Vernon asked turning the telly off and going to the door, " Well it's about time Mr. Snape, I have better things then to watch your ward when I have to watch my own"

Severus glared at Vernon, " Where is she?" He snapped

" Lounge" Vernon said

" Professor don't hurt her" Harry begged

" Mr. Potter I will deal with Brenda how I see fit, not how you see fit" Severus said and walked into the lounge where Brenda and Petunia were at

" You" Petunia gasped, " You're the one who told her what she was"

" What are you talking about?" Severus asked

" You're the one who told Lily she was a witch" Petunia said

" Oh... you're Lily's sister, yes I was, it is… nice to see you again Petunia. I am here to collect Brenda" Severus said and he glared at Brenda

" Well take her and get out of here already" Vernon said

Brenda had tears that were threatening to come out but she was holding them back, she didn't like the look on her father's face, it looked very angry

" Come on Brenda" Snape commanded, " We're side-along apparating"

Brenda stood up from the seat she was at and walked over to her father who grabbed her wrist hard and she winced

" Professor don't hurt her" Harry snapped with a glare

" Harry don't, that'll just make him angrier" Brenda thought

Severus glared at Harry, " Worry about yourself Mr. Potter" and said to the Dursleys, " Sorry for your... inconvenience" With that they apparated to Snape manor

They landed in the living room and Severus let go of Brenda's wrist and said in his very angry voice that scares all students at Hogwarts, " Give me your wand, get to your room, I'll be up in a few minutes to deal with you" Severus was glaring

Brenda gasped and after hesitating, reluctantly handed him her wand then ran to her room with tears falling down her cheeks. Severus hid Brenda's wand in his potions lab then conjured a ping pong paddle and headed up to Brenda's room. Brenda was laying on her bed with her face in her pillow when Severus got up there with the paddle in his hand, he sat on the end of Brenda's bed waiting for her to feel his presence

She finally got her face out of her pillow and looked at him, he was glaring

Severus was using his scary teacher tone that scares everybody, " What you did tonight was foolish and dangerous" He scolded,

Brenda didn't say anything and she wasn't looking at him

" LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M SPEAKING TO YOU YOUNG LADY" Severus yelled

She looked up startled

" You Apparated two years underaged, you haven't had any training, you had no idea what would happen, you are lucky that you only lost some of your hair in the process, Splinching can get bad" Severus said in that scary tone, " When I got back and Minnie told me that the wards were going off I was worried, when I got a letter from the Ministry that you apparated I was worried, you can die from Apparition if you splinched a body part like your head or heart, liver etc, then I find out you use the patronus charm to save your brother and cousin, and now you're in this whole mess which may be the snap of your wand and you might be expelled from Hogwarts"

" I- I - I had to-to save them, H-Harry dropped his wand and the Dementor had him by the neck, Dudley was about to get kissed, I had to save them" Brenda said through forced back tears

There are others who could have helped them" Severus said, " Like his guard"

" The Dursleys are muggles" Brenda said

" I'm not talking about the Dursley's, I'm talking about Harry's guard that is supposed to follow him when he's outside" Severus said

" There was nobody there, if he has a guard, the guard is doing a pretty poor job of keeping him safe" Brenda said

" I'm going to have to talk to Dumbledore about that, it is still not your job to save your brother if he gets in a mess, and now you're in that mess when it could have easily been avoided" Severus said

Brenda looked down

" Ok, I think we're done talking now" Severus said

Brenda closed her eyes in dread, she knew what was coming next

Snape pulled out the chair from Brenda's desk and sat it in the middle of the room and sat down with the paddle in hand

" Dad no" Brenda said when she saw the paddle

Severus just glared not saying anything

" No" Brenda said again, she was judging the distance between herself and the door, if she could just run out of her room, she’d be safe.

“ Don’t even think about it, you are in enough trouble” Severus said knowing what Brenda was thinking

“Please dad no, don’t use that" She begged as she walked closer to her dad.  
Severus still didn’t say anything, he was waiting for her to lay across his lap

She couldn’t do it. Not by herself anyway, Severus grabbed Brenda’s arm firmly but not harshly and guided her over his lap

" DAD NO" Brenda screamed

" SILENCIO" Severus said and paddled Brenda’s bottom

Brenda was screaming in silence

 

" Maybe this will make you think twice before you do something foolish again" Severus said still paddling

Brenda had tears running down her cheeks Finally after 25 swats Severus finished.

" Go take a shower and get to bed" Severus said and left her room taking the paddle with him

Brenda headed towards the bathroom and wiped away her tears

" I can't believe he just did that" Brenda thought

She took a fast shower, her bottom stung when it hit the water and she hissed. She finally got her pajamas on and came out of the bathroom still crying. Minnie was by her bed

" Ms. Potter made Master Snape angry" Minnie said

Brenda rolled her eyes and nodded

" Is Ms. Potter ok?" Minnie asked

Brenda nodded

" Master Snape told Minnie to give Ms. Potter this" Minnie said and handed Brenda a hair growth potion, " Master Snape says that's enough to get your hair back to normal"

Brenda nodded and swallowed the potion. It worked almost instantly, ten seconds later her hair was back to normal

" Ms. Brenda should go to bed, it is way past Ms. Brenda's bedtime, it is" Minnie said

Brenda nodded and got in bed

The next day she slept in past her time she was supposed to get up

" Ms. Brenda... Ms. Brenda wake up" Minnie said, " Ms. Brenda it's 8:30"

Brenda woke up at the sound of that and she sat up scared now, she was a half hour late for breakfast and she was supposed to be reading

" Calm down Ms. Brenda, Master Snape just told me to wake you up, Master Snape wants you down to breakfast at 9:00"

Brenda couldn't talk since the spell was still on her but she nodded

" Master Snape told me to let Ms. Brenda sleep in until 8:30 because Ms. Brenda had a trying night last night" Minnie said

Brenda nodded that she understood

" Minnie will leave Ms. Brenda so Ms. Brenda can get ready" Minnie said and she left the room

Brenda got ready and headed down to the dining room at 8:55 and got there at 8:57 and sat down, she winced because it was uncomfortable to do so

Severus came into the dining room from the potions lab and looked at Brenda then at his watch, " Hmm right on time" He walked and sat down in his seat and looked at Brenda who was looking down at her hands which were in her lap

Minnie gave them their breakfast and they ate in silence, well Severus ate, Brenda kind of picked at her food and nibbled a bit

" Do you want any marmalade on your toast?" Severus asked

Brenda shook her head no, she was eating it plain

They finished their breakfast in silence and Brenda went back upstairs to her room and took out a book to read

" Minnie why won't she talk to me?" Severus asked, " Oh never mind, I forgot to reverse the charm" He headed up the stairs and knocked then came in, Brenda was reading a book and looked at him with fearful looking eyes, she didn’t think she could handle another spanking like that

" Sorry,” Severus said, “ Finite Incantatem"

Brenda felt the silencing spell come off of her, " Thanks"

Severus nodded

Brenda went back to her book and asked, " So... How long am I grounded for?"

" Put it this way, you better practice dodging Slytherins, you're going to be doing it for a long time" Severus said

Brenda glared at him

" You put this on yourself" Severus said

Brenda went back to her book

 

Severus made Brenda write 900 lines that day before she could do anything else. When she was done with the lines at 3:35 she brought them down to him and got permission to go outside and get some fresh air

While Brenda was outside, Severus went down to his lab to make that potion for the Dark Lord that he wanted so badly, while in the middle of the potion he noticed that something wasn't right with his stock of potions already made, there was a dreamless sleep potion missing, " That's odd, I know I had these all lined up and there was an even number of potions, who could have... Brenda" He thought and called, " Minnie"

" Yes Master Snape?" Minnie asked

" Go tell Brenda that it's time to come in, I have to speak with her" Severus said

" Yes Master Snape" Minnie said and she left with a pop

Brenda was reading under a shade tree, she couldn't do anything else, her dad banned her from her broom

" Ms. Brenda, Ms. Brenda" Minnie called

" Yes Minnie?" Brenda asked

" Ms. Brenda Master Snape wants you to come in now" Minnie said

Brenda sighed and walked inside and went to her room

Five minutes later Severus knocked and walked inside Brenda's room when Brenda was reading the same book

" What?" Brenda asked

" I was down in my lab today making a potion, and I noticed that a dreamless sleep potion was missing. Minnie wouldn't take it, I didn't take it so that only leaves you" Severus asked

" D-Dreamless sleep potion?" Brenda asked nervous

" That's what I said" Severus said, " Did you take it? Do not lie to me because I know when you're lying and you're in enough trouble as it is"

" I... I took it because I ran out" Brenda whispered

" I can't hear you" He said

" I took it because I ran out" She said louder

" You've been taking dreamless sleep potion every night?" He asked

Brenda nodded

" BRENDA! DREAMLESS SLEEP POTION IS DANGEROUS IF YOU TAKE IT TOO MUCH, IT'S ADDICTING" Severus yelled and Brenda flinched

" I... I only take a little bit a night, I don't take a whole vial full" She explained

" Why are you taking it?" He asked

" Because I keep dreaming about Cedric and V... You know who" Brenda said, " I don't want to wake up screaming, I'm afraid that you're going to yell at me... like you're doing now"

" You would rather endanger your life then be yelled at?" He asked

" I... I didn't know it was addicting" She said

" You have Os in potions and you don't know what potions are addicting and which ones aren't? Brenda" Severus started

" I'm sorry, look I'm going to pay you back, I sent Angel to get more ingredients from the apothecary" She explained

" I don't care about the missing potion, I care about you" He said, " Now how much have you taken?

" Two vials a week" She answered,

" And how long have you been taking it?" He asked

" I've been taking it for three weeks" She answered

" No more" Severus ordered, " You're done taking it, now give me the vial you have now"

Brenda sighed and pulled out the vial that had a little gone

" Is that the only one?" He asked

Brenda nodded

" Are you telling the truth?" He asked

Brenda nodded again

Severus looked at her for a moment wondering if she is actually telling the truth

" Ok, never take potion without permission ever again do you understand me?" He scolded

Brenda nodded and now she had tears

" Brenda, I'm not going to yell at you for having a bad dream" He said

" You will after a meeting" Brenda whispered

" No, I'm going to control my temper for now on" He said

" Promise?" Brenda asked

" I promise, just please don't take anymore potions without permission" Severus said, " And follow the rules about going down in the lab without my knowing"

Brenda nodded

" I'm going to floo the apothecary and cancel that order, I'm sure Angel will be back here by tomorrow afternoon" Severus said

Brenda nodded sadly

That night Brenda had a nightmare about Cedric and Voldemort and she wound up screaming Cedric's name and calling Voldemort a bastard. She woke both Severus and Minnie and they both ran into her room to try to wake her up from her nightmare, Brenda wouldn't wake up and she kept flinging her arms every which way

" BRENDA LILIAN POTTER WAKE UP" Severus yelled

Brenda wouldn't wake up

" Minnie get me a cup of cold water" Severus ordered

" Yes Master Snape" Minnie said and went into the bathroom and got a cold cup of water and handed it to Severus

" She's not going to like this" Severus thought and splashed the water on Brenda and woke her up

" Huh, what?" Brenda was scared and she looked around, " Oh" Then she saw Severus and Minnie, " Oh no" She put her face in her hands

" Are you ok?" Severus asked getting rid of the water with a flick of his wand

Brenda nodded with her face still in her hands

" Do you want to talk about it?" Severus asked

Brenda shook her head no

" Are they this bad every night without the potion?" Severus asked

Brenda nodded yes

" Will you look at me when I'm talking to you?" Severus asked but wasn't harsh

Brenda hesitated and took her face out of her hands, her face was streaked with tears and her face was red

" I'm sorry I woke you up, that's why I took the potion, so I wouldn't" Brenda said with a shaky voice, " I have nightmares every night even with the potion, there just not as bad

" Oh Brenda" Severus said and wrapped his arms around her and rocked her for a whie " I'm sorry... I'm sorry for everything"

Brenda didn't hear what Severus said because she fell asleep before he said sorry

The next morning Severus got on the floo with Dumbledore

" Albus, Do you think it'll be ok if we stay at Headquarters? I think It'll work better that way, Brenda could be watched over better than she can be here, she has been taking Dreamless sleep potion every night, she has very bad nightmares, She can't get into a lot of trouble at Headquarters" Severus said

" Sure Severus, the Weasleys are already here, they arrived two days ago, they figured it would be easier to stay at headquarters as well, I think she'll be happier with her friends and she'll get to see Sirius" Dumbledore said

Snape glared at the name of Sirius but shrugged it away " Great, We will be there sometime today" Snape said

" We'll be waiting" Dumbledore said and they hung up

Brenda came down and was seated at the dining room table at exactly 8:00

" I was going to let you sleep in" Snape said

" Can't sleep" Brenda said softly

" Did you have another nightmare?" Snape asked

Brenda nodded, " Just not as bad"

" Hmm, we'll have to figure out a way for you to not have so many nightmares without taking the dreamless sleep potion" Severus said

Brenda put her head down

" Well I have some good news for you, we're going to see the Weasleys" Severus said

" I'm leaving already?" Brenda asked

" What? No not like that... it's... kind of secret, we're not going to the Burrow this year" Severus informed

" When are we leaving?" Brenda asked

" In a few hours, I suggest you eat your breakfast and start packing" Severus said

Brenda nodded and thought of the potion, " What am I going to do about that? It'll be done brewing in a few weeks"

Brenda hurried with her breakfast then went upstairs to start packing, she kept looking at the bookshelf that led to the potions lab, "I don't want to just throw it away, dad will need it someday... not right now because he has to spy but someday" She thought, "I'll think of something after I pack" She packed all of her school things and miscellaneous things

Minnie popped into her room, " Does Ms. Brenda need help packing?"

" No thanks Minnie, I packed everything... Minnie can you keep a secret from Dad?" Brenda asked

Minnie looked scared, " Is it bad?"

" No, it's good, but I just need your help, I can't ask dad because it's for him but… just not right now… it’s sorta like… a gift" Brenda said

" If it's not a bad secret and it'll do good then I can keep it" Minnie informed

" Ok, come with me" Brenda said and she opened up the secret entrance to the Potions lab

" Ooh" Minnie said, " Master Snape doesn't know about this"

" I know, please don't tell him" Brenda said, " I want to keep it a secret between you and me ok?"

Minnie nodded, " What does Ms. Brenda need help with?"

" I'm making dad a potion that will need to be taken out in two weeks, I'm not going to be here, he doesn't need the potion right now, I'll give him the potion, but I really need you to take it out in two weeks or the potion will be ruined and I've been working on it for more than a year now, will you help me?" Brenda asked

" Yes Ms. Brenda, I will help you and take the potion out of the cauldron in two weeks and vial it up for you" Minnie said happily, " This is a nice thing you're doing for Master Snape"

" Thank you Minnie" Brenda said with a smile and Minnie smiled too

They got out of the potions lab and Minnie left and Brenda made sure she had everything she wanted to take with her, she made sure she packed the Legilimens and Occlumency books she finds very interesting and her dress/blanket, she made sure she had her BRENDA necklace as well and Angel's cage. She was ready to leave a half hour later

" Are you all packed?" Severus asked

Brenda nodded

" We can't get there by Floo, it's too secret, we have to Apparate" Severus explained

Brenda shivered

Severus saw the shiver and smirked, " Hopefully you'll think twice next time" He took his wand and shrunk the trunks and bird cage

" Do you have my wand?" She asked

" Yes, it's in my trunk, you will get it back on the day of your hearing" He informed her

" Will Angel know where to go?" She asked

" Yes, owls are smart creatures, they always know where their masters are at, Angel will know where to go and she will be able to get in" He assured her

" Ok" Brenda said

" Well are you ready?" Severus asked

" Yah" Brenda said

Severus grabbed her hand and held it firmly but not tight

" See you later Minnie" Brenda said

" Bye Master Snape, Bye Ms. Brenda" Minnie waved

" Goodbye Minnie" Severus said and apparated out of the manor and to the entrance of Number 12 Grimmauld Place

 

When they got to the entrance Brenda was not amused

The front looked very grimy and some of the windows were broken, the paint was peeling from many of the doors and there was trash outside on the fronts of many steps

" This is headquarters?" Brenda asked

" It looks better on the inside" Severus assured her, " You're one to know not to judge a book by its cover"

They walked inside of the building and Brenda followed Snape to the doors of 11 and 13

" Where's number 12 at?" Brenda asked

Severus smirked, " And you get on Platform 9 3/4s every year, Brenda it's hidden by magic"

" Well don't the muggles who live here think it's weird that there isn't a 12?" Brenda asked

" No, they don't really care, they're used to it" Severus said

All of a sudden a door appeared and it said number 12

" You mean to tell me that the muggles didn't feel that?" Brenda asked

" Nor can they see it" Severus said and took out his wand and tapped the door once

There were many metallic clicks and the door opened and they walked inside

" Severus, Brenda! Yes Albus told us you'd be coming, Brenda everybody is upstairs, Ginny will show you where you'll be sleeping" Mrs. Weasley said, " Severus the meeting just started"

" Meeting? What meeting" Brenda asked

" Not for you dear, just for the members" Mrs. Weasley said

" The members of what exactly?" Brenda asked

" It's none of your concern, just go upstairs to your friends" Severus said, " I'll bring up the trunks later"

" Yes sir" Brenda said and walked upstairs

" Oh Brenda upstairs please be quiet, we don't want to wake anything up" Mrs. Weasley said

" Wake what up?" Brenda asked

" A very annoying portrait" Severus said and walked into the kitchen where the meeting was taken place

Brenda headed upstairs and ran into a House Elf

" Hello, I'm Brenda Potter, What's your name?" Brenda asked kindly

The house elf just glared at her and continued what he was doing

" Ok" Brenda said and walked on. On her walk she saw a row of heads on a wall

" That is weird and disturbing" She thought. She kept walking and finally heard voices coming from a room and she walked in, Ron and Ginny were playing chess

" Check" Ginny said

Ron played a move, " Checkmate I win”

" I didn't even see that" Ginny said

" Sorry sis" Ron said with a smile then looked up and saw Brenda, " Brenda!"

Ginny turned around, got up and gave Brenda a hug, " Oh we were so worried about you"

" We heard about the Dementors and the Apparating" Ron said

" Who hasn't heard about the Dementors and Apparating?" Brenda asked sarcastically

" Good point" Ron said

All of a sudden Fred and George Popped in and made all three of them jump

" We thought we heard you in here" George said

" Wow you got your Apparating licenses" Brenda exclaimed

" Yah and they do nothing but pop up anywhere scaring everybody to death" Ron said annoyed

" Heard you've been doing some apparating yourself Brenda" Fred said

Brenda rolled her eyes, " Don't remind me"

" So how much trouble were you in?" Fred asked

" Well... let's just say I lost some of my hair after I apparated and I'm... going to be dodging the Slytherins for a very long time" Brenda answered

" Ooh, very tough break" George said

" And then there's this whole ordeal where Harry and I might be expelled... I do not want that to happen, They'll snap our wands, we won't be able to go back to Hogwarts, Harry will not like that, we won't be able to fight Voldemort

The Weasleys flinched

" Sorry but it's true if we can't return to Hogwarts and if our wands are snapped then we can't fight V... you know who, I will have to stay at Snape's until I'm of age and Harry will be forced to stay with the Dursleys until he's of age and we wouldn't be able to get a magical job, we'd be like muggles... or squibs whatever, OH THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING! ALL WE DID WAS DEFEND OURSELVES AND OUR COUSIN”

"Shh, Brenda be quiet" Fred said

" What?" Brenda asked

" The portrait screams if she's woken up" Ginny said

" Then why doesn't somebody take it down?" Brenda asked

" It's stuck to the wall, everybody tried getting her down, Kreature is the only one who likes her" Ron said

" Who's Kreature?" Brenda asked

" The house elf, he keeps calling us Blood traitors" George said

" He must serve a pure blood Slytherin family then?" Brenda asked

" Well not everyone in that family was a Slytherin" Fred said, " In fact he lent the order this building for the order"

" The order of what? Where are we and what's going on?" Brenda asked, " Nobody tells me anything"

" Well it's the Order of the Phoenix" Ron said

" It's an organization against You know who" Ginny said

" According to mum and Dad, Dumbledore gathered a group of people to fight against him during Voldemort's first rise to power in the 1970s. They called themselves the Order of the Phoenix or Order for short" George said

" Why can't we be in it? Aren't we against you know who too?" Brenda asked

" It's only for adults" Fred said, " We asked already"

" You two are adults" Brenda said to the twins, " Well of age at least, doesn't that count?"

" According to mum, we have to be out of school to be in the Order" Fred said

" Well that sucks" Brenda said

" You're telling us" George agreed

Later that afternoon Angel came back and Hermione came too. Hermione was very dramatic about the whole thing

" So how long do the meetings last?" Brenda asked

" A long time" George started

" And they have one like every day" Fred finished

"So what has been going on in the Wizarding world? Snape won't let me read the paper and nobody has been writing anything about anything" Brenda said

Everybody exchanged worried glances

" We were told by Dumbledore not to tell you and Harry much" Hermione said

" Wow Dumbledore told you all not to tell Harry and me anything. The ones that Voldemort is after, why wouldn't we want to know what's going on?" Brenda asked sarcastically, " When did the Dementors go nuts?"

" We wanted to tell you, we really did but we had orders" Hermione said, " And we don't know when the Dementors went nuts"

" Will you ever forgive us?" Fred asked with a smile

Brenda looked at Fred and she couldn't resist his smile and she smiled but she did roll her eyes in annoyance

" Yes I forgive you" Brenda said

" Oh yah I still got it" Fred whispered to George and Ron

" Got what?" Ron asked, " Cockyness? Yah you got that"

" No, the charm" Fred said, " Brenda can't resist my smile"

" Ok this conversation is getting weird" Ginny said, " You two aren't going to make out now are you? Since it's been like more than a month?"

" Not with Snape here" Brenda said, " I'm in enough trouble as it is. He even banned me from my wand and potions"

" Why did he ban you from potions?" Hermione asked

" Uh... long story" Brenda said

" Well we have time" George said, " Nothing better to do"

" I could think of a few things" Fred thought to himself and smiled to himself

" Ok, well... since the night he came back, I've been having nightmares" Brenda informed, " They feel real but they are fake. It wasn't like a vision or something because it already happened. The nightmares are worse than what really happened, kind of hard to imagine it being worse than what happened, anyway they are so bad that I would wind up screaming and I would wake up Minnie on accident"

" Who's Minnie" Fred asked

" Our house elf, she's really nice" Brenda said, " I'm glad I didn't wake up Snape, he's been... grumpy lately"

" Because he's a death eater?" George asked

Brenda nodded, " He has to go to the meetings and there are meetings like every two days or so. I was afraid he would get mad at me if I woke him up from my nightmares so I decided to take dreamless sleep potion every night"

" Brenda that stuff can be addicting" Hermione said

" I know the risks, even though I told Snape I didn't, that would have got me in more trouble... I think, I just had to do something, I wasn't taking a full vial of it every night, just a little sip to make the nightmares not as bad, I still had them but I wasn't screaming" Brenda said

" So when did he find out you were taking the potion?" Ginny asked

" Yesterday" Brenda said, " I made an error, I should have sent Angel to get more ingredients when I still had enough potion to get by, but I waited until I was out to send her, I was so desperate I snuck down into Snape's lab and took a dreamless sleep potion, I figured I could replenish it when I made some more but he found out before I got the chance"

" Well I'm glad he found out, taking too much of that can be dangerous" Hermione said

" Well I'd rather take it then have nightmares for the rest of my life, I had a very bad one last night and I did wake Snape"

" What happened?" Ron asked

" Well for one thing he had to splash water on me to wake me up and he... he wasn't mad... he just comforted me until I fell asleep" Brenda said

" I don't know why he would be mad, you had a nightmare, he shouldn't be mad at you because of that, you can't help it" Hermione said

Brenda nodded

" Ok, well lets change the topic, you guys want to go downstairs and see if that meeting is over? It's past lunchtime" George said

Everybody nodded and headed downstairs

" What are you lot doing down here?" Mrs. Weasley asked

" Is the meeting over yet?" Ron asked, " It's past lunch time and we're all hungry"

" No the meeting is not over, but I'll make you lot some sandwiches" Mrs. Weasley said, " Get back upstairs"

They all went back upstairs and ten minuets later Mrs. Weasley brought up sandwiches and pumpkin juice

" Is the meeting almost over?" Ron asked

" About another hour" Mrs. Weasley said

" Why would the meeting take this long?" Brenda asked

" None of the other meetings took this long" Fred said

" Well the order have more things to talk about this time" Mrs. Weasley said, " Now no more questions about it do you hear?"

" Yes mam" Everybody said gloomy

The meeting was over at 4:00 in the afternoon and Mrs. Weasley let the kids come down

" So what was the meeting about?" Brenda asked

" If we wanted you to know, you would have been invited" Severus said, " I'm going to another meeting" He left the building

" Sheesh, you didn't have to be rude about it" Brenda thought watching her dad leave

" Brenda" Sirius said

Brenda turned around and saw her Godfather, " Sirius" She ran to him and gave him a big hug, " It's so good to see you again"

" How've you been? Sirius asked

" Seen better days" Brenda said, " You?"

" Also seen better days" Sirius said, " So do you like my parents' home?"

" Your parents live here?" Brenda asked

" Well they did until they died" Sirius said

" Oh I'm sorry" Brenda said

" Don't be, I'm not, Kind of glad they did" Sirius said

" Sirius don't say that" Brenda scolded

" They didn't like me, they didn't even consider me family" Sirius said, " Your dad... James' parents considered me family more than my own parents did"

" That's awful, why didn't they consider you family?" Brenda asked

" Probably because I was a Gryffindor instead of a Slytherin and I don't follow Voldemort" Sirius said

" They still shouldn't have been awful to you" Brenda said

" I don't care anymore, I really didn't like my parents that much anyway, I ran away to James' house when I was sixteen and never came back here until we made this headquarters" Sirius said

That night Brenda had another nightmare and it woke everybody up, except for Severus because he wasn't back from his meeting yet

" How do we wake her up?" George asked

" Brenda, Brenda dear wake up, come on honey wake up" Mrs. Weasley said

" Somebody splash water on her, that usually does the trick" Sirius said

Fred took his wand and said, " Aguamenti" A jet of clear blue water shot out of his wand and onto Brenda's face but she didn't wake up

" That usually works on everybody" Sirius said

" Try smelling salts" Hermione suggested

George ran to get some smelling salts and came back and put them under Brenda's nose, that did the trick

At first Brenda didn't know where she was but then she figured where she was and saw everybody looking at her, " Sorry"

" It's ok dear, you were having a horrible nightmare" Mrs. Weasley said with pitty on her face

" How long have you had them?" Sirius asked

" Ever since that night you know who returned" Brenda whispered

" She usually takes a dreamless sleep potion" Severus said coming into the room, " But that stuff is addicting and she needs to get the stuff out of her system"

" Severus something has to be done about these nightmares" Mrs. Weasley said

" I know but dreamless sleep potion is not the answer" Severus said, " The stuff is good for once in a while but not repeatedly, she is having the horrible nightmares because of the Dreamless sleep potion, the nightmares kept building and building but she always dimmed the nightmares by taking the potion, now without the potion the nightmares are taking it's full force, making them scarier then what they should be"

Brenda's eyes widened and she felt tears come to her eyes

" Well what are we supposed to do?" Mr. Weasley asked

" The only thing we can do tonight, give her a night light" Severus said

" I'm not a baby" Brenda said

" Nobody said you were Brenda, but night lights help keep the nightmares at bay" Severus said

" And how would you know this?" Sirius asked with a smirk

" I happen to be the head of Slytherin House,” Severus said to Sirius with a glare, “Eleven year olds have nightmares a lot, being away from home for nine months out of the year can be scary, so I give them night lights and their nightmares disappear"

" We should try it, muggles also use night lights and they do work" Hermione said

" Ok, well we should all get back to bed" Mrs. Weasley said and went over to hug Brenda, " I hope you sleep better tonight"

Brenda nodded and Hermione and Ginny gave Brenda a hug and then Fred did too

" I hope you don't have anymore nightmares" Fred said and dried her off from the water spell he splashed her with

Sirius came and gave her a hug, " Good luck Brenda"

Brenda nodded, she was really embarrassed though, she didn't want to use a night light but she was almost desperate

Sirius left and it was just her and Severus, Severus magicked a night light out of thin air, the pictures was a person on a flying broomstick with a quaffel in her hands, then an owl flying and a person making a potion, the color the night light made the room was a soft pretty purple

" There… now you will have no more nightmares" Severus said then went to Brenda who stiffened, " Brenda I'm not angry at you for having a nightmare ok"

Brenda nodded

" Now get some sleep" Severus said and hugged her

Brenda watched her father leave her room and then she looked at the night light until she fell asleep and didn't have any more nightmares that night

The next day Brenda told the teens to stay clear of Snape, he was nice last night but she wasn't so sure how nice he would be today since he didn't get much sleep last night

" That won't be a problem Brenda, we don't want to be near him anyway" Fred said

" Well I'm just warning you, he's even grumpier than usual" Brenda said, " It's always like this when he comes back from a meeting"

During the day Snape snapped at all the teens if they even looked at him funny it was now dinner time and everybody was there and Snape snapped at the kids yet again

" Told you" Brenda whispered to them"

" Snivelus just leave the kids alone" Sirius said, " They haven't done anything"

" Mind your own business Black" Snape snapped and picked at his food

" Protecting the kids from your wrath is my business" Sirius said, " Are you like this every time you come back from one of those meetings? No wonder Brenda took that potion every night"

There was a clatter of forks and it was silent in the kitchen

" Very awkward moment" Fred whispered

" I would never abuse my daughter Black" Severus said with a glare, " No matter how angry I am"

" She's not your daughter Snivelus" Sirius said, " She's James and Lily's"

" She is now my daughter, I adopted her" Severus said, " Open a book for once and look up adoption"

" Both of you stop yelling and sit down" Mrs. Weasley commanded

" Stay out of this Molly" Severus said

" Adopted or not she will never officially be your daughter" Sirius said, " She will always be a part of James, she has his eyes you know"

Snape was about to curse Sirius but Brenda stood up and interrupted

" STOP IT BOTH OF YOU!" Brenda yelled, " YOU BOTH ARE ACTING CHILDISH"

They finally stopped arguing and looked at Brenda and then the portrait started screaming

" I'll go shut my mum up" Sirius said and left the kitchen

Snape left from the other direction and left the building

" Well I think it's best that he leaves for now" Mrs. Weasley said, " He wasn't in a very good mood today"

" He's always like that after a meeting" Brenda said sitting down and began picking at her food because she just lost her appetite

The teens headed upstairs to hang out, it was very awkward though, nobody really wanted to do anything

" I can't believe you yelled at both of them like that" Ron said

" Well they were acting childish and Snape was going to curse Sirius" Brenda said

" It's a good thing Mrs. Black screamed. Who knows what would have happened" Hermione said

" So what do you guys want to do?" Ron asked, " Anybody want to play chess?"

" No" Everybody said

" Ron you beat us at every game" George said

" It's no fun when you always win" Fred put in

" You guys want to go say hi to Buckbeak?" Ginny asked

" Buckbeak's here?" Hermione asked

" Yah, he's in one of the rooms close to Sirius's room" Ginny said " Come on lets go say hi"

They went into Buckbeak's room and petted him for a while

" I can't believe they wanted to kill him, he is so nice" Ginny said

" He is so fun to ride" Brenda said with a smile

" You got to ride him?" George asked

" Third year, after we stopped the Dementors and before we freed Sirius from the cell" Brenda said

" That was not fun, I hate flying" Hermione said

" Oh you know you had fun riding him" Brenda said with a smile

" I wish I could have ridden him but I couldn't walk" Ron said

" Sorry about that" Sirius said from the doorway

" It's ok Sirius, you were going after Petigrew" Ron said

" If only we killed him that night, then none of this would have happened" Sirius said then looked at Brenda, " If only we knew he would have betrayed your parents when you were a baby then none of this would have happened and you'd have your parents back and you wouldn't be having those awful nightmares or Snivelus for an adoptive father"

" His name is Severus" Brenda corrected him

" Snivelus is his nickname your real father and I made up" Sirius said

" I don't think he likes it very much" Brenda said

" Well he doesn't like me so it's all good" Sirius said with a smirk

All of a sudden Snape appeared in the doorway

" Brenda what did I tell you about being around the Hippogriff?"

" Oh come on dad that was third year, Buckbeak is nice" Brenda said

" Not your dad" Sirius coughed

Severus glared at him then at his daughter, " Hippogriffs are dangerous, you know what it did to Draco Malfoy's arm"

" He was treating Buckbeak with disrespect, Hippogriffs are proud creatures and are nice when you're nice right back" Brenda said

" I don't want you around the Hippogriff you could get hurt" Severus said

" Leave her alone Snivelus, I've lived with Buckbeak for a year now, he is one of the gentlest creatures I know" Sirius said

" Stay out of this Black this is between Brenda and me" Severus said

" Buckbeak isn't hurting Brenda, she is fine" Sirius said

" What kind of godfather are you?" Severus asked, " You're letting your goddaughter play with a Hippogriff who is at least five times her weight and three times her size, Hippogriffs are dangerous and my daughter will not be around them any longer, come out of there Brenda"

Brenda glared at her father but did as she was told and ran to her room

" You are the strictest parent I have ever met" Sirius said

" Being strict with a child is better than being a carefree parent who would let their child get away with murder" Severus said

" I'm just saying you have Brenda on a very short leash" Sirius said, " She told me about her 24 hour schedule, I'd die if I was on a schedule like that"

" She put us on it one year, it was awful" George said

" It only lasted a couple days" Ginny said

" The kid needs some fun in her life not being grounded all the time" Sirius said

" What are you saying Black? Are you saying I ground her too much?” Severus asked lifting an eyebrow

" YES" The Gryffindors said together

" You lot stay out of it" Snape snapped

" Professor you ground her way too much, last year was the only year she wasn't grounded, all the other years she's grounded for months at a time and the only time we got to see her is in class" Ron said

" She keeps doing life threatening things and she must be punished for her actions" Snape said

" What do you think a spanking is?" Ron asked, " That is a punishment"

" I'm talking about grounding" Snape said, " Doesn't Molly ever ground you lot?"

" No" The Weasleys said

" That explains a lot" Snape said looking at the twins

" What's that supposed to mean?" George asked

" Brenda needs discipline in her life or she will turn out to be jokers just like you two" Snape said

" What's wrong with being jokers?" Fred asked

" You get in too much trouble" Snape said

" Professor, Brenda is not going to turn out like that, you haven't always been her dad, when she was eleven she studied all the time, and she was a lot like me, she still is a lot like me, she studies all the time and gets good grades, you don't have to be so strict with her" Hermione said

" Wow we get way off topic, Snape I think you should let Brenda play with Buckbeak. He likes kids and he will not do anything to Brenda" Sirius said

Snape glared at all of them but then silently sighed, " Very well, I'll try not to be so strict with her" He left the room and headed towards Brenda's and knocked

" What?" Brenda said from her bed

" Can I come in?" Snape asked

Brenda rolled her eyes and sighed, " Sure"

He came inside and saw Brenda pouting on her bed with her pillow under her chin, she sat up and hugged the pillow and looked her father in the eyes

" So you come in here to yell at me?" Brenda asked glaring

" No, I came in here to apologias" Severus said, " I realize that I've been very strict with you to the point you become afraid of me"

Brenda looked down

" I take that as a yes" Severus said, " I guess this isn't the way to have a father daughter relationship, I've become my father and that is not what I wanted to become"

Brenda looked up at him

" Ok... for now on, your punishments will not be as harsh, I will no longer pull your pants down and use the paddle on you" Severus said

Brenda's face turned red

" I would still like you to follow the schedule to a point but it doesn't have to be exact, and you will not be grounded for a very long time, maybe a week or two depending on how sever the situation is, this grounding though starting when school starts is for two weeks" Severus said

Brenda thought of what her father said and kind of liked it, no major punishments anymore and he's being lenient on the schedule, " What about Buckbeak?" She asked

"I really do not like you being around that hippogriff… Be careful and you may be around Buckbeak" Severus said

" Ok, I like that deal" Brenda said with a smile

" Good" Severus said

 

Severus left and Brenda got to go back into the room Buckbeak was in and got to hang out with her friends

" What did you all say to him?" Brenda asked

" A lot" Fred said

" Snape is one stubborn guy" Ron said

" You just figured that out Ron?" George asked

" No... I figured that out in first year" Ron said

George rolled his eyes

That night in her room Brenda didn't want to turn on the night light because she felt like a baby and she wasn't a baby so she left it off and climbed into bed. Severus came in to check on her and to make sure she had the night light on but it was off, he rolled his eyes and turned it on and the room had a purple glow to it

The next day was August sixth, less than a week until Brenda's hearing

" Wow no nightmares, I'm cured" Brenda said to herself and smiled. But when she got up she realized the night light was on, "Oh" she said disappointedly

She went over and turned it off and got ready for the day then headed downstairs to breakfast, She was the first kid up

" What are you doing up so early? It's only 8:00" Sirius said

Brenda looked at Severus who was reading the daily Prophet and drinking a cup of tea and smirked and Severus smirked back and Brenda sat down

" She's trained to get up at 7:00 and be down by 8:00 Black" Severus said then took a sip of his tea

" You can't train a person, you make it sound like Brenda's a dog" Sirius said

" Like you?" Severus asked

" I'm not a dog" Sirius said

" Well not all the time, and I didn't mean train like in as a pet, I meant taught... is that better Black" Severus asked

Sirius glared

" Oh Honestly when are you two going to stop bickering" Mrs. Weasley asked and set down a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Brenda

" We'll never stop" Sirius said

" Honestly, you two have been going at it ever since fifth year" Mrs. Weasley said

" Wow and I thought this bickering was old already, but since your fifth years? That's like what? Around 20 years ago?" Brenda asked

" Yes" Mrs. Weasley said

Lupin came down

" I always thought the bickering was old" Lupin said

" Yah bickering's not as fun without James around" Sirius said, " Brenda your father made things... interesting"

Brenda rolled her eyes, she didn't want to know what happened in her elders' pasts, she didn't think it was good

" Like this one time I was kind of bored so we decided to pick on Snivelus, it was just after our Owls" Sirius started

" BLACK ENOUGH" Severus roared, he stood up knocking the tea over and he looked angry and made Brenda jump

" Oh come on Snivelus" Sirius started

" You will not tell anybody about what you Marauders did, do you understand me? Nobody" Severus hissed

" Hit a nerve there Snivelus" Sirius asked egging Severus on

" STOP CALLING ME THAT" Severus roared again, " For once actually get my name right, it's Severus" He turned around with his robes billowing behind him and left the room

" Sirius why do you have to be like that?" Mrs. Weasley scolded cleaning up the upset tea mess

" It was just a harmless prank, Brenda now that he's gone I'll tell it" Sirius said

" No, I don't want to know what you guys did to him, if dad doesn't want you to tell it then don't tell it" Brenda said glaring

" He's not your dad" Sirius corrected

" I have two dads, actually three but the Williamsons don't count because they were kind of mean, my biological parents are dead, my first adopted parents are dead, and Severus adopted me so that makes him my dad" Brenda said

" What would James think of you because you call Snape dad?" Sirius asked

" He would be happy that his daughter is being taken care of, it's better than living on the streets in a little pink tent because all of the orphanages I've been to kicked me out because of my uncontrollable magic I had when I was younger" Brenda said

Sirius was silent and looked sad

" Look, Sirius I'm sorry but I really hate it when two adults I love fight all the time, it make is very awkward and mostly so far the topic has been about me, and that's even more awkward, I love you both and I wish you would stop fighting for my sake" Brenda said

Sirius looked at Brenda and sighed, " Ok for your sake we will stop fighting"

Brenda smiled, " Thank you" and she gave him a hug

" Brenda dear can you go wake the others?" Mrs. Weasley said

Brenda smiled and nodded

" Brenda not with firecrackers please" Mrs. Weasley said thinking of how she woke up Fred and George last time

" And no kissing Fred either" Sirius said

" Ha ha very funny" Brenda said, " I'll just kiss him after he wakes up" she smiled evily

" I think this boyfriend girlfriend stuff got to your head" Sirius said

" Sirius, Brenda's in love, Fred's in love, their right for each other" Mrs. Weasley said with a smile

" Hey it's the godfather's job to worry" Sirius said, " Just as much as it's the father's job"

Brenda smiled and rolled her eyes then headed upstairs to wake everybody up

" Go away, it's too early" Ron said when Brenda came into this room

" Come on Ron, it's 8:40, it's time to get up" Brenda said

" How can you be this cheery this early in the morning?" Ron asked

" I've been awake since 7:00" Brenda informed, " Now get up"

" Go bug somebody else" Ron said

" I already bugged Ginny and Hermione, now I'm bugging you" Brenda said

" What about Fred and George?" Ron asked

" I'll get them next, just don't go back to sleep" Brenda said, " Your mum has breakfast ready for all of you... you have ten minutes starting now" She left his room, heard Ron groan and knocked on Fred and George's room

" What" George asked

" You guys awake?" Brenda asked

" No, come back in an hour or two Brenda" Fred said

" Oh come on, it's 8:50, it's time to get up" Brenda said

" George go tell her to go away" Fred whispered

" Dude she's your girlfriend, you go tell her" George whispered back

Fred groaned and got up and opened the door, " Brenda have you ever heard of sleeping in?"

" Sleeping in is 7:30, it's five till 9:00, I'm just following your mother's orders" Brenda said

" Well go wake up the others then come back" Fred said

" All the others are up and hopefully downstairs, just be lucky I didn't use another firecracker like I did last time, this time your mother actually told me not to" Brenda said, " But she didn't say I couldn't use it if you guys didn't get up" She smiled evily

Fred's eyes went wide, " I think you've been around us a little too much Brenda Potter"

" Hey, I was almost put in Slytherin Fred Weasley" Brenda said

" Ok, ok, we'll be down in ten minutes, don't bring the firecrackers" Fred finally gave in

Brenda smiled and left

" Man your girlfriend is stubborn" George said putting the pillow on his face

" Yah, but I love her" Fred said, " Come on, or we're getting the firecracker again"

That got George out of bed, " Bloody Hell, she could easily pass for a Slytherin"

" She just told me that she was almost put in Slytherin" Fred said

" Ok now you have a scary girlfriend" George said

" All women are scary, didn't you know that?" Fred asked

" If I didn't know then I sure do now" George said

" Well lets get dressed and get downstairs for breakfast" Fred said

They hurried and made it down on time

" Right on time boys, with only five seconds to spare" Brenda said looking at the clock

" You were timing us?" George asked

" Of course, I wouldn't want you to think I lied about the firecracker" Brenda said with a nasty smile

" Ok now I think she's been around Snape too long" George whispered

" Hey I heard that" Brenda said with a mock glare

Fred and George just smiled and sat at the table

" So what was all of that yelling about this morning?" Hermione asked

" That was the Bickering of Sirius Black and Severus Snape" Mrs. Weasley said

" I swear those two Bicker all of the time" Ron said

" They have been since fifth year" Mrs. Weasley informed

" Why?" Ginny asked

" Slytherin and Gryffindor rivalry" Mrs. Weasley said, " Oh there is another meeting tonight, so when I kick you lot out you'll know why"

" There's like a meeting almost every night" George said, " What do you guys talk about that lasts that long?"

" None of your business" Mrs. Weasley said, " Now eat up, you lot are going to do some cleaning"

The teens groaned

" And I'll have none of that" Mrs. Weasley said

Later that night Harry came to the place

" Harry" Hermione, Ginny and Brenda cheered and ran to give him a hug

" Wow, What are you guys doing here? What is this place exactly?" Harry asked

" This is the Order of the phenoix mate" Ron said

" What's the order of the phenoix?" Harry asked

" It's an organization against you know who" Hermione said

" According to Mrs. Weasley and George, Dumbledore gathered a group of people to fight against him during Volemort's first rise to power in the 1970s. They called themselves the order orof the Phoenix or order for short" Brenda said, " And that was the first time I have heard George actually say Voldemort and he didn't even flinch"

" He did?" Harry asked

" Yah, when he told me about it. I just realized it though" Brenda said with a smile

Fred and George popped in

" Harry, we thought we heard you" Fred said

" Did I hear right? When I told you about the order, did I actually use his name?" George asked Brenda

" Yes" Brenda said with a smile

George paled

" Oh relax, the world didn't end" Brenda said

" So has their been any information about Voldemort?" Harry asked

Brenda shrugged, " Nobody will tell me anything"

Everybody besides the Potter's looked guilty

" They know something?" Harry thought

" Everybody is keeping a lot from us, I've been here for two days and nobody will tell me anything. It's driving me nuts" Brenda thought back

" So how come Dumbledore wants to keep us in the dark?" Harry asked his friends

" We don't know mate, we have only seen Dumbledore twice. He looked very busy" Ron said

" He kept writing to us to not tell you much that has been going on" Hermione said

" Why" Brenda asked

" Because he fears that the important stuff might be intercepted" Hermione said

" Hermione how come you know of all of this? I got here before you did" Brenda said

" I've come and gone, I'm here to stay now" Hermione said

Brenda rolled her eyes

" I'm sure there were other ways to send the information" Harry said

" Yah, like have dad tell it to me and I send it to Harry though thought" Brenda said, " IT'S THAT SIMPLE"

" He didn't want you two to know anything" Hermione said

" Brenda why are you getting mad now? We already talked about this" Fred said

" I've been frusterated about it. I think we both deserve answers here" Brenda said

" Maybe he thinks we can't be trusted" Harry said

" Don't be thick Harry" Ron said

" Well how come I had to stay at the Dursley's while you lot were here?" Harry asked

" Why was I supposed to stay at Snape manor while Dad was here every other night or at a freaking meeting?" Brenda asked

" How come you all are aloud to know what's going on, but we're not?" Harry asked

" We don't know everything" Fred said

" Yah, Mum won't let us near the meetings" Ginny said

" She says we're all too young" George said, " And we're"

" Of age" Fred finished

" SO YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO THE MEETINGS. BIG DEAL. YOU ALL HAVE BEEN HERE WHILE WE WERE ICELATED FROM THE WIZARDING WORLD. WE HAVE HANDLED MORE THAN YOU LOT HAVE, THE SORCERERS STONE, RIDDLE AND THE BASILISK, THE DEMENTORS, DRAGONS, EVIL MERMAIDS" Harry yelled

" Don't forget about seeing Voldemort coming back to life and watching Cedric die, having our scars burn when he touched us. We were crucioed and don't forget that new spell that he learned, kill too Potters with one spell. We escaped death again" Brenda said with venom but wasn't yelling at least

" BUT WHY SHOULD WE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY SHOULD ANYBODY BOTHER TELLING US WHAT'S GOING ON?" Harry yelled

" We really wanted to tell you two, but we couldn't" Hermione said kind of scared

" BECAUSE DUMBLEDORE TOLD YOU NOT TO" Harry said, " I WAS STUCK AT THE DURSLEYS DIGGING THROUGH BINS TO SEE IF VOLDEMORT DID ANYTHING"

The Weasley's flinched

" Oh stop flinching" Harry snapped

" Fear the name only makes you fear the name itself" Brenda said, " Harry you done yelling at them?"

" Yah" Harry said

" Ok, so now that everybody is here, will you guys tell us anything?" Brenda asked her friends

" We told you we haven't been to the meetings, we don't know much" Ginny said

" Well what do you know?" Harry asked

" Well what we do know is that the order are following known death eaters, keeping tabs on them and stuff" Fred said

" And some of them are recruiting more people for the order" George said

" And some of them are talking about guard duty" Ron said

" Couldn't have been me could it?" Harry asked sarcastically

" Oh... how come Brenda wasn't guarded?" Ron asked and looked at her

Brenda rolled her eyes, " Wards all around the house, I can't leave the house boundries, kind of hard to leave the boundries when you're on a strict schedual and... Minnie is there" Brenda said,. " Plus my dad is an order member, I don't think I would need a guard"

" Good point" Ron said

" So since you all couldn't go to the meetings, what have you all been doing?" Harry asked

" Well before Brenda got here, we've been cleaning up this place" Hermione said

" What does my coming here have to do with anything?" Brenda asked

" Nothing, just having a break" Ginny said

" So you guys want to see what the meeting is about?" Fred asked

" But what about mum?" Ginny asked

" That's a risk we'll have to take" George said

" How are we supposed to spy?" Harry asked

" With these" Fred said getting out the extendable ears

" What are those?" Harry

" Extendable ears" George said

" We invented them for our future joke shop" Fred said

" I don't think we should do that anymore, we're going to get in trouble" Hermione said

" Shame, I would love to know what old Snape is reporting" George said

" He's only 35" Brenda said

" Well he acts old" George said, " He's always glaring at us when he sees us"

" No offence Brenda but Snape is a git" Ron said

" Ron you always say he's a git" Brenda said boredly

" Well he is, moreso than usual this year" Ron said

Brenda rolled her eyes, " He's grumpy, he has to go to those Death Eater meetings and he's grumpy when he comes back from them"

" How do you know about the meetings?" Harry asked

" Well he did have to warn me about them" Brenda said, " He had to warn me to stay out of his way, listen and follow the schedual when he comes back from one, I felt his wrath after a meeting twice... lets just say I seriously couldn't sit down for a week"

Everybody winced

" So do we go and spy or stay up here and be bored" Fred asked

Brenda looked at Harry then back at Fred, " Let's spy"

Fred and George smiled

" Brenda" Hermione started

" Hermione, Harry and I are thirsty for information" Brenda said

They went to the stairs and made sure that their were no adults to sneak up on them and then Fred put the extendable ears down slowly

" Why can't we hear anything?" Harry asked

" Oh man, they put on spells so we can't hear them" Fred said

" Can we get around it?" Brenda asked

" I'm afraid not" Fred said

" We might as well forget about it" George said

Fred rolled up the extendable ears and they headed back to the room gloomy

" So Harry have you met Kreacher yet?" Ron asked

" No, who's he?" Harry asked

" The crazy House Elf" George said

" He's not crazy George" Hermione said

" Well he's not right in the head" Fred said

Hermione rolled her eyes, she didn't want to start up a childish argument with the Weasley troublemakers

Finally Mrs. Weasley came upstairs

" Ok, the meeting is over, it's time for supper" Mrs. Weasley said

The teens smiled

" I'm glad Snape never eats here" Ron said

Brenda nudged him and glared, " He just doesn't like being in a room full of more than half of Gryffindors, and the other reason is Sirius. He does eat breakfast in the kitchen"

" I never see him" Ron said

" That's because you're still asleep" Brenda teased

" What time does he get up?" Ron asked

" Don't know, he's usally up before I am and I'm in bed before he is" Brenda said

" Does the man ever sleep?" George asked

" I don't know, he'd have to sleep sometime it's not healthy if he doesn't" Brenda said

" I remember when we were in first year we thought Snape was a vampire" Fred said

" I remember that, I remember we would always wear a cross under our robes when we took that class and had a thing of garlic in our backpacks" George said and chuckled

Brenda rolled her eyes, " A vampire? Really guys"

" Well he is pale, he prefers it dark, he always wheres black, his hair is probably greasy because he can't see his reflection in a mirror, if he knew what his hair looked like, it wouldn't be greasy, nobody could actually like that style" George said

" You guys, I've seen Dad's relflection in a mirror, he likes garlic, I've actually seen him in the sun before, I don't know why his hair is greasy but I'm sure there's a good explanation" Brenda said, " Now can we stop talking about Snape and actually go down to dinner?"

Everybody nodded and headed down

When the teens got in the kitchen to Harry's surprise Sirius was there

" Sirius" Harry said running to him and giving him a hug

" How've you been kid?" Sirius asked

" Fine thanks" Harry said, " And you?"

" Well I've been couped up in this hell hole for quite some time" Sirius said

" It's for your own good Sirius" Mrs. Weasley said

Sirius rolled his eyes

" Well come on everybody, come sit down" Mrs. Weasley said

Everybody sat down and to Brenda's Surprise there were more people here than there were before, there was a girl with pink... no purple... no blue... no pink... a girl who's hair keeps changing colors. She kept making faces at Hermione and Ginny who kept laughing

" Hey Fred who is that girl with the pink hair?" Brenda asked

" That's Tonks, she's a metamorphmagus" Fred said

" A born shape shifter?" Brenda asked, " Wow I've never met anybody like that"

" They're rare" Fred said

Tonks kept making faces

" This is a routine thing she does at the dinner table" Fred said and chuckled as she turned into a duck

Dinner turned out great and everybody was having a good time

" Should we ask them" Brenda thought to her brother

" We should, but everybody is having such a good time" Harry thought

" We have no knowledge whatsoever, we should know what's going on in the world, neither of us have even seen a newspaper, something is up and I really want to know what it is" thought Brenda

Sirius looked at his two godchildren and they looked like they were concentrating on each other, and then he figured out what they were doing, they were thinking to each other and then he thought of about what they were thinking to each other about, " Harry and Brenda, I'm surprised you haven't asked any of us what Voldemort is up to" he said

" We were just going to ask you about him" Harry said

" Really?" Sirius asked

" Really" Brenda said

" Ooh look at the time, I think it's time for you lot to get to bed, come on all of you" Mrs. Weasley said

" NO!" Brenda yelled and stood up, "WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD. NOBODY HAS TOLD US ANYTHING"

Everybody looked at Brenda with wide scared eyes

" So can you guys tell us what's going on?" Brenda asked the adults

The adults looked at each other and Lupin handed both Harry and Brenda a Daily Prophet

" That is what we have been keeping from you two" Lupin said

The papers said TWIN PLOTTERS by Rita Skeeter

" What's this rubbish?" Harry asked

" Most of the Wizarding world don't believe you guys that you know who is back" George said

" Well then what do they think killed Cedric?" Brenda asked

" An accident" George said

" Let me guess, Fudge’s talk right?" Harry asked

Everybody nodded

" So what is going on with Voldemort?" Harry asked

" NO I FORBID IT!" Mrs. Weasley screamed, " They are too young, they are just kids for goodness sakes”

" We're not kids, we're teenagers" Brenda corrected

" You're still under aged, and you're not in the order" Mrs. Weasley said

" Why do they need to be in the order to hear information?" Sirius asked

" If Dumbledore has a reason for not letting them hear information, we should abide by it" Mrs. Weasley said

" We are sick of being left in the dark" Brenda protested, " We have a right to know"

" Molly they need to hear some information" Sirius said, " The topic involves them"

" NO I FORBID IT" Mrs. Weasley screamed

" Molly they are not your children you can boss around" Sirius said

" Well they're close enough" Molly said with anger in her eyes

" Molly it will be best if we tell them the facts then they getting the information from... well somebody else" Lupin said

" Fine, then I want everybody else upstairs now" Mrs. Weasley ordered

There was a big uproar

" NO FAIR, WE'RE OF AGE" The Weasley twins yelled

" IF THEY CAN STAY THEN WE CAN TO" Ron protested

I WANT TO STAY AND LISTEN" Ginny yelled

" NO" Mrs. Weasley roared, " Upstairs NOW

" Molly you can't make Fred and George go to bed, they're of age" Arthur said

" Fine, Ron, Ginny, Hermione upstairs” Molly said

" Fine, but they'll just tell us what you said anyway" Ron said hotly

Mrs. Weasley thought about what Ron said and sighed, " Fine... Ginny, bed"

" But mum I want to listen" Ginny begged

" Now young lady" Mrs. Weasley said

Ginny didn't go quietly, she stomped all the way upstairs

" I'll tell her what's going on when we get upstairs" Brenda thought

" So what do you two want to know?" Lupin asked

" Where's Voldemort? What's he doing, What's going on" Harry and Brenda said that at the same time

" I've been trying to watch the news to see if anything has happened in the muggle world" Harry said

" Well... there hasn't been any deaths yet" Lupin said

" Why?" Brenda asked

" Because he doesn't want to draw attention to himself and his death eaters" Sirius said, His comeback didn't come out the way he planned" Lupin said

" Well how did he plan it?" Brenda asked

" He planned on killing the both of you" Lupin said, " He didn't want anybody but his Death eaters to know he was back, he especially didn't want Dumbledore finding out"

" Voldemort is afraid of Dumbledore" Sirius said, " He's the only man that Voldemort is afraid of"

" Because of you two, Dumbledore found out he was back and the order was set up within a half hour" Lupin said

" So what is You know who planning?" Ron asked

" We think he wants to build up his army again" Sirius said, " In the old days he had a huge number of followers at his command known as death eaters"

"So your trying to stop him from getting more death Eaters?" Brenda asked

" Well we're doing our best" Lupin said, " By trying to convince as much people as possible that he has returned"

" It's kind of hard because of the Ministries attitude" Tonks said, " Fudge still thinks that you know who hasn't returned"

" Thick head" Brenda mumbled

" Gathering followers isn't the only thing that Voldemort's interested in" Sirius said, "We believe he's after something that he didn't have last time"

" Like a weapon?" Brenda asked

Sirius was going to say something

" No, that's enough" Mrs. Weasley said, " They're just kids"

" Teenagers" Brenda corrected

" Whatever" Mrs. Weasley said, " You're still too young, Sirius any more information then we should just let them join the order"

" Good" Harry and Brenda said, " We want to fight, if Voldemort is building an army then we want to fight"

" Do you practice saying those together?" Mrs. Weasley asked

" No it just happens" They said together, " We want to fight"

" Well you all have heard more than enough, now it is time for you lot to get to bed" Mrs. Weasley said and then looked at Fred and George, " No arguing, everybody upstairs"

All the teens were defeated and they all marched upstairs

" Well at least we know more than what we did" Brenda said

Everybody nodded

 

The next day everybody went into Ginny's room and told Ginny what they were told last night

" You know who is building up his army?" Ginny asked

" And the order is trying to stop it" Hermione said

" So what do you reckon the weapon is?" Fred asked

" I bet it's something that can kill a load of people at once" George said

" Wow something worse than the Avada Kadavra curse, scary" Ron said

" Maybe it's a way of killing people and making it hurt as bad as the Cruciatus curse" Brenda suggested

" Cruciatus and the killing curse together... ouch" Harry said

" So who do you think has it now?" Ginny asked

" I hope it's on our side" Harry said

Brenda nodded

" Hopefully Dumbledore has it in a safe spot" Hermione said

" If it is where would he hide it?" Ginny asked

Harry, Ron, Brenda and Hermione looked at each other and said, " Third floor at Hogwarts"

" The place where the Sorcerers stone was?" Fred asked

The foursome nodded

" That place is hard to get to, there are so many obstacles and they most likely changed them" Brenda said

All of that day all that everybody did was clean the place. Mrs. Weasley made them help her with getting rid of the doxies that were infesting a room, that took the whole morning

" You must be very very careful with Doxies, they are poisonous, I have the antidote, if anybody gets bit, come to me immediately" Mrs. Weasley commanded

Everybody nodded and began attacking the doxies

When they were done attacking the Doxies, they discovered that everybody was bit at least once

" You think we could use some of these eggs for our experiments" George asked Fred

Fred nodded and they grabbed some when everybody's backs were turned

After lunch the teens were assigned different rooms, Harry and Brenda had the room with the Family tree

" Cool" Harry said

" The Black family tree, I wonder where Sirius is" Brenda said searching for his picture and name

" There it is" Harry said pointing, " But his picture is gone"

Sirius came in, " My mother did that when I ran away from here, I was sixteen"

" Where'd you go?" Harry asked

" Your dad's place" Sirius said, " Your grandparents treated me more like a son then my own parents ever did

" Why did you leave?" Harry asked

" Because I hated the whole lot of my family, my parents with their pure-blood mania, they were convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal... kind of like the Malfoys... my idiot brother, he was soft enough to actually believe them" Sirius said and then pointed to a picture, " That's him, he was younger than me and a very stupid idiot, he joined the Death Eaters and gotten himself killed"

" You're kidding" Harry said

" No, All of my immediate family besides me were Slytherins and they all supported Voldemort" Sirius said

" Were your parents Death Eaters as well?" Brenda asked

" No, they just thought that he was right about pure bloods ruling the muggle borns" Sirius said

" So was your brother killed by an Auror" Brenda asked

" No, by Voldemort... actually I think by his orders, Regulus wasn't important enough to be killed by him" Sirius said

" Why would he kill one of his followers?" Harry asked

" Regulus betrayed him, it's either a lifetime of service with that guy or you die" Sirius said, " I haven't looked at this for years... Tonks isn't on here"

" Why would Tonks be on here?" Brenda asked

" She's my cousin" Sirius said, " That's probably why Kreacher won't listen to her because she's not on here, Kreachers is supposed to listen to every family member"

They looked at the tree some more and Harry and Brenda both stopped on the name Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy

" You're related to the Malfoys?" They asked at the same time

" Pure-blood families are all interrelated" Sirius said, " If purebloods marry purebloods the choices are very limited since there are few of pure-bloods left... Molly and I are cousins by marriage and Arthur I think is my second cousin once removed... it's too complicated to think about. They wouldn't be on the tree because the Weasleys are the biggest bunch of blood traitors in my parents eyes"

All they did until the Potter's hearing was clean the house up, Kreacher would smuggle things out of the rubbish sack and sneak it to his room. It was annoying everybody and on more than one occasion Sirius will tell him to stop and Kreacher would get mad but do as he was told because he had to. Sirius and Snape were trying to get along for Brenda's sake, they figured she had enough to worry about, but it was hard for them not to shout out insults. Finally it was the night before the hearing and everybody was eating dinner, both the Potters were very nervous

" Harry I've ironed your best clothes for tomorrow morning" Mrs. Weasley said, " And Brenda I ironed that purple dress that I found in your closet for tomorrow morning... I want you both to wash your hair and dry it tonight, I hope we can get your hair to lay down, first impressions can work wonders"

It was now quiet in the kitchen

" I almost forgot about the hearing" Brenda thought to her brother

" Yah, me too" Harry thought

" So... how are we going to get there" Brenda asked

" Arthur is taking you two to work with him" Mrs. Weasley said

" You both can wait in my office while we wait for your hearing time" Mr. Weasley said

Harry and Brenda looked at Sirius

" Professor Dumbledore doesn't think it's a good idea for Sirius to go with you two" Mrs. Weasley said

" When did Dumbledore say that? I haven't seen him since I got here" Brenda said looking at Mrs. Weasley

" Last night when you lot were in bed" Mrs. Weasley said

Harry and Brenda looked at each other and thought, " He didn't even ask how we felt, if we were even ok"

Brenda looked over at Severus

" I can't go, I have... a meeting to go to tomorrow" Severus said

" It's in the morning" Brenda said, " You never have meetings in the morning, they're always at night”

" I know, but this one is in the morning" Severus said

" What's this one about?" Brenda asked

" Let me guess, Voldemort knows about the hearings and he wants his loyal Death Eaters by his side to celebrate if they're expelled or crucio you guys if they are not" Sirius said

Severus said nothing but just glared at Sirius

Brenda cringed, either way her father will not be happy

Brenda woke up the next morning at 5:15, she woke up from having a nightmare about being expelled from Hogwarts, she couldn't handle it, she was scared. She knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, her dad was going to be angry either way, he was either going to be angry because Brenda was expelled, or he was going to be angry because Voldemort was angry and he used the Cruciatus curse on his followers, " Nothing goes right" She thought and then turned the light on and found the dress that was hung up in her closet all nice and pressed by Mrs. Weasley, she put the dress on and then put her BRENDA necklace on for good luck and her dress shoes that she wore for the ball that matched the dress perfectly after she got them on. She then put on a little make up and put her hair in a headband and then headed downstairs at 5:35, she thought she'd be the only one up since it was so early but she met Harry just outside the kitchen

" Couldn't get back to sleep" He asked

Brenda shook her head no

They walked toward the kitchen and heard a rumble of noises, they heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius arguing with Severus, and Lupin and Tonks talking, when they opened the door they all stopped talking

" Good morning" Brenda said

" Good morning you two" Mrs. Weasley said, " What would you like for breakfast?"

" Toast" Harry said

" And for you dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked

" Nothing thanks" Brenda said

" Brenda you have to eat something" Severus said

Brenda groaned

" Molly just give her some toast as well" Severus said

Mrs. Weasley nodded and got the toast and marmalade and set the plates in front of the Potters

" Now you at least have to eat one piece" Mrs. Weasley said

They nodded and took turns putting Marmalade on their toast

When they ate it they both felt like they were eating carpet and they tried washing it down with pumpkin juice

" Don't worry you two" Sirius said looking at his god children's pained faces, " Soon it'll be all over and you'll be cleared"

" The hearing is on my floor and Amelia Bones is the one who will question you two" Mr. Weasley said

" Amelia Bones is Ok and fair" Tonks said, " She'll hear you both out"

" Just whatever you do, don't lose your tempers" Sirius said, " Be polite and stick to the facts"

" The law is on your side" Lupin said, " Even underaged witches and wizards can use magic in life-threatening situations"

" Even in situations where the sister apparates to save the brother" Severus put in with a little smirk

Brenda looked at her father, " I hope you're right"

" Mrs. Weasley what are you doing" Harry asked and turned around

" Turn around, I'm trying to brush your hair" Mrs. Weasley said, " Does it ever stay flat?"

" No" Harry said

" Molly, he's just like James, his never stayed flat either" Sirius said with a smile and Severus just rolled his eyes

Mr. Weasley looked at his watch, " Well we better go, we'll be a bit early but it's better early than late"

" Ok" Harry and Brenda said dropping their toast and getting to their feet

" Take the toast with you" Mrs. Weasley said wrapping the toast up in a napkin

Brenda rolled her eyes

" Now none of that" Mrs. Weasley said, " Just eat it, you'll feel better" She hugged Brenda and gave her the toast then went over and hugged Harry

" You'll be ok you two" Tonks said giving them a good luck pat on the back

" Good luck" Lupin said, " You'll be fine

" If not... well then I'm going to find that Amelia Bones for you" Sirius said when he gave his godchildren hugs

" We all have our fingers crossed" Mrs. Weasley said

Brenda went over to Severus and she looked fearful, not scared of him but for him

" Don't worry about me Brenda, I've been under the Cruciatus curse, I'll live" Severus said and then smirked, " And I'll try not to be grumpy for two days"

Brenda smiled and gave her dad a hug, " I wish and hope he wouldn't curse you though"

" Unlikely" Severus said, " But it's all right, just do your best"

Brenda nodded

" Well lets go then" Mr. Weasley said

" Wait, Wait" Fred said running down along with the rest of the Weasley's and Hermione

" What are you lot doing up so early?" Mrs. Weasley scolded

" We came down to wish them luck" Hermione said and ran up to Harry and gave him a good luck hug then ran up to Brenda

" These two can use all the good luck they can get" George said

They all took turns giving the two hugs or handshakes

" You'll do fine Brenda" Fred said with a smile and gave his girlfriend a kiss

Brenda smiled her thanks

" Ok we really need to go now" Arthur said looking at his watch

The Potters nodded and the three of them left and waved goodbye to everybody

They went through Muggle London and ended up in an underground railroad

" You don't usually walk to work do you?" Brenda asked

" No I usually apparate, but I think it will be wise if we use the least amount of magic as possible" Mr. Weasley said

They nodded in agreement

" So how do you get through this contraption?” Arthur asked

" It's an automatic ticket machine" Harry said and he took out his railroad pass and swiped it three times to let them through

" Thanks" Brenda said

" You're welcome" Harry said

They went to the train and got on, it was already crowded with people

Mr. Weasley was counting at each stop, " four to go, three to go, two to go, one to go... this is our stop"

They got off and out of the underground railroad station and followed Mr. Weasley to a telephone booth, " Get in" He said

" It's a telephone booth" Brenda said

" Yes, now get in" Mr. Weasley said

" Three people cannot fit in a telephone booth" Brenda said

Mr. Weasley smiled and pushed them both in and he got in himself and they were squished

" Why are we in a broken telephone booth? The cord is broken" Harry said

Mr. Weasley smiled and dialed a number and talked into the phone and then the booth started to descend

" Sorry, I never used a visitor's entrance before" Mr. Weasley said

They landed a minute later into the very big entrance hall

" Welcome to the Ministry of Magic" Mr. Weasley said with a smile then guided the teens to the check in, they had to go through a few steps, like say their name and wand type. They even had to present their wands and then after the steps they started to leave

" Hold on" The man said

The Potters turned around and the man lifted up their bangs, " Ah... The Potter twins" He smirked

" We got to go" Mr. Weasley said and escorted them away from the man

They had to go into an elevator and was waiting for it to land on level two where they would be getting out. There was a lot of people in the elevator, like Kingsley Shacklebolt who they talked with at Headquarters but now it was like he didn't even know them

" We have to keep it a secret" Brenda thought

Paper airplanes were going in and out of the elevator

" Wow that's funny" Harry said

" They're memos" Mr. Weasley informed, " We used to have owls but they were too messy"

They finally got out of the elevator and followed Mr. Weasley to his office, the twins were confused because there was sunlight coming through the windows and they swore that they were underground

" Mr. Weasley I thought we were underground" Harry said

" We are, those windows are enchanted” Arthur said

They finally got to Mr. Weasley's office and relaxed for a bit until a guy came in telling Arthur that the time and place has been changed and they were five minutes late

" Oh good they changed the time on us and didn't tell us about it" Brenda said sarcastically

" Shh, come on" Arthur said

Why did they change the time?" Harry asked

" I don't know, it's a good thing we left when we did, we could have left earlier if the others didn't wake up to give you guys luck" Arthur said

" I thought it was sweet" Brenda said with a smile

" You just like kissing my son" Arthur said with a smile

Brenda smiled

" So where are we going now?" Harry asked

" Courtroom ten" Arthur said

" Can we slow down? It's hard to run in a dress and heals" Brenda complained

" No we can't" Arthur said

" Well then hold on" Brenda said and took off her heals and just ran barefoot

They made it to the elevator and Mr. Weasley impatiently pushed the number ten button, " I can't believe they're having it down there, we haven't used that room since... well forever”

They made it down to the tenth floor and ran out of the elevator

" Brenda get your shoes on, you cannot go in the room barefoot" Mr. Weasley scolded

Brenda rolled her eyes and while running... or hopping she got her shoes on, and tried to catch up with the other two

" Go... in... there" Mr. Weasley panted

" Aren't you coming with us?" Harry asked

" I'm not aloud, you'll be fine... good luck" Mr. Weasley said and left them

" Well here it goes" Harry said

Brenda nodded and they opened the door

Chapter: 91

 

When they went inside it looked familiar

" Why does this place look familiar" Harry thought to his sister

" This is where Karkaroff was questioned about Death Eaters and he accused Barty Crouch Jr." Brenda thought back to him

" Oh yah" Harry thought and he looked around, " The Pensive"

" You both are late" Fudge said

" We didn't know the time was changed" Brenda said

" That is not our problem" Fudge said

" Well it is when you change it the last minute and you don't inform us" Brenda snapped

" We did inform you, an owl was sent to you earlier this morning" Fudge said

" We still didn't get the message until five minutes ago" Brenda snapped again

" Brenda will you just be quiet?" Harry thought and glared at his younger sister

" I don't" Brenda started but then saw the glare in her big brothers eyes, " Fine" she thought

" I suggest you stop being stubborn and take a seat so we can get started" Fudge said

The twins looked and there were two seats in the middle of the room, " Yes sir" They said at the same time and headed over to them

" Now lets get started... the accused being present" Fudge said, " Disciplinary hearing of the twelfth of August into offenses committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy by Harry James Potter, resident at his relatives house The Dursleys, is that correct?"

" Yes sir" Harry said

" Disciplinary hearing of the twelfth of August into offenses committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy by Brenda Lilian Potter, resident at her adoptive parents the Williamsons, is that correct?" Fudge asked

" Ha no, they died years ago you twit" Brenda thought, " Well they couldn't exactly know I'm adopted by Snape so I guess they just used Williamson"

" Yes sir" Brenda said

" The interrogators" Fudge said, " Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic, Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, and Percy Ignatius Weasley, Court Scribe”

" Ignatius?" Harry thought and he tried not to smile

" AND WITNESS FOR THE DEFENSE" Somebody shouted from back of the twins, " Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore" Dumbledore said

" Gee and I thought Ignatius was stupid" Harry thought and Brenda tried not to smile

Dumbledore walked fast across the room and he wore a long midnight-blue robe and he had a very calm expression on his face

All eyes were on Dumbledore, some of the people looked annoyed and some looked frightened and some looked curious

" Yes Dumbledore will fix this" Brenda thought with calmness and happiness

" So Dumbledore you got our message for the time change then?" Fudge asked

" No I missed it, but luckily I had other business to attend to here so I was three hours early, so no harm done" Dumbledore said

" Yes, well I think we will need another chair" Fudge said, " Weasley kindly get"

Dumbledore interrupted him, " No need" He took out his wand and conjured up his own chair, it was a soft armchair instead of a hard chair that the Potters were sitting in

" Well then we should get started with the charges" Fudge said and he took out a parchment with writing on it, " The charges against the accused are: Brenda apparated to Little Whinging underaged, they knowingly and deliberately and in full awareness of the illegally of their actions produced Patronuses in a Muggle-inhabited area, in the presence of a muggle on August the second, which constitutes an offense under paragraph C of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, and also under section thirteen of the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy"

" Wait a minute, you two cast patronuses?" Madam Bones asked

" Yes" They said at the same time

" A corporeal Patronus?" Madam Bones asked

" What's that?" Harry asked

" More than a vapor or smoke" Madam Bones defined

" Yes" Brenda said

" What is the form?" Madam Bones asked

" Mines a stag" Harry said

" Mines a Unicorn" Brenda said

" Always?" Madam Bones asked

" Always" They said at the same time

" You have produced patronuses before now?" Madam Bones asked

" Yes, for more than a year now" Brenda said

" We were taught by Professor Lupin to ward off the Dementors whenever they came near us" Harry explained

" Fascinating two patronuses at that age, very impressive" Madam Bones said

" They are still guilty for using underaged magic and in front of a muggle no less" Fudge said

" There was a reason why we did that" Brenda said annoyed

" And what reason was that?" Fudge asked

" The Dementors" Brenda and Harry said at the same time

" Dementors?" Madam Bones asked, " What do you mean?"

" There were fifteen of them" Brenda said, " At the park where Harry and Dudley were"

" Who's Dudley?" Madam Bones asked

" The muggle, and our cousin" Harry said

" Hmm, I thought we would hear something about this" Fudge said

" Dementors in Little Whinging?" Madam Bones was surprised

" They're making it up, they thought this through and thought Dementors would make a good cover story" Fudge said

" Thats not true" Brenda said, " We only use our patronuses during Dementor attacks"

" There were fifteen of them, I tried fighting them all off but a Dementor got a hold of my neck and I dropped my wand" Harry explained

" And I had to apparate from... the Williamsons to go save my family" Brenda said

" ENOUGH" Fudge yelled, " I'm sorry that I ruined your little cover story"

" It's not a story, it's the truth" Brenda glared, " Put us under Veritaserum if you think we're lying" She challenged

" I'm sure we don't have to go that drastic" Madam Bones said

" We do have a witness" Dumbledore said

" Muggles cannot see Dementors Dumbledore" Fudge said

" We have another witness besides their cousin Dudley Dursley" Dumbledore said

Fudge glared at the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, " Fine where is this person?"

" I have her with me" Dumbledore said and left to retrieve her

Harry and Brenda got up from their seats and went to stand by the wall, they weren't being questioned at the time

Mrs. Figg came in and sat down

" Are you Mrs. Arabella Figg?" Madam Bones asked

" Yes I am" Mrs. Figg answered

" Were you there when the Potters used the Patronuses?" Madam Bones asked

" Yes" Mrs. Figg said

" Can you please describe the attacks?" Madam Bones asked

" Everything went cold, it was like all the happiness was gone from the world" Mrs. Figg said

" Look here, Dementors just don't go walking around a Muggles neighborhood, the odds are slim to none" Fudge said

" I don't think anybody would believe that the Dementors were there by coincidence Minister" Dumbledore said

There was a very odd noise that came from the Interricators area, it was the Umbridge woman, the one who had a pink collar on her robes

" Perhaps I have misunderstood you professor but it sounds to me that you're saying that the Ministry had ordered the attack on these two" Umbridge said

" That would be very disturbing Madam Secretary, but maybe the Dementors were outside of Ministry control" Dumbledore said

" There are no Dementors outside ministry control" Fudge snapped

" Then undoubtedly the Ministry will be making a full inquiry into why fifteen Dementors were so far away from Azkaban and why they attacked without authorization" Dumbledore said

" I would like to remind everybody that the behavior of these Dementors, if they are not figments of the Potters' imaginations, is not the subject of the hearing" Fudge said, " We are here to examine the Potters' offenses under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery"

" Yes I know we are and in Clause Seven of the Decree states that magic may be used before Muggles in exceptional circumstances, and those circumstances include situations that threaten the life of the wizard or witch his or herself or Witches, wizards or muggles present at the time" Dumbledore said

" We are familiar with the clause seven, thank you very much" Snapped Fudge

" Good, then we are all in agreement that the patronuses were cast for self-defense only" Dumbledore said

" If there were Dementors" Fudge said

" Which you have heard that there were from an eye witness" Dumbledore said

" Dumbledore, Mrs. Figg isn't a witch" Fudge said with a grin

Dumbledore smiled, " Mrs. Figg is a Squib, and Squibs can also see Dementors just as easily as Witches and Wizards can”

Fudge glared at Dumbledore and Brenda and Harry smiled, they were going to win

" So what is your verdict" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eye

The interrogators voted and the verdict was clear of all charges

Harry and Brenda smiled at each other very happily

" Excellent, well then I must be going, good day to all of you" Dumbledore said and without looking at the Potters he left the room

" That's odd" Brenda thought

" He's probably busy" Harry thought, " So are we aloud to leave?"

" I don't know" Brenda thought

Everybody was getting up and leaving

" I guess we can, lets go, I hate this place" Brenda thought

" It reminds me of the dungeons at school" Harry thought

" Hey" Brenda whispered

Harry smiled, " I'm just teasing"

They left the room and went to tell Mr. Weasley the good news

On the way back to the elevator after telling Mr. Weasley the good news, the three of them saw Fudge talking to a tall man with white blond hair and a pointed pale face, unfortunately Lucius Malfoy saw the Potters

" Well well well, Twin Patronus Potters" Lucius Malfoy spat

Harry and Brenda glared at Malfoy and gritted their teeth, both of them clenched their wands tightly, the last time they saw Lucius Malfoy was when Voldemort returned and he was wearing a Death Eaters mask

" The minister was just telling me about your lucky escape" Lucius said, " Quite astonishing the way you seem to wriggle out of everything"

Mr. Weasley gripped the twins' shoulders telling them to not be stupid

" Yah, we're really good at escaping tough situations" Brenda said through gritted teeth and still glaring daggers at the evil man

Lucius lifted an eyebrow and looked at Mr. Weasley, " Ah, Arthur Weasley, what are you doing here? I know you work here but your office is on the second floor. Don't you do something with sneaking muggle artifacts and jinxing them or something of that nature?"

" No I don't" Mr. Weasley said digging his nails into the twins shoulders

" What are you doing here anyway Mr. Malfoy?" Harry asked

" I don't think private matters between myself and the Minister are any concern of yours Potter" Lucius said, " Just because you two are Dumbledore's favorite students don't expect the same from the rest of us... I think it's time we go up to your office minister, the air down here... is foul"

" That's because there's a Death Eater in our presence" Brenda thought and smirked

Harry turned to his sister and smirked

" What are you smirking at?" Lucius asked

Brenda lifted her eyebrow, smirked then said " I don't think private matters between my brother and I are any concern of yours, Mr. Malfoy"

Lucius glared, " Let's go Minister"

" Certainly" Fudge said and the two left

" Good side 100, bad side 0" Brenda said

" Good side 100? What?" Mr. Weasley asked

" Well, we stopped Voldemort on numerous occasions, it has to be close to 100 times right, and we just dissed Malfoy using his own words" Brenda said with a grin

" What business does Mr. Malfoy have with the minister anyway?" Harry asked

" Gold probably" Mr. Weasley said, " He's getting in with the right people, He is very well connected"

" Wait a minute, if Fudge is meeting Death Eaters alone like Malfoy, how do we know they haven't been putting the Imperius Curse on him?" Brenda asked

" We have thought of that" Mr. Weasley said, " But Dumbledore thinks Fudge is acting of his own accord at the moment, which isn't a lot of comfort, lets not talk about that now, you two are cleared, that's very exciting"

When they got back to Headquarters and told everybody the good news everybody was congratulating them Fred, George and Ginny were dancing around in a circle singing They are cleared, they are cleared they are cleared, they did this for five minutes straight

" Settle down you three, you're going to get dizzy if you keep going around and around like that" Mrs. Weasley said, " That is wonderful news you two, we knew you would be cleared”

" Then why does everybody look relieved if they knew we'd be cleared?" Brenda thought with a smile that made Harry chuckle

" Hey Sirius can I talk to you?" Mr. Weasley asked

" Yah sure Arthur" Sirius said and they left the room

Mr. Weasley told Sirius about Lucius talking to Fudge and told him that they should tell Dumbledore

" Well I think I should be getting back to work, there's a vomiting toilet I have to deal with, I'll see everybody later" Mr. Weasley said and he left the building

" Well then how about some lunch?" Mrs. Weasley asked

" Who can eat when dad just said vomiting toilet" George joked to Fred

" I can" Fred said

They all sat around the table and had a good time talking and eating

Late that night, Severus came back from the Death Eater meeting, and he was shaking from the Cruciatus curse but he had a smile on his face because his daughter was cleared of all charges

For the next few days after the trial all they did was clean the building and both Harry and Brenda noticed that there was something wrong with Sirius, he spent a lot of time with Buckbeak

" You think we should talk to him?" Brenda asked

Harry nodded and they went into Buckbeaks room and found Sirius petting him

" Hi Sirius" Harry and Brenda said

" Hi you two" Sirius said with a smile

" We thought you could use some company" Brenda said and sat down next to him

Sirius smiled glad to have the company of his two favorite teens

A few days later the students got their Hogwarts letters and everybody found out what Mrs. Weasley's Boggart is, it is all of her family dying, she was cleaning out a room and found the Boggart, she tried using Riddikulus but it just switched to another family member dead

" Mrs. Weasley it's ok, it's not real" Brenda said

" RIDDIKULUS" Mrs. Weasley yelled but it turned into another dead family member

" I'll go get Lupin" Harry said and left the two women alone

Lupin came and said the Riddikulus spell and got rid of the Dementor and comforted Mrs. Weasley

None of the Teens went to Diagon Alley that year, only Mr. and Mrs. Weasley went for everybody, Mrs. Weasley got all the teens' measurements for new robes and collected all of the money that she would need to buy the supplies

Two days later it was finally time to go to Kings Cross station and unsurprisingly Harry and Ron slept in

" I'll go wake them" Brenda offered

" Use a fire cracker" Fred suggested

Brenda smiled evilly and took the firecrackers from Fred and went into Harry's room first and lit it and threw it up in the air and heard it pop loud

" WOW" Harry yelled, " Brenda what was that for?"

" Get up, we're going to be late, the fire cracker was Fred's idea" Brenda said, " YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES" and then went into Ron's room and did the same thing

" BLOODY HELL BRENDA" Ron yelled

" Get up, we're going to be late" Brenda said and left the room, " YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES"

She headed downstairs with all the others who were getting ready

" I heard the yelling, that was funny" Fred said

Brenda smiled

Ten minutes later Harry and Ron were down and they didn't look that happy

" Sorry, I had to wake you, the other way would make you go back to sleep" Brenda said

" She has a point you know" Ginny said

The morning was crazy with finding everything they needed for school

" I'm going with you guys" Sirius said

" Sirius we've been through this" Mrs. Weasley said

" I'm going to say goodbye to my Godchildren, Molly I'm going to be in dog form, nobody will recognize me" Sirius said

" Well then you better get in Dog form because we're leaving in two minutes" Mrs. Weasley said

The group had to walk to Kings Cross, it was a half hour walk, Mrs. Weasley wished that Arthur could have rented cars from the Ministry, but Arthur wasn't on the Ministries good terms right now, Sirius had a lot of energy, he kept running after birds and cats and barking with glee

" Awe he's so cute like this" Brenda cooed

The boys laughed

Sirius barked with glee and he wagged his tail

" Awe" The girls cooed

The boys laughed again, half at the dog and half at the girls cooing at the dog

They finally made it to kings cross and they made it to platform 9 3/4

" Ok now does everybody have everything on the train?" Mrs. Weasley asked

" Yes" Everybody said together

" Ok, if you lot forgot anything, we'll owl it to you, now you all better get on before you're late" Mrs. Weasley said

Everybody hugged the adults and Sirius in dog form and Sirius licked everybody's faces because he had to act like a dog

" We'll write to you and we're coming for Christmas" Harry said

That got Sirius's tail wagging

" See you later" Brenda said to everybody and waved then the teens got on the train and found their seats and started waving

When the train started to move Sirius was running after it and everybody from other compartments started laughing as well, Sirius didn't stop until the train got away from the platform

" Hows that for acting like a dog" Sirius asked Mrs. Weasley when he came back

" Next time I'm going to get a leash for you" Mrs. Weasley said

Sirius growled

" Don't growl at me, you were not acting like a dog" Mrs. Weasley said

" I did the face lick thing" Sirius said

" Shh, stop talking, people are still here" Mrs. Weasley said, " Now hold still so I can put the leash on you... Come on... Snuffles"

Sirius growled

" Oh relax" Mrs. Weasley said and she put the leash around Sirius, "It's only for a little while"

Meanwhile on the train the fifth years and Ginny found a compartment with only one other person in it, Luna Lovegood

" Hi Luna" Ginny said

" Oh Hi" Luna said

" Everybody this is Luna Lovegood, she's in my year and is a Ravenclaw" Ginny said

" Nice to meet you Luna" Brenda and Hermione said

" Oh I know you, you're Loony Lovegood" Ron said

Everybody glared at him except for Luna

" Ron that is rude" Hermione said

" That's ok, I don't mind, people call me that all the time" Luna said

Neville came into the compartment, " Hi you guys, can I sit with you? Everywhere else is full"

" Go ahead" Luna said with a smile

" Neville this is Luna lovegood, she's from Ravenclaw" Ginny said

" Hi Luna, I'm Neville Longbottom" Neville said

" Nice to meet you" Luna said, " so who are you two?" She asked Hermione and Ron

" Oh I'm sorry, How rude of me, I'm Hermione Granger and this is Ron Weasley" Hermione said

" And you two are Brenda and Harry Potter" Luna said

The twins nodded

Luna went back to her magazine the Quibbler, but she was reading it upside down

" Um... Luna what are you reading?" Brenda asked

" The Quibbler" Luna said

" Oh" Brenda said and thought, " I thought nobody read that magazine"

" Hey you guys, you want to know what I got for my birthday?" Neville asked

" Did you get a rememberal?" Harry asked

" No, I could use one though, I lost the other one, I got a Mimbulus mimbletonia" Neville said

He pulled out the plant that looked like a cactus

" They're very rare, I don't even think the green house has one, I can't wait until I show professor Sprout

Nothing very exciting happened on the way to Hogwarts

" Oh man, I forgot I'm grounded for the first two weeks of school" Brenda thought to herself

They finally got out of the train and went to the carriages, but this year, the carriages weren't moving by themselves, they had... horses pulling them

" What are those things" Brenda asked

" What things" Hermione asked

" Those horse... things" Harry said

" What are you talking about" Ron asked

" Can't you see them?" Harry asked

" They're pulling the carriages" Brenda said

" Nothing is pulling the carriages" Hermione said

" Are you two feeling alright?" Neville asked

" I... we... yah we're fine" Harry said

" Let's just get on the carriage" Hermione said

They all got on the carriage

" Don't worry you two, you're not going mad, I can see them too" Luna said

" Oh great, now we're going to be as loony as Luna Lovegood" Harry thought to Brenda

They finally got to the Hogwarts castle and sat down in their seats, The first thing they noticed was that Hagrid was missing, Professor Grubby Plank was back to teach the class, and Dolores Jane Umbridge was also at the staff table

" The annoying lady with the pink on her collar from the hearing" Brenda said

" What is she doing here?" Harry asked

" Probably going to teach Defense Against The Dark Arts, maybe Dumbledore couldn't find anybody" Hermione said

" Well that would make sense, since we had a new one every year" Ron said

" Well one was killed, one had his memory lost, one was sacked and one was kidnapped and stuffed in a trunk for nine months, of course it would be hard to find somebody" Brenda said

Everybody quieted down when the first years entered the Great Hall to be sorted

" Were we that small when we were in first year?" Ron asked

" I think so" Harry said

" I can't believe it" Ron said

" Shh you two, the hat is going to sing" Hermione spat

" We've heard it before" Ron said

" Ron it says something new every year" Brenda said

Ron rolled his eyes and the Great Hall waited for the Hat to start

When it ended there were a lot of gasps, because the hat actually gave the students a warning that Hogwarts was in danger

" That was... interesting" Hermione said and Brenda nodded in agreement, " I wonder if the hat warned people before now"

" Indeed it has" Nearly Headless Nick said going through Neville's body and making him shudder, " The hat will warn the school whenever it feels like the school needs a warning"

After everybody quieted down the sorting began

" Ok now the speech then we can eat" Ron whispered

" This is not the time for a speech, so dig in everybody" Dumbledore said standing up

" Why did he change the rules?" Harry asked

" Maybe he has to say more then that the Forbidden Forest is forbidden and that we have a new D.A.D.A. teacher and Grubby Plank is back" Brenda suggested

" Sounds like a good reason" Hermione said

When everybody ate to their fill the plates were cleared off again

" Now for the beginning of term announcements, first I would like to tell the first years that the Forbidden forest is Forbidden and I would like to remind you older students that, and I would like to remind you that magic is not permitted outside classrooms between classes, and we have two new staff members, we would like to welcome back Professor Grubby Plank who will be taking over Care of Magical Creatures and I would like to welcome Professor Umbridge who will be our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher” Dumbledore said

The students applauded but they weren't too cheerful about it, Dumbledore went on with his speech after it quieted down

" Tryouts for the Quidditch teams will take place on the" Dumbledore started

" hem hem" Umbridge noised and got to her feet and went up to the podium Dumbledore was at

There were a lot of whisperers because nobody interrupted Dumbledore when he was speaking

" Pink toad freak wants to make a speech, wow she's bold" Brenda thought

" Toad freak?" Harry thought

" Well look at her, she looks like a toad" Brenda thought

Dumbledore sat down and looked at Umbridge intently

" Thank you Headmaster for those kind words of welcome" Umbridge said in a high girlish voice, " I am very pleased to be back here at Hogwarts and to see so many smiling faces looking at me"

Harry, Brenda, Ron and Hermione looked around the Great Hall, nobody was smiling, they didn't like being talked at like they were five years old, that's how Umbridge sounded

" I am looking forward to meeting you all and becoming very good friends" Umbridge said

" Less likely" Fred and George whispered

" We're not five years old you toad" Brenda thought

Umbridge's speech went on and on, she talked about the Ministry of Magic and then talked about Headmasters and Headmistresses, she didn't notice that the students were getting restless and began doing other things like whispering to each other. When Umbridge sat down Dumbledore started clapping and the teachers joined in but only clapped once or twice, only a few of the students joined in because most of them were not paying attention and weren't aware the speech was over

" Thank you Professor Umbridge, that speech was... fascinating" Dumbledore said

Umbridge smiled

" Fascinating? That speech was a bore, and I grew up with Percy" Ron said

" Did you even listen to any of it?" Brenda asked

" Not really, I got bored after she said, " Thank you Headmaster for those kind words of welcome, I am very pleased to be back here at Hogwarts to see so many smiling faces looking at me" Nobody was even smiling and she was treating us like five year olds, so what was the gist of the speech?" Ron asked

" The ministry is interfering at Hogwarts" Hermione and Brenda said together

In the common room everybody kept staring at Harry and Brenda like they grew two heads or something, most of them were reading the Daily Prophet and on the front cover it said Twin Plotters. Seamus was glaring at both of them

" What's your problem?" Harry asked

" Because of you two and Dumbledore, my mum almost didn't let me come back" Seamus said

" What are you talking about?" Brenda asked

" My mum didn't want me to come back to Hogwarts" Seamus said

" Let me guess, your mum reads the Daily Prophet" Brenda said annoyed

" She thinks that we are lying and Dumbledore is an old fool?" Harry asked

" Something like that" Seamus said

Brenda rolled her eyes and groaned

" So what did happen that night, the night that Cedric Diggory died?" Seamus asked

" You know what happened, He was killed by the order of Lord Voldemort" Brenda said and the whole room got quiet, " Why does everybody shutter when his name is mentioned?"

" He's not alive, he can't be back" Seamus said

" Why because the Minister says so? Because the paper says so?" Harry asked getting mad

Seamus didn't say anything

" The Daily Prophet is all nonsense, and anybody who reads it and believes it are probably all on Crack or something" Brenda said

Seamus took his wand out and pointed it at Brenda, " DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT ABOUT MY MOTHER"

Fred stood up from his seat and was getting his wand out but Brenda looked at him and shook her head no

" WELL THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH HER IF SHE BELIEVES THAT NONSENSE" Brenda said not backing down

Harry got out his wand and pointed it at Seamus, " Get your wand out of Brenda's face"

" What are you going to do Potter?" Seamus asked challengingly

That gave Brenda enough time to get her wand out and shout, " EXPELLIARMUS"

Seamus's wand flew out of his hand

" I don't like having wands pointed at my face" Brenda said calmly

" You two always do that, you always have to team up at everything, you get into trouble together, and you lie together" Seamus said

" We're not lying" Harry said

" It's always we, we, we, do you guys ever do stuff on your own? You both had to be champions last year, what is wrong with you? Why would you lie about you know who coming back?" Seamus asked

" First of all... WE DIDN'T PUT OUR NAMES IN THE GOBLET OF FIRE, That was Barty Crouch Jr. also known as our D.A.D.A. teacher from last year, second of all... WE DON'T WANT ETERNAL GLORY... third of all... WE'RE NOT LYING" Brenda said

" There's that We again" Seamus said

" Well stuff doesn't just happen to either Brenda or me, it happens to both of us, Brenda and I don't like that it does, Brenda and I can't help it" Harry said

Ron and Hermione came into the Common Room and knew everything was tense

" What's going on here?" Ron asked

" Do you believe all of this nonsense that the Twin Plotters keep going on about you know who coming back?" Seamus asked Ron

" Ok first of all their last name is Potter, second of all yah I do... anybody else have a problem with that?" Ron asked

Nobody said anything but then Neville spoke up, " My gran thinks the Daily Prophet is rubbish, she will always believe Dumbledore and what he says, my gran and I believe in you two. My gran always said that he would come back"

" Your gran was right" Brenda said

Seamus glared at Neville then at Ron and the Potters then he headed up to the Boys Dorms

It was silent in the common room

" Ok everybody, go back to whatever you were doing" George said

Fred went up to Brenda and hugged her, " If he ever does that again, I swear, when I get through with him he's going to be in the Hospital Wing for at least a week"

Brenda smiled, " Awe that's sweet... but don't be too hard on him, there are a lot of people who think we're crazy... but I'm sure everything will turn out good in the end and everybody will know that we're telling the truth"

When Brenda got up to her Dorm that night, Lavender Brown was glaring at her

" Oh not you too" Brenda said

Lavender glared at her and gave her the cold shoulder

" Whatever" Brenda whispered

The next day during breakfast the students got their schedules

" So what's on the agenda?" Ron asked

" We have History of Magic, Double Potions" Brenda said with a smile, " Divination and Defense Against the Dark Arts"

Ron groaned, "Binns, Snape twice as long, Trelawny and Umbridge... I wonder if Fred and George have any of their joke candy"

" Ron" Hermione spat

" Oh come on, this is the worst Monday schedule yet" Ron complained

" Did I hear somebody talk about our " Joke Candy" George asked

" I think our little brother was talking about it" Fred said

" Doesn't he know that our Joke Candy is called Skiving Snackboxes?" George asked

" Well if he didn't then he does now" Fred said, " Now why would our brother want some of our candy? The year just started bro"

" We have Binns, Snape, Trelawny and Umbridge all in one day" Ron said

" Ooh, what a bad Monday, but that's the least of your worries little bro" George said

" The least of my worries? What else do I need to be worried about?" Ron asked

" OWLS" George said seriously

" Why would I be worried about owls?" Ron asked

" No this year you take your OWLs, you know the exams?" Hermione said

" Oh" Ron said and turned red

" This year you four are going to get a lot of homework, this is the most stressing year" Fred said

Hermione was smiling and Fred saw

" Or for some it could be their favorite year, because some people like homework" Fred said

" Well we should go, we want to test some of our Joke candy out before class, see you four later" George said and the two Weasley twins left

The four finished eating and they hurried to Professor Binns class where he talked about wars for an hour and a half, Harry and Ron fell asleep, Brenda was beginning to dose and even Hermione looked bored. After Binns class it was time for Potions, Brenda was looking forward to Potions, she hasn't even seen her dad in about two weeks since he left headquarters to prepare for classes

When Snape came Billowing in the class was automatically quiet

" Before we begin, I would like to remind you all that in June you will be taking a very important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and the use of magical potions. Dim-witted though some of you are" Snape said

Ron looked at Crabbe and Goyle

" I expect you to at least get an acceptable in your O.W.L. or you will suffer my displeasure" Snape said and looked at Neville, " After this year, of course many of you will cease studying potions, I only take the best in potions and so most of you I will be saying goodbye" Snape looked at Harry and Ron, they just glared at him, " But unfortunately we have a whole year ahead of us, so I advice you to at least try to pass this class... today we will be making the Draught of Peace. The instructions are on the black board, the ingredients are in the cupboard, you have an hour and a half... Go"

Everybody scrambled to get the ingredients and their cauldrons and they began the potion making. With ten minutes to go if they followed the instructions carefully they would have a silver vapor, Hermione and Brenda both had silver vapors and Snape could find nothing wrong with their potions, but Ron's was spitting green sparks, Seamus's was on fire, and Harry's was vaporing dark grey steam

Snape went over to Harry's cauldron, " So tell me Potter, can you read?"

" Yes" Harry said

Snape looked at the potion and smirked, " According to your potion you cannot"

Harry glared at the greasy man

" Tell me Potter what does the third line say?" Snape asked

" Add powdered moonstone, stir three times counterclockwise, allow it to simmer for seven minutes then add two drops of syrup of hellebore" Harry said and then groaned

" And what did you forget to do?" Snape asked

" I forgot to add the syrup of hellebore" Harry said with a glare

" Exactly, which means that this mess... is worthless... EVENESCO" Snape said and the potion disappeared, " You Mr. Potter get a zero for the day"

Brenda's mouth was open in shock at what her dad did to her brother

" Close your mouth Ms. Potter, you might digest the fumes" Snape said

Brenda closed her mouth but she was still shocked and kind of angry at her dad

" Everybody who has done the potion right, bring up your sample and clear your station" Snape said

Everybody bottled up their potion and brought it up to Snape's desk, Brenda was now glaring at her dad but he wasn't paying attention, " Grumpy" Brenda whispered and he did catch that and didn't show it... much, " That got his attention" She thought with a smile"

She went over to her station and thought to her brother, " I'm sorry Harry"

" It's not your fault, it's your adoptive fathers fault, you'd think he'd be nicer to his adoptive daughters friends" Harry thought

" Yah I know, but I guess he has to keep up appearances, and now even more so" Brenda thought

Harry agreed, " Why did he have to make mine disappear? Mine looked better than Crabbe and Goyles, and Nevilles, his was cement"

" I know, I'm still sorry" Brenda said

" Not your fault" Harry said again

They cleaned up their stations and headed toward lunch

After lunch the students had Trelawny, that class was boring because she told them to interpret dreams and they got a lot of homework after the class

" Oh great now it's D.A.D.A. class with the toad" Brenda whispered

That got Harry and Ron giggling but not Hermione

" Oh come on, it was funny" Brenda said, " She does look like one"

" She happens to be our teacher Brenda, don't stoop to Fred and George's level" Hermione said

Brenda rolled her eyes but nodded

They entered the D.A.D.A. class and everybody started talking, usually everybody liked D.A.D.A. class so they were expecting some fun. Umbridge finally came in

" Good morning class" Umbridge said too sweetly

Nobody answered and just took their seats

" No, no that won't do at all, I expect to be answered back... lets try this again" Umbridge said, " Good morning class"

" Good morning Professor Umbridge" Everybody said at the same time

" Much better, well then... wands away and take out your quills, ink and parchment" Umbridge said

Everybody groaned but did as they were told

" Now then, let's begin shall we?" Umbridge asked too sweetly then took her wand and went to the pile of books that were on her desk and she spelled them to float to every student, " Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven. But you'll be pleased to know that for now on you will be following a ministry approved curriculum of the subject"

Everybody's books said, " Defensive Magical Theory" and everybody started looking through it

Both Hermione and Brenda raised there hands and waited to be called on

" Yes Ms... Granger?" Umbridge asked, " I believe your hand was raised up first"

" There's nothing in here about using defensive spells?" Hermione asked

" Using spells, why on earth would you need to defend yourself dear?" Umbridge asked

" We're not going to use magic?" Ron asked surprised

" We are going to learn in a secure risk free way" Umbridge said

" Well what use is that if we're just going to be attacked? It won't be risk free" Harry said

" Students will raise there hands when they speak in my class" Umbridge said, " It is the view of the ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more sufficient to get you through your examination, which after all is what school is all about"

" How is theory supposed to prepare us for what's out there?" Brenda asked

" There is nothing out there" Umbridge said, " Who do you suppose would want to hurt innocent children such as yourselves?"

" We don't know" Harry and Brenda said sarcastically, " LORD VOLDEMORT PERHAPS

Everybody started whispering in the classroom

" 20 points from Gryffindor Mr. and Ms. Potter" Umbridge said, " Now, let me make things quite clear, you have been told that a certain dark wizard has returned from the dead"

" Well first of all, he wasn't dead" Brenda said angry

" But he has returned" Harry said angry

" Potters you have already lost house points, don't make anythings worse" Umbridge said, " As I was saying, you have been told that a certain dark wizard has returned... this is a lie"

IT'S NOT A LIE WE SAW HIM" Harry and Brenda yelled out of anger and emphasis, " WE FOUGHT HIM... AGAIN!"

"ENOUGH" Umbridge yelled, " DETENTION BOTH OF YOU, my office at 5:00 tomorrow night, now then, everybody start reading chapter one Defense for Beginners"

Everybody but the Potters opened their books and Umbridge sat down at her desk. Harry and Brenda both stood up, " SO ACCORDING TO YOU CEDRIC DIGGORY JUST DROPPED DEAD ON HIS OWN? HE WAS ONLY 17"

" Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident Potters" Umbridge said calmly

" IT WAS MURDER" Brenda yelled

" PETER PETTIGREW KILLED HIM ON VOLDEMORT'S ORDERS" Harry yelled

"VOLDEMORT IS ALIVE AND YOU KNOW IT, YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO ADMIT IT BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO DAMN AFRAID OF THE TRUTH" Brenda yelled

Everybody in the room gasped, even Harry, Harry knew his outburst was bad, but cussing in front of the teacher, that was new, Harry knew Brenda had a temper, heck all of Gryffindor knew Brenda had a temper

Umbridge's face was blank, kind of like Snape's face all the time, after a minute of a staring contest between Brenda and Harry vs. Umbridge, Umbridge finally got into her desk drawer and took out a quill, ink and a pink parchment and wrote a note on it

" You two will bring this to your head of house, you two are dismissed from class for the day" Umbridge said and handed the note to Harry

They packed up their things and went to look for McGonagall

When they got to McGonagalls office and handed over the parchment, she looked very disappointed in them

" You both need to be careful and watch your tempers" McGonagall said looking at Brenda when she said tempers, " Umbridge is part of the Ministry and she reports everything back to Fudge which gets in the paper, she says that you both have detentions with her for two weeks every day this week starting tomorrow at 5:00. Ms. Potter I have to notify your father of this since you are supposed to head down to the apartment starting tonight"

" Oh yah, forgot I was grounded... do you have to notify him? He was kind of grumpy today" Brenda said

" Yes I do" McGonagall said, " I'm sorry, I suggest since you both have been kicked out of class for the day, you start packing your things and head them down to the apartment, no Slytherins should be wandering around at this time"

Brenda nodded

" I'll help you" Harry said and they left the office and headed up to Gryffindor Tower

" I should probably just bring my trunk down, I have a feeling I'm going to be down there for a while, after getting detention with Umbridge for two weeks, on the first day of school… oh boy" Brenda said not looking forward to her near future

" Why was Snape so grumpy today in class?" Harry asked

" He probably just got done with a meeting a day or two ago, that's my best bet" Brenda said, " I don't think I helped my cause any by calling Snape Grumpy today"

" You called him Grumpy?" Harry asked surprised

" Well I was angry for what he did to you and it kind of just slipped out" Brenda explained and they headed up to the Girls Dorms but Harry slipped right back down

" Oh yah, I forgot, I give you permission to come up here" Brenda said with a smirk

" What was that all about?" Harry asked

" It's a spell on the girls dorms, boys aren't aloud in unless the girls give the boys permission" Brenda explained

" How come the boys dorms don't have that?" Harry asked

" What guy wouldn't want a girl in their room?" Brenda asked

" Oh... good point" Harry said

They got to the 5th year girls dorm and Brenda told Harry what to put in the trunk, it took them five minutes to get everything in and she shrunk her trunk and they both headed toward the apartment and right when she got to the portrait of Grandfather Severus she remembered that she didn't know the password

" Password" Grandfather Severus asked

" Uh, I knew something was amiss" Brenda said

" That's not it" Grandfather Severus teased

" Haha very funny Grandfather" Brenda said, " We'll be back"

" Where are we going?" Harry asked

" Potions class room, Snape doesn't have a class this hour" Brenda said

" Won't he be mad that you're out of class that he knows you're supposed to be in?" Harry asked

Brenda stopped, " I haven't thought of that, oh… well… he's going to find out anyway"

They got to the potions classroom and Harry waited outside the room

" Brenda what are you doing out of Defense Against the Dark Arts class?" Snape asked

" McGonagall told me to bring my stuff down to the apartment but I don't have the password" Brenda explained

" How do I know that it's really you and not an impostor?" Snape challenged

" Well, do you actually think somebody would call you dad when not many people know?" Brenda asked

" You could be a different Gryffindor who wants to wreck the apartment" Snape said

" Ok... how about this, students think your glare is terrifying, they should be lucky they don't get spanked by you, now that is scary" Brenda said

Snape smirked, " Password is Phoenix feather"

" Is that a potion ingredient?" Brenda asked

" Yes, in most healing potions" Snape said, " Oh, one more thing, tell your brother he didn't receive a zero, he got the grade he deserved, I discreetly bottled up some of his potion when he wasn't looking"

Brenda smiled, " Sorry about the Grumpy comment"

" I was grumpy, the Umbridge woman sounds like she's talking to five year olds" Snape said

Brenda nodded in agreement

" Well get out of here and make sure you don't let your brother hear the password, I know he's outside the door" Snape said

Brenda nodded and left with a smile on her face

" So did you get the password?" Harry asked

" Yah, and he didn't give you a zero, he just said that for appearances" Brenda said

Harry smiled

" See he isn't always a greasy git" Brenda said and they went back to the apartment, " You need to" She started

" I know" Harry said and he covered his ears as Brenda said the password and they both walked in

" Do you guys ever remodel this place? It looks the same from last time" Harry said

" No" Brenda said and they went into her room

" You know, I'd go mad if I had to stay down here" Harry said

" I get mad, sometimes" Brenda said, " It drives me nuts being stuck down here, hopefully I'm not grounded for long"

They unpacked her things and went back up to the Great hall and the bell rang that signaled class was out

 

That night during dinner everybody was talking about the outburst the Potters had in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Brenda kind of wished they'd stop talking about it because her dad found out about the outburst from the students and McGonagall was telling him about the detentions, during the dinner

" Since when does McGonagall talk to Snape during dinner?" Ron asked

" When she's telling him I have detention with the pink toad" Brenda whispered

" In front of the whole school?" Ron asked

" Ron look around you, nobody is paying bloody attention to them, they're acting like colleagues" Brenda said

" Yes but it's Gryffindor talking to Slytherin" Ron reminded her

" We happen to talk to Slytherins all the time, of course we're glaring at them, but they're adults, they can act more civil than we can" Brenda said and thought, " Uh... I hope I'm not grounded for a longer amount of time"

" You both shouldn't't have argued with her, and the yelling, no wonder you have detention for two weeks, I'm surprised she didn't make it a month" Hermione said

" Whose side are you on Hermione?" Ron asked, " Umbridge is a evil little toad who talks to us like five year olds"

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes

After dinner Brenda had to go down to the apartment for the rest of the night

" Oh I hate being grounded" She thought

She made it down to the apartment

" Password" Grandfather Severus smirked

" Phoenix feather" Brenda said

Grandfather Severus opened up and she walked through

" So I hear that you created a scene in Defense Against the Dark Arts class" Grandfather Severus said

" How did you hear about that? We're in the dungeons" Brenda said

" You forget, we can move into others portraits" Grandfather Severus said

Brenda rolled her eyes

" So how long are you grounded for this time?" Grandfather Severus asked

" So far... two weeks, but that's from facing the Dementors during the summer, I don't know how long it is now" Brenda said

" I hope it's for a long long time" Grandfather Severus said

" You love it when I'm miserable don't you?" Brenda asked

Grandfather Severus smiled, " Severus said I had to get along with you, he didn't say I had to like you"

" I don't know why you don't like me, we've known each other for about four years now" Brenda said

" It's not you personally, just Gryffindors, I think I told you that already" Grandfather Severus said

" You did, third year" Brenda said, " So if I wasn't a Gryffindor, what would you think of me?"

" Eh, I don't know" Grandfather Severus said

" Because I was almost put in Slytherin... almost" Brenda said

" Hm, I would think you would be put in Ravenclaw if not Gryffindor" Grandfather Severus said

Severus came in... well billowed in with a glare

" No she's more Slytherin than she is Ravenclaw" Snape said, " Both of them are, though only a Gryffindor would be stupid enough to actually argue with a teacher" Severus glared at her, " WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WERE YOU THINKING BRENDA?"

Brenda stepped back a few feet

" We were just wondering how theory is going to prepare us for the real world, she isn't teaching us any defensive spells or anything" Brenda said

" SO YOU AND YOUR IDIOT BROTHER FIGURED THAT YOU COULD ARGUE WITH HER AND SHE WILL CHANGE HER MIND ABOUT THE DARK LORD?" Severus shouted

" Dad stop shouting, somebody will hear you" Brenda said

" These walls are sound proof" Snape said, " Now answer the question"

" We didn't know what we were thinking at the time, she just made us very angry and we... created a scene" Brenda said

" You sure did, such a scene that you have two weeks worth of detention and two more weeks of grounding" Severus said, " Now go to your room, I don't want to see you out here for the rest of the night"

Brenda turned around and headed to her room

" What a show, what a show" Grandfather Severus said with a smirk and was clapping

" Oh shut up" Severus and Brenda both said

Brenda went into her room and took a long hot bath then read her Potions book

The next day Brenda woke up earlier than usual and got ready then ran up to Gryffindor Tower, she didn't want to face her dad or hear Grandfather Severus' teasing. Thankfully the only people who were down in the common room was Fred, George and Lee

" Good morning" Brenda said when she saw them

" Good morning" They said

Fred went up to her and gave her a hug, " Where've you been? I missed you"

" I missed you too" Brenda said and they kissed, " Unfortunately... I'm grounded for a month"

" Uh, that's rotten luck, that means we can't spend much time with each other" Fred said

" Yah I know" Brenda said, " I'm sure we can make it through a month"

" It's going to be hard" Fred said

Brenda smiled, " Very hard... so what are you working on?"

"Firecrackers" George said

" We're turning them into shapes, we have mermaid shapes, pixy shapes, dragon shapes, letters, unicorns, gargoyles, spiders, phoenixes... a lot of shapes" Lee said

" They're really cool, you can have the firecrackers follow the victim around and annoy them by having them think that they are being chased by that object" George said

" Well having a dragon following you is no fun" Brenda said, " Trust me, I know from experience. But it would be cool to have a unicorn or a phoenix chase you"

" What other animals should we do?" Lee asked George

" Frogs, some people are afraid of frogs, that will be funny" George said

" Just don't let Hermione know what you're doing, you know what she thinks of Weasley's Wizard Weases" Brenda said

" Hermione's turning into mum" George said

" Well she does have a point, the candy can go wrong and the person who ate the candy could get into trouble, may I remind you what happened to Dudley last year?" Brenda asked

" That was so funny, his tongue was what? Four feet long?" Fred asked

" True, it was funny, but he could have died, it's a good thing your dad was there or he might have" Brenda said

" Ok, we'll be careful" Fred said and hugged his girlfriend

" Good, that's all I ask" Brenda said returning the hug

The day was normal with classes of Herbology, Charms, Transfiguration, and Care of Magical Creatures. That day went smoother because there was no outbursts coming from anybody

" Detention with the pink toad and grounding with Severus" Brenda thought to herself

The twins ate an early dinner before 5:00 and headed toward the D.A.D.A. classroom

When they got into Umbridge's office they were shocked, the walls were pink with little kitten pictures on them, the carpet was pink and fluffy, the desk had a lace doily on it and the desk itself was pink

" Ok this lady likes pink way too much" Brenda thought not liking how it clashes with her hair

" Good evening children" Umbridge said in her talking to a five year old voice

" We're not children" Brenda thought but Harry nudged her

" Good evening" Brenda and Harry said at the same time

" Well then, sit down and we'll get started" Umbridge said pointing to two desks

They sat down and waited for instructions

" Now then, do you know why you're here?" Umbridge asked

" For yelling at you yesterday" Brenda said

" Well that was a bit rude, but no, you are here for spreading evil, nasty, attention-seeking stories, which are lies children" Umbridge said

Brenda glared her most scariest glare that will be competition for Snape" WE ARE NOT SPREADING EVIL, NASTY, ATTENTION-SEEKING STORIES... WE ARE NOT LYING AND WE ARE NOT CHILDREN YOU FREAKING PINK UGLY TOAD" Brenda thought loud enough that it was giving Harry a headache

" BRENDA CALM DOWN AND CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS... PLEASE"Harry thought

" Sorry" Brenda thought looking at her brother

" What are you two doing?" Umbridge asked

" What are you talking about?" Harry asked

" You're giving each other weird looks" Umbridge said, " I demand to know what you're planning"

Brenda rolled her eyes

" Well" Umbridge said, " I'm waiting"

" We're not planning anything professor" Brenda spat with a glare

" Well then what were you thinking?" Umbridge asked

" You want us to tell you what we're thinking?" Harry asked

" Didn't I just say that?" Umbridge asked

" Well we're not telling you what we're thinking, that's private and between Harry and I" Brenda said, " Now can we get this detention over with or do you still want to play 20 questions?"

Umbridge smiled sweetly, " Ok, I want you two to write lines for me"

" Lines? That's what this toad wants us to do? Lines? Ha dad's detentions are scarier than this" Brenda thought and they both dug into their backpacks to get out their quill and ink

" Oh no dears, you will not need your quills, you will use mine" Umbridge said

She handed them parchment and a quill each. The quill was very sharp

" I want you two to write, " I must not tell lies" Umbridge said

" How many times?" Harry asked

" Oh, for as long as it takes for the message to... sink in... you may begin" Umbridge said

" Not without ink we can't" Brenda said

" Oh trust me dear, with these quills you don't need ink" Umbridge said sweetly

Brenda rolled her eyes and began writing, to her horror the lettering was red. She wrote one line and it was engraved into the back of her hand

" Harry stop" Brenda thought

" What" Harry thought getting done with his line

" This is a blood quill, they're illegal to use" Brenda thought

" Why did you stop?" Umbridge asked

Brenda glared at her and thought, " These are illegal, if we keep going we can go to the Headmaster and she can be kicked out, nobody is supposed to use blood quills, she's abusing her power... well not for long... keep working"

" No reason" Brenda said and continued

Both of their hands were searing with pain when they were done at midnight

" Here are your bloody lines" Brenda spat with a glare

Umbridge smiled sweetly, " Thank you, now give me your hands"

They did

"Hmm, I don't seem to have made much of an... impression yet, we will just have to continue tomorrow then... you two are excused" Umbridge said with a sweet smile

" Brenda, don't tell anybody about it, that is what she's waiting for, weakness, we can handle it" Harry Thought

" Harry, I want to get the pink toad fired, she is using a blood quill, she can get fired from the Ministry for this, of course I'm going to tell somebody... not right now because you can't see anything, but later" Brenda thought

" Ok, but for now we wait... do you know what can get the sting out of this?" Harry asked

" Mertlap essence" Brenda said, " Come with me, I'm going to ask if Snape has some"

" But we agreed" Harry began

" I know, and I want this to be kept a secret, but we have to get the sting out, we have two weeks of this" Brenda said, " Now are you coming or not?"

" I'm coming" Harry said and they went down to the dungeons and into the potions classroom

" Professor Snape?" Brenda asked when she went inside the classroom, she didn't know if he had a detention or not

" What is it Brenda? Nobody's in here but me" Snape said

" Do you have any Mertlap essence?" Brenda asked as she and Harry walked in

" Yes... what for?" Snape asked curiously looking at them both

Brenda showed Snape her hand

" Who has done this to you?" Snape asked getting angry

" Umbridge, she's making us write lines using a blood quill, we haven't written enough to make the writing legible so we don't have enough proof that she's doing anything wrong, by the end of the two weeks the lines should be very visible, but right now it stings like crazy" Brenda said

" Ok I'll give you two the Mertlap essence, put it in a bowl and you can reuse it every time that toad of a woman makes you write those lines" Snape said going to his stores and taking out the jars and handing one to each of them, " I suggest you Mr. Potter get up to Gryffindor Tower and get to bed, you Brenda are to stay down here and get to bed"

" Yes sir" They said at the same time

Harry began to walk away

" Just a minute Mr. Potter... Filch will probably catch you, I'll escort you up to Gryffindor Tower... that and make sure you don't go wandering the halls and get into more trouble... Brenda I expect you to be in bed by the time I get back"

" Yes sir" Brenda said

She watched them leave then she went into the store room, went to the wall, said the password and it opened up, she then went into her room, into the bathroom, got out a bowl, put the Mertlap essence in it and put her hand in it. Automatically her hand felt better

" Awe was the detention too hard for poor wittle Brenda?" Grandfather Severus mocked

" Blood quill" Brenda said

" So how much did you cry?" Grandfather Severus asked

" I didn't" Brenda said, " Sorry to disappoint, but I've been under the Cruciatus and didn't cry, a blood quill isn't going to make me cry, it's just illigal and Umbridge needs to go, Will you be so kind and get out of my room so I can get to sleep?"

Grandfather Severus rolled his eyes and left the room

Brenda walked to her door that led to the Living room and said, " Thank you"

" You're welcome" Grandfather Severus said

Brenda got ready for bed and at 12:45 she finally got to go to bed, three minutes before Severus walked in the door

Every night for a few nights the I must not tell lies on the backs of the Potters' hands were getting deeper Hermione and Ron found out about the detentions on accident, the Potters were really embarrassed and Hermione told them that they have to go tell Dumbledore but the Potters were being very stubborn. Hermione approached Snape after Potions and told him about Umbridge

" I know Ms. Granger, Brenda is begging me to keep it a secret" Snape said

" But sir, a blood quill is illegal, surely you can do something" Hermione said

" I am going to say something, tomorrow, I was already planning too, I just have to figure out how to tell that to Brenda, she's going to be angry tonight"

" Surely that won't stop you" Hermione challenged

Snape glared knowing that he was challenged" Oh believe me, I can't wait until that pink toad gets fired after what is revealed, I think Brenda and Harry are stupid for wanting it to be kept a secret, more can be accomplished with her out of the picture, don't worry Ms. Granger, everything is under control" Snape said

" Thank you sir" Hermione said, " And thank you for providing the Murtlap"

Snape nodded, " You better get to class Ms. Granger"

Hermione nodded and left

After the detention with Umbridge again the I must not tell lies was getting even clearer and it was pissing Snape off that Umbridge wouldn't let them leave

" Brenda I'm telling Dumbledore what Umbridge is doing" Severus announced after looking at his daughters hand

" Dad please don't say anything yet, we have to wait until our detentions are over before we can do anything, the words are still not clear enough for proof of a blood quill" Brenda said taking yanking her hand away

" I don't like you having detention with that witch, I'm going to go to the headmaster tomorrow, this has gone long enough" Severus said

Brenda sighed

" You can't get in trouble for telling somebody about the blood quill" Severus said

" She'll just make something up and go to the Ministry or something" Brenda said

" Brenda as your father I have to do this, I can't stand knowing that you are cutting yourself because of a detention" Severus said

Brenda nodded

" Go put your hand in the Murtlap and then get to bed, it's late" Severus said and he kissed the top of his daughter's head

" Yes sir... good night" Brenda said and headed toward her room

" Good night" Severus said

While Brenda was getting ready for bed she started thinking about her dad telling Dumbledore about Umbridge, she didn't like the idea, she thought that she and Harry should be the ones, she can't hide behind her father forever. After she got on her pajamas she walked out of her room and spotted her dad at the desk

" You're supposed to be in bed" Severus said

" Dad don't tell Dumbledore, Harry and I will do it" Brenda said

Severus gave her a look

" I'm serious, Harry and I will tell" Brenda said

" What made you change your mind?" Severus asked

" Well, I can't hide behind you forever and I know Umbridge needs to be stopped" Brenda said

" Anything else?" Severus challenged with a smirk

Brenda glared knowing what her dad was waiting for "And… it probably has to do with being a Gryffindor, have to be brave and face our own demons"

" I'm proud of you, you figured that out all by yourself" Severus said with a smile, " But now it's time to get to bed, you can tell Dumbledore tomorrow"

Brenda nodded, " Night"

" Night" Severus said

The next day Brenda hurried out of the dungeons and up to Gryffindor tower like she does every day

" Harry it's time we tell Dumbledore" Brenda said

" Brenda" Harry started

" No, it's either we tell him or Snape is going to tell him, I'd rather tell him so it doesn't look like we have to hide behind teachers, we have done the detention enough to the point where the words are visible, it is time and I'm sick of Snape getting angry, he gets worse every day" Brenda said

" Oh all right, after classes then" Harry said, " Agreed?"

" Agreed" Brenda said

After class they went up to Dumbledore's office and thought of every kind of wizard sweet they could think of but they couldn't get through

" That's odd, usually he has a candy password" Harry said

" Dumbledore is not in right now, what is so important that you have to go see the Headmaster?" McGonagall said behind them and made the students jump

" We need to tell him that Umbridge" Brenda began

" Professor Umbridge" McGonagall corrected

" Right, Professor Umbridge uses blood quills for her detentions" Brenda said

" Oh my goodness, are you sure?" McGonagall asked

Harry and Brenda showed her the backs of their hands and she could clearly see the I will not tell lies

" Blood quills are illegal, thank you for telling me this, you both should have told me sooner and we could have this straightened out" McGonagall said, "But it's better late then never I guess, you two don't have to go back to detention, we will get this taken care of"

That same day during Free Period McGonagall caught up to Umbridge

" This should be good" Brenda whispered

Harry nodded with a smile

" What's going on?" Ron asked

" We told McGonagall what Umbridge has been doing" Brenda whispered

" Delores I need to talk to you, now" McGonagall said

" What about Minerva?" Umbridge asked

" The way that you handle detentions Delores, with a blood quill" McGonagall said

" Are you saying I shouldn't punish them for doing a wrong?" Umbridge asked

A crowd of students started to form and watch the two professors bicker

" I'm merely requesting that when it comes to my students you conform to the prescribed form of practices" McGonagall said

" So silly of me but it sounds like you are questioning my authority in my own classroom... Minerva" Umbridge said

McGonagall glared, " Not at all... Delores... Merely your medieval methods"

" I'm sorry my dear but to question my practices is to question the Ministry and by extension... the minister himself... I am a very tolerant woman but I will not stand for disloyalty

" Disloyalty" McGongall asked wide eyed

" Things at Hogwarts are far worse than I feared... Cornelius will want to take immediate action” Umbridge said

All of the students who were watching started whispering

" What kind of action is that toad talking about?" Brenda thought to herself

That night during dinner, Ron got an owl from Percy

" What does that git want now?" Ron asked

" Ron he's your brother, don't call him a git" Hermione scolded

" He's making my whole family angry, he doesn't believe in Dumbledore and Harry and Brenda about you know who

" I wonder why he sent it at night, mostly they're sent during the day" Brenda said

" Well aren't you going to open it?" Harry asked

" Yah I guess" Ron said gloomy

He opened it and read it and with every paragraph he read he was getting red in the face with rage

" Well what's it say?" Hermione asked

" Dear Ron, I want to give you some advice, which is why I'm sending this at night instead of the day time, Hopefully you'll be able to read it without prying eyes and awkward questions. I gather you are still seeing a lot of both the Potters, I must tell you Ron that you should stop this fraternization with them, it will be bad in the future for you. Yes, I am sure you are surprised to hear this no doubt you will say that the Potters have always been Dumbledore's favorites. I feel bound to tell you that Dumbledore may not be in charge at Hogwarts much longer and the people who count have a very different and probably more accurate view of the Potters' behaviors, might I add they act the same, they need to get their own lives. I shall say no more about that, but if you look at the Daily Prophet tomorrow you will get a good idea of the way the wind is blowing and see if you can spot yours truly!" Ron read

" Is that it" Hermione asked annoyed

" Oh no there's a lot more... you want me to go on?" Ron asked mad

" You might as well" Brenda said rolling her eyes

" Seriously, Ron, you do not want to be tarred with the same brush as the Potters, it could be very damaging to your future prospects, and I am talking here about life after school too. As you must be aware, given that our father escorted them to court, they had a disciplinary hearing this summer in front of the whole Wizengamot and well they didn't come out of it looking too good. They got off on a mere technicality if you ask me and many of the people I've spoken to remain convinced of their guilt. Maybe you're afraid to sever ties with the Potters since you have been friends with them since your first year and I know they can be unbalanced and well for all I know, violent. If you have any worries about this, or have spotted anything else in their behaviors that is troubling you, I urge you to speak to Dolores Umbridge, she is a really delightful woman, who I know will be only too happy to advise you. Which brings me to the other topic. As I have hinted above, Dumbledore's regime at Hogwarts may soon be over. Your loyalty, Ron, should not be to him, but to the school and the Ministry. I am very sorry to hear that so far Professor Umbridge is encountering very little cooperation from staff as she strives to make those necessary changed within Hogwarts that the Ministry desires. Let me say this, A student who shows his or herself willing to help Professor Umbridge now may be very well placed for Head Boy or girl ship in a couple years... Please think over what I have said most carefully, particularly the bit about the Potters. Your brother Percy"

" What changes is everybody talking about?" Brenda asked

Ron shrugged

" THAT GIT" Fred yelled loud enough that the whole Gryffindor table heard but not the other tables thank goodness

" You got a letter too?" Ron asked

" From Percy? Yah, and he wants me to break up with you Brenda" Fred growled, "Because it will be good for me in the future" He said sarcastically

" Yah mine mostly says the same thing as yours does Ron" George said

" Yah I got one too and it also says to stay away from you two" Ginny said with an annoyed look

" Wait until we get our hands on our older brother, we're going to throw every gag and hex we know at him, he'll be sorry he ever said something like that about you guys, how dare he tell Fred to break up with Brenda" George said

" I say we go up to the Common room and burn these letters until they are nothing but ash" Fred said with a glare that will make Snape shake with fear

" Good idea" Ron said

" Wish I can watch, but I'm still grounded" Brenda said

" Yah, but it's just another couple of weeks and then you can stay in the Gryffindor Tower" Fred said

Brenda smiled at the thought

" Or if we go now, we can burn these things and come back, dinner still has an hour to go before the pudding" George said

The seven of them smiled and headed up to Gryffindor tower

" INCENDIO" George said and lit the fireplace, " On a count of three we throw them in... one... two... three"

The Weasley's threw there letters in the fire and they all watched them burn with great satisfaction. It only took the letters two minutes to turn to ash

" We should head back down to the Great Hall and finish dinner and then pudding" Ginny said

They all nodded and headed down to the Great Hall with satisfied looks on their faces

 

After dinner Brenda had to go back down to the apartment like every night since school started

" Don't you have a detention to go to?" Grandfather Severus asked

" Canceled" Brenda said, " Phoenix feather"

Grandfather Severus smirked and let her through

" So since you're done cutting up your hand every night, what are you planning on doing with your time?" Grandfather Severus asked

" Catch up on my reading" Brenda said

" The Daily Prophet?" Grandfather Severus asked

" No, that paper lies, I'm talking about my book" Brenda said

" So what are you reading?" Grandfather Severus asked

" Occlumency... I've been reading Occlumency and Legimency for about a year now, it's very interesting and very challenging" Brenda said

" Indeed it is Brenda, indeed it is" Grandfather Severus said and didn't say anything after that, he knew that his grandson knew Occlumency and Legimency and he wasn't supposed to tell, he also knows that Brenda knows it too but she just doesn't remember knowing it because of the potion Severus gave her in her second year

An hour later and half way through the book later Severus came billowing in

" Hi dad" Brenda said not taking her eyes off the book

" Hi... so what was the four owls heading over to the Gryffindor table tonight about? Owls are supposed to come during breakfast, not dinner" Severus said

" It was Percy Weasley who sent them for Fred, George, Ron and Ginny, saying stuff about ending relationships with Harry and I... Fred was very P... um" Brenda started

" Pissed?" Severus asked

Brenda nodded with a blush

" Don't be afraid to swear down here, it's alright in private, just not in public" Severus said

Brenda smiled and nodded, " Since the Weasley's were so angry we all headed up to Gryffindor tower during dinner and burned the letters and came back all before pudding"

" I wondered where you lot were going to, I was hoping you weren't getting in trouble, first time for everything" Severus teased

Brenda smiled and rolled her eyes

" So what are you reading?" Severus asked looking at the book

" Occlumency" Brenda said

" Ah... I see, any good?" Severus asked

" Yes, it would be very cool to know how to do Occlumency, maybe then Harry and I would be able to keep some thoughts to ourselves, it does get kind of annoying that we hear almost every single thought of each others, a lot of Harry's thoughts is about Cho Chang from Ravenclaw but that's all I'm going to say. And I can only imagine some of the thoughts he hears of mine" She said with a smile

Snape smirked and rolled his eyes, " Teenagers" He thought

The next day at breakfast Hermione got her copy of the Daily Prophet

" I still don't know why you still read that garbage" Ron said

" I told you so we know what is being said" Hermione said, " And the Minister has just been named Hogwarts High Inquisitor" Hermione said

" What's that mean?" Ron asked

" It means that she is able to question all of the teachers and if she doesn't like them, she can sack them" Hermione said

" So if she doesn't like Snape, Snape can get sacked?" Ron asked excitedly

Brenda hit Ron upside the head, " You shouldn't be excited about that" she glared

" Sorry, I keep forgetting" Ron said

" Ever since the summer of first year, we're now in our fifth, when are you going to remember?" Brenda asked

Ron shrugged

Brenda rolled her eyes, " He better not get sacked"

" I wonder who she is questioning first" Hermione said

" Maybe she'll be questioning Binns class first, we have it first, lets go find out" Brenda said

They nodded and left the breakfast table and headed toward the class. Binns class was boring, Umbridge wasn't in that class and it was nothing but wars again in the class, nor was she in Snape's class as Brenda feared she would be, Snape handed back the Moonstone essays to the class, Hermione and Brenda were the only ones who got Os, Ron got a P and sadly Harry got a D

" I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in you OWLs. This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect on you examinations" Snape said, " With the grades you lot got, most of you would have failed the examination, I expect to see a great deal more effort for this week's essay on the various varieties of venom antidotes... or I might have to start handing out detentions for those of you who get Ds" Snape looked at Harry and Harry glared

" Some people got Ds?" Malfoy smirked

" Yes Malfoy some people got Ds, half of the class failed the assignment, as a matter of fact, only two people actually knew what they were doing and got Os and regrettably none of them were from my house" Snape said glaring at Malfoy and made him shudder

Snape wrote the instructions for the Strengthening Solution on the blackboard, " Begin"

" Harry remember to read every single line on the blackboard, the color should be a turquoise at the end" Brenda thought to her brother

" Thanks" Harry thought back and began to work

At the end of the lesson Hermione's and Brenda's potions were both turquoise and Harry's was blue, Sadly Ron's was a green color

" Well that wasn't so bad" Hermione said

The boys didn't say anything

" I don't know, Snape seemed a bit grumpy, but he wasn't lurking as much this time so that's a plus" Brenda said with a smile

" You two are only happy because you both got Os" Ron said with a glare

" You could get an O too if you just pushed yourselves harder" Hermione explained

" It's kind of hard to study when you have detention with getting your hand cut" Harry said

" Harry that's not an excuse and you know it" Brenda said with a glare

Harry rolled his eyes, " You probably get a lot of help from him since you live with him"

" No, I do the homework by my self, I rarely ask questions and if I do ask a question, its where can I look for this answer, he doesn't give me the answers" Brenda defended herself and her dad, " Look maybe I can see what Snape saw and explain why you got the grade you got"

" I don't think so" Harry said with a glare

That shocked Brenda a bit, Harry never glares at her, " What's got your wand in a knot? I just want to help"

" Have you two ever fought before?" Ron asked wearily

" No" they said at the same time and rolled their eyes

" I don't want your help Brenda, Snape is just a git and he doesn't like me, that's why he gave me a low grade" Harry said

" That's not why and you know it, you know he gave you the grade you deserved for that potion he evenescoed, he may not act like it but he is fair" Brenda said

" Fair? He takes points away from every house but Slytherin, and he mostly takes it away from Gryffindor, how do you call that fair?" Harry asked

" We get the points back from other teachers, Slytherin usually never gets points from other teachers, what has gotten into you? You've been here for five years, you know how the school is run and how everybody acts, why are you blowing up now?" Brenda asked getting angry at her brother

" I don't know, I just am" Harry said

" Well calm down and let me help you in Potions, I have an O in that class and you have an overall grade of an A" Brenda said

" I don't need a tutor" Harry said

" I'm not trying to be your tutor, I'm trying to be a good sister helping out her brother in a subject he doesn't really like and she really enjoys" Brenda said

" We can make it a study group, we all study Potions together, we can set a specific time each night and study for Potions" Hermione said

" Good idea Hermione, what do you say?" Brenda asked

Ron groaned, " Studying for Potions every night?"

" You'll get better at it and then you might get your overall grade to an E" Brenda said

" Fine, we'll create a study group for Potions, but not every night" Harry said

" Every other night then" Hermione said

" And not on the weekends" Ron said

" Fine, not on the weekends either, anything else?" Hermione asked

" No that's about it" Harry said

" Ok, so are we done having our first sibling argue?" Brenda asked with a smile

" Yes" Harry smiled back

" So hug and make up" Hermione said with a smile

They did and they all headed to lunch

" Hey you four, have you had any classes with Umbridge yet?" George asked sitting down next to Ron and Fred sat next to Brenda

" No, have you?" Hermione asked

" Yah, last class, charms" Fred said

" So what happened?" Ron asked

" Nothing much" Fred said

" Umbridge was treated like a guest" George said

" She just took notes" Fred said

" And asked a few of us questions" George said

" I have a good feeling" Fred said

" That Flitwick" George said

" Is staying" Fred said

They ate lunch and then went their separate ways, Harry, Ron and Brenda went to Trelawny's class and Hermione went to Ancient Runes

When they got to Trelawny's class professor Umbridge was there

" Oh great the toad is here" Brenda thought gloomy

" Stop calling her a toad Brenda, you might say it out loud" Harry thought back

Everybody took their seats and were very quiet. A few minutes later Trelawny came in

" Good after noon Professor Trelawny, " Umbridge said with a smile, " I trust you received my note giving the time and date of your inspection?"

Trelawny nodded and began class. The students were working on dream diaries where they had to write down the dreams they can remember from when they were kids until now. Trelawny was walking around the classroom during the whole time and after a while Umbridge started following her and asking students questions

" I hope she doesn't come our way, she won't like my dream I had last night" Brenda whispered to Harry and Ron

" Why?" Ron asked

" I had a dream that Umbridge was on a lily-pad and she was hopping from one to the other catching flies" Brenda said with a smile

" You're making that up" Ron said

" No... I had the same dream" Harry grinned, " And then the dream turned into"

" Somebody eating Frog-legs" Brenda finished with a grin

" So Professor, how long have you been in this post?" Umbridge asked

Trelawny looked at Umbridge and crossed her arms with a scowl on her face, " sixteen years"

" Long period" Umbridge said writing something on her clipboard she had with her, " Dumbledore is the one who appointed you is that correct?"

" Yes" Trelawny said

Umbridge smiled and wrote some more down on her clipboard

" So Professor, you are the great-great-granddaughter of the celebrated Seer Trelawny is that correct?" Umbridge asked

" Yes" Trelawny said proudly

" And you possess the power of the second sight do you not?" Umbridge asked

" Hmm, I knew she was up to something" Brenda whispered

" Yes I do" Trelawny said

" Well then predict something for me" Umbridge said

" The inner eye does not see upon command, everybody knows that" Trelawny said with a glare

" Hmm... I see" Umbridge said writing more down on her clipboard, " Well then that is all I need, good day Professor" She got up to leave

" Wait..." Trelawny called out of the blue'

" Yes?" Umbridge asked with a smile

" I... I see something that concerns you... yes... yes... you Delores Umbridge are in danger... I... I suggest you stay out of the Forbidden Forest" Trelawny said

" Right" Umbridge said writing more down on her clipboard, " If that is the best you can do, I better leave" Umbridge left

Trelawny was very snippy the rest of the class time

After Divination it was time for Defense Against the Dark Arts with the toad I mean Umbitch... I mean Umbridge

" Please read chapter two in your books" Umbridge said

Hermione raised her hand

" Yes " Umbridge said

" Are we going to do anything that has nothing to do with reading?" Hermione asked

Everybody in the class gasped, Hermione Granger not wanting to read was a shocker

" I am here to teach you using a Ministry approved method that includes studying and reading" Umbridge said, " your previous teachers in this subject may have allowed you more license, but as none of them... but maybe professor Quirrel, who did at least appear to have restricted himself to age-appropriate subjects... would have passed a Ministry inspection"

" Oh yah Quirrel was a great teacher" Brenda said sarcastically

" Yah, he was so good that he had Lord Voldemort living in the back of his head" Harry said

" That's why he always wore that purple turban" Brenda said

" He was such a great teacher in Defense that he didn't even know that he couldn't touch Brenda and me because we had a mark that he knew nothing about and because he touched us, he ended up as ash" Harry said

The classroom fell silent

" Enough of your lies Potters... I think another weeks worth of detentions will cut it and 10 points from Gryffindor" Umbridge said with a smile

" Fine, we'll go to detention, but we are using our own quills" Brenda said defiantly

" How dare you say that, your quills are not Ministry approved" Umbridge said

" Yah? Well neither are blood quills" Brenda said with a glare

Umbridge looked angry but then got her cool back, " Fine, use your own quills then"

The class got back to normal

Finally they were done with classes for the day

" You should go tell Snape that you have detention with her again" Ron said

" Yah I know, I'm going to be grounded for another week though... I'll see you guys later" Brenda said

" Where you going?" Ron asked

" Well Snape doesn't have a class right now" Brenda said

She headed down to the dungeons and to the Potions classroom and knocked

" What?" Snape snapped

Brenda opened the door and peeked her head in

" Oh... hi... What did you do now?" Snape sounded annoyed

" What makes you think I did anything?" Brenda asked

" Well usually you don't sneak down to the classroom unless you need to tell me something that can't wait, and with your getting in trouble record, I just took a wild guess... spill" Snape said with a bit of a glare

" Please don't get angry" Brenda said

Snape nodded, he was right and he crossed his arms with a more of a glare

" I have another weeks worth of detentions with Umbridge" Brenda whispered

Snape sighed and rolled his eyes, " What did you and Harry do now?"

" Talked about Quirrle" Brenda said

" And she gave you detention for that?" Snape said lifting his eyebrow, " Let me guess, you both started talking about the Dark Lord living on him under that purple turban"

Brenda didn't say anything

" I'm waiting for an answer" Snape said

" You already know the answer" Brenda said

Snape gave her a look that said don't push it

" Yes" Brenda said

" Well then... I say you just earned yourself two more weeks of grounding" Snape said

" Two? Why not one?" Brenda asked

" Because you are not learning a lesson, just be thankful you're not getting spanked for being so stupid" Snape said

" You said you would not spank me anymore" Brenda said getting scared

" No I said I wouldn't pull your pants down and spank you with the paddle, there's a difference" Snape said

 

Brenda put her head down, she thought about what her dad said and she knew he was right

Snape walked in front of his desk and walked up to Brenda and lifted her chin up " Can you at least try not to get into anymore trouble... especially with that Umbridge woman?"

" I'll try" Brenda said

" Good girl" Snape said giving his daughter a hug and she returned it, " Now get out of here before somebody sees" He said playfully

Brenda laughed and rolled her eyes, " See you later"

" See you" Snape said and watched as his daughter left the classroom

For detention with Umbridge, the Potters still had to write lines, but this time with a lot of arguing from Brenda they used their own quills

" Wow Brenda you are the most stubborn girl I have ever met" Harry thought

" You just realized that... how long have we known each other?" Brenda thought

" Five years" Harry thought

" And you just realized that I'm stubborn... hm" Brenda thought

" No, I realized that a long time ago, I just realized your the most stubborn" Harry explained with a thought

" Thank you" Brenda thought and smiled

" So you think writing lines is something to smile about hmm?" Umbridge asked seeing the smile on Brenda's face and walked over to her desk

" Nah, I don't like lines, I'm just thinking" Brenda said Cooley

" About?" Umbridge asked

" Well if I wanted you to know what I was thinking about, I would tell you" Brenda said Cooley

" Brenda 1 Umbitch 0" Harry thought

Umbridge just smiled sweetly and talked in her baby voice, " Well then if you won't tell me, then I'll just add another weeks worth of detention"

" You can't do that, because we did nothing wrong, all we did was smile, smiling is not illegal unlike blood quills" Brenda said as sweetly as Umbridge and also in a baby voice but you could tell that she had fire in her hazel eyes

" Two for Brenda" Harry thought, " Note to self, stay on sister's good side"

Umbridge didn't say anything, she went back to her desk

The next day Umbridge was doing McGonagall's inspection

" So what do you think will happen today, do you think McGonagall will be intimidated by Umbridge?" Ron asked

" No, McGonagall is not intimidated by that toad of a woman" Brenda said

" Will you stop calling her a toad? Somebody might hear you and you might get in more trouble" Hermione snapped

" Sorry" Brenda said, " No McGonagall is not intimidated by Umbi..ridge" Brenda caught herself, she almost said bitch

" And if somebody heard that slip up, you would have been in trouble" Hermione scolded

Everybody entered the Transfiguration classroom and took their seats and waited for their professor and the pink toad... Er professor. Umbridge entered first and sat down in a corner where a chair was waiting for her, she had her clipboard with her and she was smiling sweetly at all of the students. Five minutes later McGongall entered

" Ok, talking is over, it's time to start class" McGonagall said like she does every day, " Now then, Mr. Finnigan please hand back the homework, and... Ms. Brown kindly hand out a mouse to everybody”

" But Professor" Lavender started

" Mice don't bite Ms. Brown" McGonagall said

All of a sudden there was a hem hem from the corner where Umbridge was seated but McGonagall didn't pay attention

" Today class we shall be transfiguring the mice" McGonagall started

" Hem, hem" Umbridge noised a little louder

All the students looked her way and she smiled sweetly

" Yes" McGonagall asked turning her way

" I was wondering if you received my notice that I was coming today" Umbridge said

" Well obviously or I would be wondering what in the world you were doing in my classroom" McGonagall said

" Ooh, McGonagall one Umbridge 0" Brenda thought with a smile

Harry smiled

" Now then as I was saying, today we are going to vanish mice" McGonagall said

" Hem, hem" Umbridge noised again

McGonagall was getting a little mad then and turned around to face Umbridge, " Delores, how am I supposed to teach my class if you keep interrupting me? I do not like people talking when I am talking, as I am the teacher, I demand that nobody and I mean nobody talk while I am"

Umbridge looked very surprised that she was talked to like that

" Serves that toad right" Brenda thought to herself

Once Umbridge collected herself, she sat up straighter and began writing on her clip board

" Now class as I was saying before I was interrupted..."

Class went quite well, Umbridge did not follow McGonagall around like she did with Trelawny and she didn't ask students questions either, she took a lot of notes in her corner, half the class vanished there mice while others vanished a bit of theirs

" That's it for today class, return your mice if you still have them and you are dismissed" McGonagall said

When they got out of ear shot of teachers Ron cheered, " THAT WAS BRILLIANT, Did you see the look on Umbridge's face when McGonagall snapped like that?

" I knew Umbridge didn't intimidate her, I just knew it" Brenda smiled

After detention with Umbridge that night Harry and Brenda went their separate ways, Harry to the tower and Brenda to the apartment

" So how was detention with Umbridge?" Severus asked

" Well she's not using the blood quill anymore" Brenda said with a smile

" That's good" Severus said

" So did she come inspect your class yet?" Brenda asked

" Not yet, she inspects tomorrow... your class actually" Severus said

" Try not to be intimidated by her, she flustered professor Trelawny and was flustered by Professor McGonagall, I don't know if you heard about that" Brenda said with a smile

" No I didn't... what happened?" Severus asked very curious

" Well unlike all of the other teachers who acknowledge her presence when they came in. McGonagall acted like she wasn't even in the room until Umbridge made her annoying noise that she makes to get people's attention, she had to make that noise twice before McGonagall acknowledged her and she told Umbridge that she knew about the inspection otherwise she would have questioned what she was doing in her room. Umbridge was quiet for like two minutes before she interrupted again and you know that McGonagall hates being interrupted... talking in her class is a big no no when she is talking, anyway, McGonagall snapped at Umbridge about having nobody talk while she was talking... Umbridge didn't bother her again and she didn't even follow McGongagall around like she did with the other teachers, it was so amusing" Brenda said

" Well... I do not think I am going to be that bold, Umbridge unfortunately has the power to fire us and I really do not want to be fired, I'll treat Umbridge with… respect… but not as much as Filus did, I heard that he treated her like she was the queen." Severus said then he looked at the time, " You should be getting ready for bed, it's 11:30... she let you off early"

" Yah... ok" Brenda said and gave her dad a hug, " Night"

" Good night" Severus said

Brenda walked into her room and was getting ready for a bath when Harry started thinking to her about Hermione's idea about teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts

" WHAT?" Brenda yelled loud enough that Severus heard and he rushed in

" Brenda what's wrong?" Severus entered the bathroom, luckily Brenda still had her clothes on

" I got to go to Gryffindor tower" Brenda said

Once Severus figured out nothing was wrong that she was just communicating to her brother through thought he crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow

" I know I'm grounded, but I really have to talk to Ron and Hermione about something, please dad just tonight" Brenda pleaded

" What's so important that it can't wait until morning?" Severus asked

" No idea, Harry just said that I should come up, please dad just tonight, I'll stay down here an extra... two nights, I just really need to find out what's going on, Harry's not telling me anything else" Brenda said

Severus thought for a moment thinking of the pros and cons of this situation, " Brenda you really need to get ready for bed, this can wait until morning"

" No it can't Harry sounded serious and I know it's important because he keeps yelling inside his head, plus you said yourself that Umbridge let us out earlier, so I have like a half hour before bed... come on dad please, I don't beg much, you know I don't but I'm begging you tonight to let me go up to the tower" Brenda looked at her father with intensity and stuck out her lip, she looked so cute with those hazel eyes

" First of all I don't say yes to beggars and you begging me will not have me say yes, I do not say yes to cuteness" Severus said

Brenda was taken aback and looked up at her father without the cuteness "Please sir, let me go up to the tower, I'll stay an extra week down here if I have to"

" That's another form of begging Brenda... fine, you can go up to the tower, you don't have to stay down here an extra week, just an extra day, bring your school things and an extra pair of clothes and I'll escort you to the Gryffindor tower" Severus said

Brenda smiled and gave her dad a hug, " Thanks dad"

" This does not mean I'm going soft" Severus said

" I know and I never said you were" Brenda said

Severus nodded and left Brenda so she could pack her bag

They hurried up to Gryffindor Tower and bid each other good night like how a student and teacher would and Brenda hurried up to the Gryffindor Common room

" Brenda you made it" Harry said

" Yah and it took a lot of begging to do so, now what's going on?" Brenda asked, " What about Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

" Hermione and Ron want us to teach some students Defense Against the Dark Arts, because we have experience" Harry said

" WHAT?" Brenda yelled, " ARE YOU TWO CRAZY? First of all we are not teachers, second of all... what experience are you talking about?"

" You know what we're talking about, first year you both stopped you know who and Quirrel from getting the stone, second year you both faced a basilisk, third year you both faced hundreds of Dementors, fourth year you battled you know who and lived to tell the tale" Ron said, " And you both are brilliant at Defense Against the Dark Arts”

" Ron, first year we defeated Quirrel because Voldemort couldn't touch us and we defeated him with our mother's love, I still don't know how that worked, second year we would be dead if it wasn't for Fawkes, third year was a fluke with a time turner, fourth year... that was dumb luck" Brenda said, " And all that we did had nothing to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts”

" But you lived and survived all of those terrible things, you can teach us how to survive also" Hermione said

" Nobody can teach you to survive, nobody can be taught to survive, you both would know what Brenda and I are talking about if you ever had to face him, but you both haven't. This isn't about memorizing spells like in a class, if you mess up you can just do it again, if you mess up while facing him, there is a very big chance that you will die" Harry said

" This is why we need you two, don't you see? You both are the only ones who have faced him and lived to tell the tale, we need to know what it's like to face him so we can be prepared for what's out there" Hermione said, " We need to be prepared to face... Voldemort"

They were all shocked that Hermione actually said Voldemort, she never said that before

Harry and Brenda looked at each other, " We'll... think about it”

Hermione and Ron nodded

" We should be getting ready for bed" Hermione said

The other three nodded and all headed up

The next day they didn't see Umbridge until Potions class. The class started out with everybody talking until Snape entered the room and it got automatically quiet, Snape acknowledged Umbridge with a nod of his head and she nodded back sweetly and then wrote something down on her clipboard. Snape went to his blackboard and wrote down the ingredients to the potion they were going to be brewing that day

" I bet she likes how everybody ends up quiet when he enters the room" Ron whispered to Harry

" Mr. Weasley do you have something to share to the whole class or will you be quiet so we can start?" Snape asked

Ron didn't say anything

" Five points from Gryffindor" Snape said and Gryffindor silently groaned

Brenda saw Umbridge write something else on her clipboard

Both Snape and Umbridge walked around the room, Snape did every day out of habit and Umbridge was asking students questions

" So Ms. Potter, how well do you think Professor Snape teaches?" Umbridge asked

" Wow the toad is asking me... this will be interesting" Brenda thought and said, " Well, I think Professor Snape is a very good potions professor, he is well known around the wizarding world for his potion making, we are lucky to have him here at Hogwarts, he is very strict and makes sure that everybody stays on task, he doesn't just grade on the potion but he also grades on spelling when we have essays to work on about the potion, I have learned a lot with him as a professor" She thought, " I still can't believe she asked me my opinion, she doesn't like me, I hope it doesn't hurt Dad what I said"

" Well thank you for your answer Ms. Potter" Umbridge said sweetly and she walked over to Malfoy and asked the same question

Finally when the class was half over Umbridge went to Snape who was admiring Harry and Ron's potion

" Professor I now have some questions for you" Umbridge said

Snape nodded and gestured toward the back room

" No right here is fine" Umbridge said sweetly

Snape sighed silently and nodded

" Your name is Severus Tobias Snape is that correct?" Umbridge asked

" Yes" Snape said

" And you went to school here as a child right?" Umbridge asked

" Yes" Snape said wondering what these silly questions had to do with anything

" You are 35 right?" Umbridge asked

" Yes" Snape said getting very annoyed that she won't ask the important questions

" You have been working here for 14 years is that correct?" Umbridge asked

" Yes" Snape said

" And you applied for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position and didn't get it right?" Umbridge asked

" Obviously" Snape said and thought, " You are the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, you should already know that"

" Thank you Severus, that is all the questions I have for you" Umbridge said

Ron couldn't help but chuckle and he ended up with a headache because Snape hit him upside the head

" Well Ron did deserve that" Brenda thought, " I can't believe she asked those questions out in the open"

A week later Umbridge was done questioning all of the teachers and the Potters have been done with detention for a couple of days

" So have you two given any thought about what we said a week ago?" Hermione asked

Harry and Brenda looked at each other, " Yes" They said at the same time

" And" Ron asked

" Well, we do need to be trained for what's out there... we'll teach the students" Brenda said

" Good" Hermione said with a smile

" So how are we supposed to know which students want to learn defense and how are we supposed to notify them?" Harry asked

" We are supposed to meet in Hogsmeade" Hermione said

" I have to ask if I can go, I'm still grounded" Brenda said

" Oh you have to go, you just have to" Hermione said

" I'll ask" Brenda said

" You should try begging, it usually works for me" Ron said

" Not for Snape, he told me that himself, I just have to persuade him to let me go" Brenda said

That night that is exactly what she did, she entered the apartment after dinner and waited for her dad to show up

" It looks like you have something on your mind" Grandfather Severus said

" I do" Brenda said flatly

" What is it?" Grandfather Severus asked

" You'll see when Dad comes in" Brenda said with a smile

" Wow you're stubborn" Grandfather Severus said

" I know, Harry says I'm stubborn also" Brenda said

" Well Harry's right" Grandfather Severus said

Severus didn't come in the apartment until much later, Brenda was already ready for bed and was reading in the living room

" Hi dad, long night?" Brenda asked

" Grading papers and potions, The life of Severus Snape" Severus said sarcastically

Brenda felt sorry for her dad, all he does is grade papers and potions, she thought of a wonderful idea that could get her dad in a happier mood when she asked if she could go to Hogsmeade, she thought it would be very Slytherin of her to do so but she was almost put in Slytherin and she really did want to help her dad, " If you want, I can help you grade the younger students' work then you wouldn't feel like all you do is grade papers" Brenda suggested

Snape lifted his eyebrow and gave that some thought

" You say that I'm going to make a great Potions Mistress when I'm older, I have an O in Potions, I have had an O since first year, plus it would be like reviewing for my OWLs, I'm very good at spelling if you want me to grade papers, I know all of the potions and the ingredients, it would save you a lot of time and you would have more... you time, I know you love reading books, I saw the secret library behind your desk and with the library at home of course you would love reading books" Brenda said

" Brenda has a good point, she is the best student at potions in her year and maybe even sixth year, she is right when she says she knows the potions and she does know how to spell, it would give me a lot more free time... I wonder why she's offering, I wonder if she wants something in return... permission for Hogsmeade perhaps? That is coming up and she knows she's grounded and would be needing my permission even though the permission slip is turned in, but it is still a good point and a very good offer, she seems to have too much time on her hands right now, she keeps reading those dang Occulmency and Legamancy books, she shouldn't be reading those but if I tell her to stop, that would be too suspicious. Ok I'll let her help me grade the younger students' papers and potions, and I'll let her go to Hogsmeade, I can be a mean greasy git, but come on she's my daughter, I can't deprive her of a fun outing that only happens a few times a year" Severus thought to himself

After a long pause Brenda was getting very uncomfortable with the silence

" Ok" Severus said and Brenda jumped at the sudden answer, " I'll let you help me grade the younger students' homework and I thank you for offering... you made some very good points. Also you probably just offered so you would get me on my good side so I would say yes to Hogsmeade am I right?"

Brenda's eyes widened, " How did he know?" She thought and said, " It crossed my mind but I really do want to help you out"

" I know you do, that is why I am saying yes to you helping me grade the homework, and I am giving you permission to go to Hogsmeade even though you are grounded" Severus said

Brenda grinned and gave her dad a hug

" Really Severus you're going soft" Grandfather Severus said and rolled his eyes

" Maybe just a little" Severus whispered

The next day Brenda announced that she could go to Hogsmeade and everybody was happy. Also the next day Brenda started helping her dad grade the homeworks from the younger students, they were done in half the time it would have taken Severus if he did them himself

A week later was the Hogsmeade day and the Gryffindors left very early

" So where are we supposed to meet them? In the Three Broomsticks?" Harry asked

" No that has too many people, at another pub called Hogshead" Hermione said, " It's on the other side of Hogsmeade"

They walked past all of the shops, they saw Fred, George and Lee at Zonkos

" Fred don't look now but there's your girlfriend" George teased

Fred turned around and spotted the four Fifth years, " I'll be right back" Fred said, he really wanted to kiss Brenda, he hadn't had the chance to hang out with her in the longest time, he missed his girlfriend a lot

" Ooh there's Fred, I'll catch up with you three in a bit" Brenda said excitedly and ran to catch up to her boyfriend

" Awe that's so sweet" Hermione smiled

Ron and Harry rolled their eyes and caught up to George and Lee

" They always seem to do that when they see each other" George exclaimed

" Well they miss each other, Brenda has been grounded since school started, they don't have much time to just have alone time, of course they want to just be in each other's company for a while when they can" Hermione said, " We have plenty of time before the meeting"

" So Brenda how have you been?" Fred asked giving his girlfriend a hug

" Fine, I'm helping Snape grade the younger students' homework, it's a very good review for the OWLs I think" Brenda said

" Wow that's cool" Fred said

" So how are your Skiving Snack Boxes coming?" Brenda asked

" They're doing good, kind of hard to test them on people with Hermione always on our tails, but what we have tested turned out just fine" Fred said, " The firecrackers are so cool looking, I can't wait until we blow some of those off"

" Sounds to me it will be a sight to see" Brenda said with a smile

" Oh it will be" Fred said in agreement

" So when are you going to blow them off?" Brenda asked

" Graduation, we got to leave in style" Fred said with a smile

" Sounds fun" Brenda said

" So when can you come back up to Gryffindor Tower?" Fred asked

" Couple of weeks, so far I'm staying out of trouble, bit back a few witty comebacks in Defense Against the Dark Arts so I don't have any more detentions with the pink toad" Brenda said

" I'm glad Snape let you come, maybe he has a warm heart after all" Fred said

" He does, it's just... hard for him to let it be known" Brenda explained

Fred nodded, " We should probably be getting back, we got that meeting and all"

" You're going to the meeting?" Brenda asked excitedly

" Of course, George and I are going to be part of the order when we are out of school, we have to know how to defend ourselves, and what better teachers than my favorite girl and her brother" Fred asked and gave his favorite girl a kiss

Brenda smiled and thought, " This won't be too bad after all"

They hugged each other again and then while holding hands walked back to Zonkos where the others were talking

" Hey they're back, now we can get going" Lee said

George smiled at his brother with a questioning look

" All we did was talk" Fred said

" Yah sure" George said

" Ok fine, we kissed a few times and hugged a few times, but you see that in the Gryffindor common room and at home" Fred said

" You mean that's all you did?" George asked teasingly

" Yes George that is all we did" Fred said

" We mostly talked about all that has been going on, like how I'm helping out Snape grading the younger students' homework and how your skiving snack boxes are doing good and how your firecrackers are going to be specktacular on graduation" Brenda said

" Yah... I can't wait" George said, " ok, I believe you... for now... well lets get to the meeting shall we?"

They all walked to Hogshead together and waited for the rest of the people

" So Hermione how many people did you ask?" Harry asked

" Just a few" Hermione said

Harry nodded

It turned out that Hermione's version of few is just like Hermione's version of a bit of light reading

" Hermione there's about twenty other people here" Brenda snapped, " Twenty is not a few"

" I guess it was more popular than I thought" Hermione said with a shrug

" Hermione what did you tell everybody? What exactly are they expecting?" Harry asked

" They want to hear what you have to say" Hermione said, " I'll start the meeting"

Everybody gathered around the four fifth year Gryffindors

" Ok well we all know why you're here, all of you would like to be taught Defense Against the Dark Arts, you all think Umbridge is doing a horrible job, I figured it would be good if we took matters into our own hands, which means that we would learn spells not just the theory”

" You want to pass your OWLs too don't you" A Hufflepuff said

" Of course I do, But I also want to be able to defend myself because... well... because Voldemort is back" Hermione blurted

The group was quiet and they all looked at the Potters

" Well at least that is the plan" Hermione whispered

" So where's the proof that you know who's back?" The same Hufflepuff asked

" Well Dumbledore believes it" Hermione said

" Dumbledore believes the word of the Potters” The Hufflepuff said

" What's your name?" Ron asked

" Zacharias Smith" Zacharias said, " And we have a right to know what makes them say that you know who is back"

Harry and Brenda looked at each other

" This isn't what this meeting is supposed to be about" Hermione said

" It's alright Hermione" Brenda said

" You want to know why we think that Voldemort is back?" Harry asked

Zacharias nodded

" Then we'll tell you why" Brenda said and they said together, " Because we saw him come back to life"

Zacharias was about to say something and Brenda had a good idea what he was about to say

" And no we did not rehearse this, saying the same thing is a twin thing, ask the Weasley twins if you don't believe us" Brenda said

Half the people turned to look at the Weasley twins and they nodded in agreement

" Dumbledore told you the whole story last year, if you didn't believe him then you won't believe us, and we don't really want to waste an afternoon trying to convince everybody” Harry said

" Potters, all that Dumbledore told us is that Diggory was killed by you know who and you both brought him back to Hogwarts, we didn't get the details and I bet everybody would like to know the details" Zacharias said

" It's funny that he's the only one talking" Brenda thought to Harry

" Yah, so what do you think? Should we tell them everything?" Harry thought

" Yah" Brenda thought, "Even though I really don't want to go strolling down memory lane, if we're going to make this work then we have to tell them what happened" and said, " Ok Smith, we'll tell you all what happened"

" No I don't want to know how Cedric died" Cho Chang yelled out

" She has a reason for that" Brenda whispered

" Um... I'll take Cho outside and we'll wait for you to finish the story" Hermione said

Brenda nodded

Hermione and Cho left the bar

" Now will you tell us?" Zacharias asked

" Smith be quiet, you'll get the story" Fred snapped

Zacharias glared at Fred but Fred glared back

" Ok before you two get in a fight, we'll start the story" Brenda said

" Ok we were in the maze for the third task and before anybody says anything, we did not put our names in the Goblet of Fire, it was actually a Death eater Barty Crouch Jr." Harry said, " We were split up in the maze but we always found each other and we decided to go through it together, we found Cedric dueling Victor Krum because Krum was possessed... things happened in that maze, anyway we three ended up going to the cup together and grabbing it at the same time, we didn't know the cup was a portkey until it was too late"

" We landed in a graveyard. There was a cauldron and we just knew something bad was going to happen, we could just tell and something bad did happen, Peter Pettigrew, who is a death eater, was ordered by Voldemort to kill the spare. The spare being Cedric, and he used the killing curse, that is how he died" Brenda said and sighed, " With his wand, Pettigrew trapped us on a gravestone and we watched as Voldemort was brought to life"

" How" Brenda was interrupted by Zacharias

" Bone of the father unwillingly given , flesh of the servant willingly sacrificed and blood of the enemy forcefully taken" Harry and Brenda said at the same time, " And the Dark Lord shall rise again"

" He is very ugly, he is deathly pale, bald, evil looking eyes that look... snakish, it looks like he doesn't have a nose but just nostrils, very long and thin fingers and very scaly feet" Brenda said

" How did you notice all of that when your scar was burning like crazy" Harry asked

Brenda shrugged

" Anyway, we ended up being underneath a crucio and then he wanted to duel us at the same time" Harry said

" At the same time?" Nevile asked

" Yes, at the same time, he created a new... well I wouldn't call it a spell because you're saying the old spells but just adding on to it, it's called Duplico, you say the spell and add Duplico to the end of it and your spell is cast at two targets" Brenda said

" That was scary" Harry said

" But very interesting to know, we could actually use that to our advantage" Brenda said with a smile

" So how did you two escape?" Padma asked

" We dueled him and when he said the killing curse, we used Expelliarmas at the same time and created a Priori Incantatem which looked like a golden web of magic, and the ghosts of the people that Voldemort killed came out of all of our wands, we saw our parents, Cedric, an old man, it was really a sight, they helped us escape after Cedric told us to bring his body back to his father. We ran toward Cedric’s body and accioed the cup to us and portkeyed back to Hogwarts" Brenda said

It was quiet in the pub again and everybody's eyes were wide with shock

" I'll go bring in Hermione and Cho" George Volunteered

Hermione went back up to the front of the group with the other three, " So if you want to learn some defense then we need to figure out a place to practice and a way to contact everybody"

" Is it true?" Susan Bones asked

" Is what true?" Hermione asked

" Is it true that you two can cast patronuses?" Susan asked

" Yah" Harry and Brenda said

" Corporeal?" Susan asked

" Yah, Mines a unicorn" Brenda said

" Mines a stag" Harry said

There were murmurs among the group

" Yah that's what my aunt said" Susan said

" Your aunt?" Brenda asked

" Madam Bones, I believe she was at your hearing" Susan said

" I never knew that they knew that" Lee said

" Mum told us not to spread it around" Fred said

" You two knew?" Lee asked

" Of course" Fred said

" Mum said that they had too much attention already" George said

" Yah well your mum is right" Harry said thickly

A few people chuckled at that

" I heard that you two defeated a basilisk during second year, is that true?" Padma asked

" Yes" Brenda said

A few people whistled and the Potters saw the Creevy brothers exchange awestruck looks

" I hope those two don't start worshiping us again" Brenda thought, " They just stopped"

Harry silently chuckled at that

" Don't forget during our first year, they saved the sorcerer's stone from you know who" Nevile said

" Wow as first years?" A Hufflepuff named Hannah was amazed

" And we can't forget the Tri-Wizard tournament last year, dragons, mer people all the scary things in that maze" Cho said

Brenda heard Harry gasp when Cho spoke

" Still in love with her?" Brenda thought

" No" Harry thought, " I was never..." He didn't finish

" Just admit it Harry, you're in love with her, I can tell, I had that look for Fred for a very long time" Brenda thought

Harry sighed, " Ok yah, I'm in love with her, but... I can't, Cedric died and they were dating" He thought

" I'm not saying right away, give her time, just become friends or something" Brenda thought, " She can use all the friends she can get"

Harry nodded, " We better say something quick" He thought

" Look everybody, we had a lot of help with everything we accomplished it wasn't..." Brenda started

" Not with the dragon" George interrupted, " You guys defeated that thing on your own, might I add it was pretty cool"

" You have a point" Harry said

" And this summer, nobody helped you get rid of those dementors, it was just the two of you" Susan Bones said

" That's true" Brenda said, " Still don't like being reminded of that night though" She thought

" Look we know we did some things on our own but the point we're trying to make is..." Harry didn't finish

" Don't tell us that you both are trying to Weasel out on showing us how to do the kind of stuff you two can do" Zacharias said

" Shut your mouth Smith" Ron said angerly

" What did the word Weasel get to you Weasley?" Zacharias asked, " I'm just saying that we all sacrificed our Hogsmeade afternoon to come here to listen to what the Potters have to say, and to actually learn how to do the spells, and now they're telling us that they aren't going to be teaching us anything”

" That is not what they said" Fred snapped

" Do you want us to clean your ears out for you so you can actually hear what they have to say?" George asked taking his wand out of his pocket

" Calm down boys" Brenda said, " Don't do anything drastic"

" You're lucky my girlfriend stopped us" Fred glared

" Ok the point of this meeting is… Are we agreeing to take lessons from Harry and Brenda?" Hermione asked

There were murmurs of agreement from the group, except for Zacharias who was looking at George's wand that he didn't put back in his pocket

" Ok now we need to figure out the times for the meetings and where, I think we should have them once a week" Hermione said

" They can't interfere with Quidditch" Angelina Johnson said

" Right, days that don't interfere with Quidditch for anybody" Hermione agreed

" Now that we have that part settled, where are we going to meet?" Brenda asked

" How about the library?" Katie Bell asked

" No, Madame Pince won't let us, she doesn't like us talking and if her books get ruined, well lets just say that I'd rather face a dragon then her wrath" Brenda said

That scared a few of the people in the group

" We'll try to find a place, we don't have to have a place this very minute" Hermione said, " We'll send a message to everybody when we have more information" Hermione dug through her bag and got out a quill and parchment, " Now can everybody make a single file line and sign your names and house on here?"

" Oh and if you sign your name, you have to make sure you don't shout out about this to anyone. Don't talk about it even to the people who are signed up, we don't want Umbridge to find out about this" Brenda said

Fred smiled and he was the first one to sign the parchment with George second, everybody else was a little nervous about signing

" Ok, why are you guys so nervous all of a sudden?" Harry asked

" What if the list is lost and Umbridge gets it, some of us are prefects" A Hufflepuff named Ernie said

" The list will not be lost, I am very responsible and I do not lose things" Hermione said

" Especially something as important as this" Brenda added

That got the rest of the people signing

" You know Hermione now that I think about it... this just might be fun" Brenda said

" I know Harry will have fun, Cho will be there" Hermione said

" What?" Harry asked

" Couldn't you see that Cho couldn't take her eyes off you?" Brenda asked

" Really?" Harry asked excitedly

" Really" Brenda and Hermione said at the same time

On the way back from Hogsmeade the four fifth years, Ginny and the Weasley twins talked about the Defense training

" It's so cool that you guys are going to do this" George said

" So how are you going to contact all of the members?" Fred asked

" I have an idea, I'll tell you it once I create it" Hermione said

" Why don't you tell us and then we can help you?" George asked

" Yes, we're good at creating things" Fred said

" That's ok, I don't think they'll be very difficult to make" Hermione said

The group finally got to Hogwarts not knowing that Umbridge was listening to some of their conversation

The rest of the weekend went well, everybody finished up their homework and enjoyed the nice breezy autumn days. On Monday morning though, everything wasn't according to plan, Umbridge thought of another rule to add to her growing list it said in bold black letters

BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS

All student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are banned, either one of those is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students. Permission to reform may be sought by Professor Umbridge. None of the things listed above may exist without Professor Umbridge's approval. If somebody is caught belonging to an Organization, Society, Team, Group or club that hasn't been approved will be expelled. This is Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four

All of the students looked worried when they read that and Angelina Johnson looked outraged

" She's going to cancel Quidditch? She can't do that! Angelina gasped

" Calm down Angelina, just go... ask for Umbridge's permission" Hermione said

" Yes, I will do that, she cannot cancel Quidditch" Angelina said walking away from the notice then turned back around and walked straight to the Potters, " Potters, whatever you do, do not lose your tempers with that woman or she might not let us play"

" Why are you just looking at us?" Brenda asked

Angelina glared at her, " You know why, just please don't lose your tempers with her"

" Ok we'll behave ourselves" Harry said

Angelina nodded and left the group and headed towards Umbridge's classroom

" Ok... So, she either knows we're up to something or... this is a major coincidence" Brenda said

" I wonder who blabbed to her" Ron said

" Nobody did" Hermione said

" How do you know?" Ron asked

" Because I jinxed the sign up sheet, whoever signed it and told would have major concequences and we would have known the minute they told" Hermione said

During Breakfast, Angel flew in with a letter from Snuffles that said same place and time

" Fireplace midnight" Brenda thought to Harry

Harry nodded

Brenda sighed, " Have fun" Brenda couldn't talk to him since she was still grounded

Also in the envelope were two pictures of the Order of the Phoenix and a letter saying who's who and how they died or where they're at, Brenda and Harry looked at Neville's parents and learned that Bellatrix Lestrange tortured them until they gone crazy

Brenda gasped when she read that

" We have to keep this a secret" Harry thought to Brenda and Brenda agreed

Nobody talked about the Defense classes for a while that day. The members kept giving the four worried looks whenever they passed them on the way to classes, finally Neville went up to them

" So are we still going to go through with this?" Neville asked

" Yes" Harry said

" But what about..." Neville started

" We're going through with it, we need to learn how to fight, we're going to learn how to fight" Brenda said, " Keep thinking of places to meet at, it'll help us a lot"

Neville smiled and nodded

They all headed down to Potions and heard Malfoy talking, as annoying as it is

" Yah she gave Slytherin permission for Quidditch right away, well she knows my father really well since he works at the Ministry, I wonder if Gryffindor will get Quidditch back, I doubt it since the two Potters stress her out with all the Dark Lord nonsense" Malfoy said

" Don't stoop to his level" Hermione told the Potters

" And if it has to do with the Ministry then the Gryffindors don't have a chance, It's only a matter of time before Weasley's dad is fired and that hearing the Potters got didn't go as planned, of course Umbridge would be angry" Malfoy said with a smirk towards the Gryffindors, " With all of the Dark Lord nonsense my father says it's only a matter of time before the Potters get carried off to St. Mungos"

" Hey Harry, do you realize that in almost every sentence Malfoy says, he says My father says? It's like he doesn't have a mind of his own, he only believes what his father says? Does he actually think we care what his father says?" Brenda asked with a smirk

Malfoy glared and then looked at Neville and smiled then turned back to the Potters, " I believe when they take you to St. Mungos you'll go to the area where they treat special cases where people were addled by magic"

Before anybody could say anything Neville lunged toward Malfoy and it took the other four Gryffindors to stop Neville from getting hurt because he was no match for Crabbe and Goyle even though they are thick heads, of course that is when Snape came in and saw the situation

" Fighting in class? That will be ten points from Gryffindor and if you don't let go then it will be detention for you five" Snape said

They let go of Neville and Neville just looked at them

" Sorry Neville but you're no match for Crabbe and Goyle" Brenda said

" What was that about?" Ron asked

Neville didn't say anything he just took his seat

" Should we tell him?" Harry thought

" No, if he wants to tell us, he will, we should keep this a secret between us, Ron doesn't need to know " Brenda thought back

Harry nodded

That Potions hour they were working on Strengthening solutions and Snape found something wrong with Harry's, it smelled like burning rubber and Snape gave Harry another assignment due by the next class time

" Why does he always pick on me?" Harry asked

Brenda shrugged her shoulders

" Well why don't you ask him?" Harry asked

" I asked him ten times and each time I did he said none of your business" Brenda said

The other two classes weren't that fun, Divination and Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry and Brenda made sure they kept their tempers in check so that they could play Quidditch

That night during Dinner Angelina went up to the four fifth years

" She didn't give us permission" Angelina said frustrated

" WHAT, but we didn't lose our tempers at all" Brenda said

" Yah, I know, she said she'll think about it" Angelina said annoyed

" That's not fair, she gave the Slytherins permission just like that" Ron said snapping his fingers to make a point

" Well..." Hermione said, " Look on the bright side, now Harry you have time to do Snape's essay"

" That's a bright side? No Quidditch and double potions homework?" Harry asked

" Harry you're talking to Hermione" Brenda thought to her brother

" Right, but you would also call this a bright side, potions" Harry thought and reminded her

" Hey not fair, I like potions yes, but that doesn't mean I'd rather do them instead of Quidditch, Hermione doesn't like flying remember so she would call this a bright side" Brenda thought back with a glare

Hermione didn't say anything to Harry's question but saw the glare Brenda gave Harry, " Secrets don't make friends"

" We were just arguing over potions, no big deal" Brenda said, " Harry if you want I'll help you on the essay"

" Fine" Harry said

Brenda helped Harry with his potions homework but they still didn't get a lot done, it was very noisy in the Common Room, Fred and George were testing their new products on some of the younger students and there were a lot of vomit noises, it was very disturbing. Finally everything quieted down since they were all going down to dinner

" Remember when you talk to Sirius, ask him why he risked giving us the pictures, Angel could have been stopped and the letter could have been read and the pictures looked at" Brenda said

" That didn't happen" Harry said

" I know but it was a risk" Brenda said, " Also tell him about all that's going on here and tell him why I can't see him, you know he'll ask"

Harry nodded

After Dinner they went their separate ways, Three Gryffindors up to Gryffindor tower and one Gryffindor going to the Dungeons and to the apartment

The next day when Brenda got up to Gryffindor Tower the others looked very worried

" I think you were right about Angel being stopped" Harry said

Brenda's eyes went wide, " What" she choked out

" We think Umbridge knew of the meeting, when were were talking to Sirius, he left real fast after a while and thirty seconds later there was a hand with stubby fingers and pink sleeves at the wrist" Harry said

" You mean she read our mail and saw the pictures?" Brenda gasped

Harry nodded

" Don't worry too much about the pictures, nothing in the letter said anything about the Order, all that was said is if they were still alive or what happened to them, it looked like a friend photo" Hermione said

" Hermione, Snape is in the order and he doesn't have any friends that I'm aware of" Brenda said

" He also wasn't in the photo, he was probably on an assignment or something when they took it" Hermione said, " Or Snape left from the picture"

" I was going to say because yes he was" Brenda said

" Well he most likely left the photo when Umbridge saw it, he wouldn't want to jeperdize everything" Hermione said

" Yah you're probably right" Brenda said

" Oh... one more thing, we were overheard about the Defense classes" Ron said

Brenda's eyes went wide

" Calm down it was just somebody who was following us from the Order, Sirius found out about it and so does the rest of the order" Harry said

" But... Snape didn't say anything" Brenda said

" Maybe he didn't want to scare you" Hermione suggested

" Yah leave that to my friends and brother" Brenda said sarcastically and rolled her eyes

 

That day Angelina ran to them telling the Gryffindors that she got permission for Quidditch

" I went to McGonagall who went to Dumbledore and I got permission" Angelina said excitedly, "We have practice after dinner at 7:00, you three better be there, no excuses, not even grounding" Angelina looked at Brenda and then left

Brenda groaned, " Well maybe since I'm part of a team and my team is counting on me, maybe I can go down later" Brenda thought to herself

After classes Brenda waited until the coast was clear and walked into Snape's classroom

" Ms. Potter you don't have class until tomorrow" Snape said

Brenda could tell they were alone and he made a joke, " Ha ha very funny"

Severus smirked, " What can I help you with?"

" What's the grounding rule when it comes to Quidditch practices starting after dinner?" Brenda asked

" You notify me and I give you permission, hmm this never occurred before has it?" Snape asked

Brenda shook her head no

" I give you permission to attend all of your practices... and... that defense thing that the whole order knows about" Severus said giving his daughter a look

Brenda smiled sheepishly, " Thanks"

Severus nodded, " I suggest you get out of here, it's too suspicious you being in here since you don't need any help in potions since you have an O"

" Uh... Right, see you later" Brenda said

" See you" Severus said and watched as Brenda left

It was raining during Quidditch practice

" How in the world are we supposed to see when it's raining?" Fred asked

" Harry, what did you do to your glasses that year when we played Hufflepuff?" Angelina asked

" Well I didn't do anything, it was Hermione who did it" Harry said

" Well what did she do?" Angelina asked

" Impervius" Harry said

" Why do we have to practice in the rain?" Ron asked

" Well it might be raining when we go against Slytherin, Quidditch is not canceled because of the rain" Angelina said

" Yah Ron what she said" George said

Ron glared at his older brother

" So everybody use Impervius on your eyes and we'll start practice" Angelina instructed and that's what everybody did

Practice didn't last long, the wind was too wild and everybody was slipping on their brooms. Angelina finally admitted defeat

" We'll practice when the weather is calmer" Angelina said

Everybody went back into the changing rooms and got out of their Quidditch things

The next day Neville ran to the four other Gryffindors, " I found a place" He whispered during breakfast

" Is it big enough for about 30 students?" Hermione asked

" Yes" Neville said happily, "There's enough room for 100"

" All right, all we need to do now is figure out a way to communicate with all of the members" Brenda said looking at Hermione

" Way ahead of you, I finished them when you were at practice" Hermione said and took out a Galleon

" What's that for?" Brenda asked

" This is what we're going to use to notify the members when the next meeting will be" Hermione explained

" It's a Galleon" Brenda said

" It's fake" Hermione said, " I had to think of something that we could use so nobody would be suspicious and nobody is suspicious of money"

" Ok, so how does it work?" Brenda asked

" When we set up a date and time we point our wands at our Galleon and say Revelo and then all of the Galleons would heat up and when they take them out of their pockets they will be notified the time and place, there's also a map on the Galleon to show where the place is at" Hermione said

" So this is kind of like the Dark mark" Brenda said

" Yes except nothing is tattooed on our arms" Hermione said

" Brilliant" Harry said, " So how do we know that the members won't try to spend this galleon?"

" Because it feels different from all the other galleons, it looks like real gold but it's just a plastic and I also have a sticky jinx on them so that they can't get lost" Hermione said

" I love this plan" Brenda said with a smile

Hermione handed out the Galleons to all the Gryffindor members at the breakfast table and explained

" This is going to be so awesome" George to his twin

Fred smiled

After classes Neville showed the four other Gryffindors and Fred and George where the place was at

" It's the Room of Requirement" Hermione and Brenda gasped

" What?" Ron and Harry asked

" The Room of Requirement, it's in Hogwarts A History" Hermione explained

" The room of Requirement is called the come and go room, it is a room that can only be discovered when someone is in need. To make the room appear we need to walk in front of it three times thinking hard about what we need" Brenda said

" You got all of that from a book?" Fred asked

" Summarizing it yes" Brenda said

" Fred we've been here before remember when we were almost caught by Filch? But it turned into a broom cupboard" George said

" Yah I remember, we couldn't find it again though" Fred said

" So lets try it out" Harry said

He walked in front of the wall three times thinking of a place to practice spells and duel in peace and all of a sudden a door came into view. Harry opened the door and on the other side was a very spacious looking room

" Wow" Everybody said at the same time

" You did good Neville" Ron said

Neville smiled

" I think we're ready for the meetings" Brenda said with a smile

 

It took a week to hand out all of the Galleons because it was hard to be sneaky and during that week even though it wasn't time yet, Severus let Brenda go back to Gryffindor Tower

" I think it's time for a meeting" Harry said

" Everything's ready, nothing is scheduled, there are no tests that need to be studied for, tonight is perfect" Brenda said, " 7:00"

Hermione smiled and nodded then took out her Galleon, " Revelo"

They all felt their Galleons warm up and looked at them

" It worked" Ron said

" Of course it did" Hermione said, " You had doubt?"

" Of course not, it just surprised me that's all" Ron said

Hermione nodded

Everybody was excited to start the meeting, they all found the room and waited for Harry and Brenda to come and open it. Hermione took attendance and everybody showed up

" Good" Hermione said, " Everybody's here"

Everybody was awed at the room, there were wooden dummies to practice spells on, there were cushions so people won't get hurt when spells are cast on them

" Well it looks like everybody made it just fine... Well I think we should begin" Harry said

" Wait we need to pick a name" Hermione said, " It will promote team spirit and unity"

" And defiance to Umbridge" Brenda said with a smirk

" How about the Anti Umbridge League?" Angelina asked

" Hmm, AUL... nice ring to it, We'll see" Brenda said, " Any other suggestions?"

" Here's one, the Ministry of Magic are Morons group" Fred said

" That's quite a mouthful Fred" Brenda said

" And we wouldn't be able to talk about outside of this room because then everybody will know what we're up to" Hermione put in

" But it was a good suggestion" Brenda said with a smile

" How about Defense Association?" Cho asked, " It can be DA for short so nobody knows what we're talking about"

" Hmm... Defense Association... I like it how about you Harry?" Brenda asked

" Yah, short simple... DA sounds catchy" Harry said

" How about instead of Defense Association, how about Dumbledore's Army, since that is what the Ministry fears most is Dumbledore creating an Army, well now he has one" Ginny put in

There were a lot of murmmers for that idea

" Ok all in favor of Dumbledore's Army raise your hand" Hermione said

Everybody raised their hands

" All right we are now called Dumbledore's Army" Hermione said with a smile

" All right... Lets get down to business" Brenda said with a smile

" Right I think the first spell we should teach you is Expelliarmus, I know it's a simple spell but in a duel it is very powerful" Harry said

" How is Expelliarmus going to help us against you know who?" Zacharias Smith asked

" Well it saved our lives when we faced him" Brenda said

" Oh" Zacharias said

" Now... Lets get down to business" Brenda said again and then started singing, " Lets get down to business to defeat Voldemort"

Almost everybody gasped But Brenda rolled her eyes and continued

" Can you do your spells right, with all your might? You need to cast spells from there to there but you can bet before we're through, we will make Dumbledore's Army out of you" Brenda sang

Harry ushered everybody to partner up and showed them how to cast it and he used Ron

Brenda helped the younger students with the position" Tranquil as a forest but on fire within. Once you find your center, you are sure to win. You'll be the greatest students we have got, and Umbridge won't have a clue, we will make Dumbledore's Army out of you" Brenda sang

" I'm never going to get this right" Neville said

" Boy was I a fool in DADA" Ernie said

" Voldemorts got us scared to death" Fred and George said

" I hope Harry can't see right through me" Cho thought

" Now I really wish I knew how to aim" Nigel said

Brenda smiled at Fred " We must be swift as a Nimbus 2000, with all the force of a Hippogriff, with all the strength of a scary giant. Mysterious as Divination class with Trelawny" Brenda sang

" Brenda why are you singing" Harry asked

" Join me" Brenda said

Harry smiled and got the other two to join in

" Time is racing toward us till Voldemort attacks. Heed our every order and you can fight back. You'll be suited for the rage of war so practice, practice, practice, we will make Dumbledore's Army out of you" They sang

" YOU ALL KNOW WHAT TO SING" Brenda yelled happily

Nobody joined except for Fred and George, Neville, Luna, and Lee

" We must be swift as a Nimbus 2000, with all the force of a Hippogriff, with all the strength of a scary giant. Mysterious as Divination class with Trelawny" The group sang

Everybody joined in this time while practicing their spells

" We must be swift as a Nimbus 2000, with all the force of a Hippogriff, with all the strength of a scary giant. Mysterious as Divination class with Trelawny" Everybody sang

EXPELLIARMUS" Everybody yelled

" HEY I DID IT. I DID IT" Neville cheered watching Harry retrieve his wand

" Good job" Harry said with a smile

The song got everybody in the mood to do the spells. They sang the song together at each meeting. It was hard for Harry and Brenda to think of a night for the meetings each week because they had to think about all of the Quidditch practices. Everybody was doing real well at the meetings, Nigel was learning how to aim, Neville was getting his spells right and sometimes even knocking his partner over with an Expelliarmus. When the Quidditch matches were getting closer Angelina told the Potters to stop with the DA meetings for a while

" We need to concentrate on Quidditch, we're going to practice every night, we have to beat those Slytherins" Angelina said

The Quidditch players who are also in the DA agreed and even some of the non Quidditch players in Gryffindor, so until the big game, the DA didn't have any more meetings. Instead they used that time to practice Quidditch or do their homework

Finally it was the big day

" I'm so nervous, I can't face the Slytherins, there is no possible way I can block all the Quaffles" Ron said with a shaky voice

" Ron you'll be fine, you blocked all of the Quaffles during practice, just pretend we're at practice again" Brenda said

" Yah but at practice you don't have Slytherins glaring at you and Slytherin beaters aiming the bludgers at you" Ron said

" Ron you'll be fine, you're a really great player, remember that one Quaffle you saved? You were dangling on your broom with one hand and you blocked the Quaffle" Harry said

" Harry, I slipped off my broom and I was trying to get back up, I accidently kicked the Quaffle away" Ron said

" You still saved it" Brenda said, " You'll be fine, you've been playing Quidditch all your life whether it was on the Gryffindor team or in your back yard, you're very good"

" You think so?" Ron asked

" Ron we know so" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

" You'll be great mate" Harry said with a smile

Ron smiled, " I hope you're right"

" We are" Brenda said and gave her friend a hug

Ron smiled and hugged her back, " Don't let Fred catch us" He teased

" Ha ha very funny" Brenda said releasing the hug and rolling her eyes

Ron was smiling and so was Harry

" Come on you two, we better get down to the pitch" Harry said

" Yah Ok... in a minute" Brenda said and she ran back up to the dorm and got her BRENDA necklace and ran back down

" Won't that break during the game?" Harry asked after helping his sister put it on

" Harry I wore this during the second task, third task and... after the third task, I don't think it'll break during a Quidditch match" Brenda said and rose her eyebrow, " And I wore it during all the practices"

" Ok" Harry said

" Why are you wearing it anyway?" Ron asked looking at it

" It's good luck" Brenda explained

" How?" Ron asked

Brenda rolled her eyes and smiled, " Well it brought good luck during the second task, third task, after third task, I had my first kiss wearing this, the hearing etc..."

" Ron you ask alot of questions about a necklace" Harry said with a chuckle

" Just curious why she thinks it's lucky" Ron said

They were almost down to the Quidditch Pitch when they ran into Malfoy and some other Slytherins who were wearing Weasley is our king badges

" That's not good" Harry thought

" I bet their up to something" Brenda thought back

" Oh look it's the Potter Geeks and Weasel, walking to their pathetic changing room, this is going to be such an easy game, they have Weasel as their keeper" Malfoy smirked at his teammates and at the three Gryffindors

" Keep on walking Ron" Harry whispered

" I can smell the victory now" Malfoy grinned at his teammates who grinned back

" Nah, that's just your body oder" Brenda grinned

That wiped the smirk right off Malfoy's face, " Why you little"

Before he could say anything else, Brenda cast Silincio on him and the three Gryffindors ran towards the pitch before Malfoy or anybody else knew what hit the little ferret and they started laughing

" How long will it last?" Harry asked

" That was a weak one, five minutes at the most" Brenda answered, " Oh that was fun, Ron don't listen to what Malfoy said, he's just a jerk and a Slytherin"

" I never listen to what they have to say" Ron said

" Good, and you shouldn't" Brenda said, " Well I think we better get ready"

They all went into the changing stalls to change

" So what do you think those badges are about?" Harry thought to his sister

" No idea, whatever it is, it isn't good, we need to keep Ron focused on the game" Brenda thought back

After the pep talk that Angelina gave her team everybody grabbed their brooms

" Hey Brenda" Fred called

" Yah" Brenda asked

" For luck" Fred said and he kissed her

" You two this is not the time, you kissed enough in the common room, it's time to play" Angelina scolded

Brenda rolled her eyes and kissed her boyfriend back

" Fred, Brenda" Angelina started

" Relax Angel, we're done" Fred said with a grin

" It was a good luck kiss anyway" Brenda said

" Alright, don't make out on the field now" Angelina said

" Not the proper place" Brenda started

" Or time" Fred finished

" Wrong set of twins" George and Harry said

The two sets of twins laughed

Angelina was getting mad, " This isn't time for jokes, it's time to play Quidditch"

" We're ready Angel, now are we going to go out on the field or are we going to bicker" George asked

" Right, well team, lets go" Angelina called and everybody got on the field and mounted their brooms and entered the sky

The Gryffindor team noticed that the Slytherin team all had Weasley is our king badges and the bad thing is that Ron saw them

" Ron don't pay any attention to the badges or what the Slytherins are going to do with them" Angelina called over to him

Ron nodded but he still looked nervous

A few minutes later the game started and everything was going all right until the Slytherins started singing

" Weasley cannot save a thing. He cannot block a single ring. Thats why Slytherins all sing Weasley is our king. Weasley was born in a bin. He always lets the Quaffle in. Weasley will make sure we win. Weasley is our king. Weasley is our King, Weasley is our king, he always lets the Quaffle in, Weasley is our king.

The Slytherins were singing that all through the game, the audience and the players. Finally Brenda got the Quaffle and scored

" As your king, Weasley orders you to stop singing" Brenda spat

The Keeper just smirked and glared that Brenda scored. The score was Slytherin fourty Gryffindor ten and the Quidditch stadium was very noisy, the slytherins were all singing that stupid song and Lee Jordan was trying to drown out the singing with his commentary of the game

A few minutes later with nobody scoring Harry caught the snitch and the Gryffindors cheered

" Yes" Brenda whispered

She saw Crabbe aim a bludger right at Harry and it hit him in the back and Harry flew off his broom and landed on his back

" Oh my god" Brenda said and she sailed down to Harry like Angelina did and Angelina helped him up, " You ok Harry?"

" Yah, who hit me?" Harry asked

" It was Crabbe, I think he was mad that you caught the snitch, he is such a jerk" Brenda said

" Aren't they all?" Angelina answered

Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team came down

" Saved Weasley's neck have you? I have never seen a worse keeper than Weasel" Malfoy said and then smirked, " But then again, he was born in a bin, so how did you like my lyrics?"

The Gryffindors were ignoring Malfoy

" We wanted to add more lyrics like fat and ugly so we could talk about his mum, and then add stupid and loser for his dad but nothing we could think of rhymed with them" Malfoy explained

Fred and George grew stiff, they finally heard what Malfoy was saying

" You guys ignore him, he's just sore that he lost again" Brenda said

" But you Potters like the Weasley's don't you? Yes you're best friends with them and... a couple" Malfoy said glaring at Fred and Brenda, " You spend your holidays with them, I don't know how you can stand the stink, but then again, you two were raised by muggles because your parents were stupid enough to get themselves killed by the Dark lord”

The Gryffindor team was trying to hold onto Fred and George, but after Malfoy started talking about the Potter's parents, Harry and Brenda let go of Fred and George and started going after Malfoy, Fred and George got free and were right behind them

" WEASLEYS POTTERS NO" Angelina yelled

Too late, Brenda already had her wand out about to do a stinging hex but Harry beat her to it, he punched Malfoy in the face making his nose bleed. After Harry punched him Brenda cast the stinging hex on Malfoy and then the other some of the Slytherin team started going after the Potters and Weasleys, Puce was about to punch Brenda in the stomach but was stopped by Fred who punched him in the stomach first, a stinging hex was thrown at Harry but he dodged it and it hit Malfoy instead

" Sorry Malfoy" Goyle said

The fight ended with Madame Hooch blowing her whistle and casting a few Impedimentas at the people who were fighting

George had a swollen lip and a black eye, Fred had a black eye and a bloody nose, Brenda was clutching her arm where a stinging hex hit her and her wrist hurt, Harry was also clutching his arm and had a black eye and his back hurt from the game, the worst one of all though was Malfoy who was in a fetal position, with his knees up to his chin and holding his arm and he had a black eye and a bloody nose and a swollen lip

" I saw the whole thing even though I was lecturing Crabbe here, you four up to your head of house" Hooch commanded Harry, Brenda, Fred and George, " Everyone who was in this fight have a weeks worth of detentions" Hooch told the others

It was a silent trip back up to the castle and to McGonagall's office

" You all were fighting with the Slytherins? The Muggle way?" McGonagall asked not believing it

" Yes" The four said

" Because Malfoy provoked you is that right?" McGonagall asked

" Yes" They said again

" He was talking about our parents and Brenda and Harry's parents" Fred explained

" He made us angry" George said

" Well I can see that" McGonagall said, " But that does not give you the excuse to start a fight especially the muggle way"

All of a sudden there was an annoying noise that everybody knew

" May I help you Delores?" McGonagall asked

" No, I was just going to help you sort out these... children" Umbridge said

" We're not children you toad" Brenda thought

" Brenda not now" Harry thought back

" Wasn't thinking to you" Brenda thought back

" I know, still read your thoughts though" Harry thought back

Brenda rolled her eyes

" I don't need any help sorting out these... students" McGongall said, " Now as I was saying, your punishment will be detention for two weeks, I hope you will learn a lesson because your behavior out there was disgusting"

" hem hem" Umbridge made that noise again

" Yes Delores?" McGonagall asked

" I don't think they will learn their lessons with a detention" Umbridge said

" Well unfortunately they are in my house and the rules apply that the head of house gives out discipline for this kind of behavior" McGonagall said

Umbridge just smiled, " Well actually Minerva, I now have the educational decree number twenty five"

" Not another one" McGonagall groaned

" Well yes" Umbridge said still smiling, " In fact it was you who made me realize that we needed another one when you went to Dumbledore to get the permission to get Gryffindor back on the Quidditch team. I couldn't have that so I went to the Minister and he agreed that the High Inquisitor should be able to strip students privileges. If the High Inquisitor didn't have that then I would have less authority than common teachers which I am not. The decree states that the High Inquisitor will henceforth have supreme authority over all punishments, sanctions, and removal of privileges as may have been ordered by other staff members... signed Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic"

" Still not using a blood quill, decree or no decree" Brenda thought

" So the punishment for these four will be... a banning from Quidditch... ever again... also known as for life" Umbridge said smiling

" BANNED FOR LIFE?" The teenagers yelled

" Yes" Umbridge said, " And I want your brooms so there is no infringement on my ban"

" Ok first of all, you cannot ban us for life from playing Quidditch" Brenda said with a glare

" I just did" Umbridge said with a smile

" No, you banned us from playing Quidditch at Hogwarts. You cannot ban us from playing Quidditch at home or when we graduate. You cannot keep our brooms forever. In fact it is law to return what you conviscated at the end of the school year. None of your decrees can do anything about it because law is law; and nobody can break the law; not even the minister of magic" Brenda spat

Umbridge just smiled at Brenda and then left the office

" Got her flustered" Brenda said

" Ms. Potter what was that?" McGonagall asked

" Just telling her the facts" Brenda explained

" She'll probably try to find a loophole or something" George said

" She'll try, but there isn't one, it's law to return students possessions at the end of the school year, she can't ban us at home or anywhere else, just Hogwarts... and that is the upside to this day" Brenda said

" Wow Brenda you have a temper" Harry said

" She's a red head, redheads have tempers" Fred said

" Hey Fred" George said

" What?" Fred asked

" We're red heads, we don't have tempers" George said

" Well mum and Ginny do" Fred said

" Maybe it's only the girls" George said

" Not all girls have tempers nor is it all red heads" McGonagall informed, " Brenda you got your temper from your mother, she always put James in his place"

Brenda smiled at that

McGonagall side, " I guess you four should get your brooms and bring them to her office, Brenda's right, you'll get them back at the end of the school year, she can't do anything with them or it's breaking the law, after you do that, go to the Hospital wing and get checked out, you all are nursing something, just no more fighting"

The four teens groaned and did as they were told

When they got to the Hospital Wing there were a lot of Slytherins by Malfoy's bed including Snape. All the Slytherins except for Snape because he was a teacher glared at the four Gryffindors

" What happened to you four?" Pomfrey asked

" Malfoy wasn't the only victim" George spat

" He was just roughed up the worst" Fred said

" And they're all acting like he's on his death bed" Brenda said a little loudly

" Well you know Brenda, Malfoy does like the attention" Fred said

" Ok that's enough you four, now all of you sit on a bed so I can look at you" Pomfrey said and then looked over at the Slytherins, " Ok, everybody leave, Malfoy will be back in an hour, he needs to rest and he doesn't need all of you gawking at him"

The Slytherins looked at the mediwitch and back at Malfoy

" Come on you all, Madame Pomfrey knows best" Snape said and looked over at Pomfrey then at Brenda who looked away

The Slytherins groaned but did as their head of house told them to do

" Well it was fun while it lasted" Brenda said under her breath

 

After Snape made sure his students were out of the Hospital Wing, he came back with a piece of parchment and wrote on it and handed it to Pomfrey

" Write down all the potions you need for your stock, give it to one of the Gryffindors to bring down to me when they're healed" Snape said giving her the parchment

Pomfrey sighed, " Very well"

Snape billowed out of the Hospital Wing and headed back down to the dungeons

" Maybe that necklace isn't lucky at all" Harry thought

" It still is, but we just can't be lucky all the time" Brenda thought

Pomfrey did her job and healed all of the Gryffindors by giving them potions that tasted gross

" Why can't somebody ever make a potion that tastes good?" George complained

" Because then it would be muggle liquid medicine" Brenda said grimacing at the taste of her potion

After she handed out the potions to her patients, Pomfrey " wrote" on the parchment then turned around to Brenda, " Please give this note to Professor Snape on your way out" She had sympathy in her eyes

Brenda sighed, nodded and took the parchment, " I never get a break from being grounded with him, he is way too strict" she thought then read the note, " Brenda come down to the classroom, and to the apartment that way, you better come down after you're healed, if I find you in the Gryffindor Common room I'll drag you by your ear all the way down to the classroom and to the apartment" Brenda gasped after she read that

" What?" The other three asked

Brenda glanced at Malfoy who was glaring at them

" Nothing, that's just a lot of... pepper up potion" Brenda said

" What's the note say?" Harry thought

Brenda handed it over to her brother and the others read it

" Wow... that is a lot of pepper up potion" Fred said with sad eyes

" Yah and he'd do it too" Brenda whispered

" Well you four are free to go, I don't want to see you lot in here for a while, you hear me?" Pomfrey asked

" Yah we hear you" They said gloomy

" Well off you go then" Pomfrey said, " Oh, Ms. Potter I need one more potion"

Brenda handed over the parchment curious as to why she would need to look at the note that doesn't have any potions on it

Pomfrey actually wrote something on it and handed it back, " Sleeping draught"

Brenda nodded and they all left glaring at Malfoy on the way out

" So what did Pomfrey write" Fred asked

Brenda read Pomfrey's part and smiled, " She said it's not all our fault, Malfoy is mostly acting and he started it"

" Well that's true" They said together

" She said not to go hard on me because it wouldn't be fair" Brenda said with a smile, " I always liked her, now I just hope he listens" She looked worried again

" You don't think he will?" Harry asked

" No, not after what we did to Malfoy, Malfoy is Snape's Godson" Brenda pointed out, " That's why Snape was in the Hospital Wing today"

" Do you realize that is very weird, then it's like you and Malfoy are... cousins or something" George said

" When did you find that out?" Fred asked

" Third year summer" Brenda said, " Grandfather Severus told me"

" Who?" Harry asked

" The portrait of the old man down in the apartment, that's Grandfather Severus" Brenda explained

" And he told you that Snape was Malfoy's Godfather? What kind of conversation were you having?" Fred asked

" Well it was at the time when we just found Sirius, Grandfather Severus was saying bad things about Sirius Black and I right out and told him to shut it and told him he's my Godfather, he stopped and out of the blue told me that Snape is Malfoy's Godfather, I already been through the shock of Malfoy being like a cousin" Brenda explained

" So does Snape know you know?" George asked

Brenda shrugged, " If Grandfather Severus said something then yes, if not, then no"

They finally got to the point where they had to split up

" Well Good luck Brenda, I hope we'll see you soon" Fred said giving his girlfriend a hug and kiss goodbye

" See you later Brenda" George said

" Fred acts like he's not going to see you ever again" Harry thought

" I think it's sweet" Brenda thought back with a smile

" Well you should be going, don't want Snape to wait any longer" Harry thought

" Yah" Brenda frowned, " Well… have fun telling Angelina the news"

" I forgot about that" Fred said, " She's going to be angry"

" She shouldn't be angry at us, it's Umbridge's fault" Brenda said

" Well we'll just have to explain things" Harry said

" Well good luck you guys" Brenda said

" Thanks" The three guys said together

Harry and Brenda hugged and then they went their separate ways

Brenda was heading down to the Potions classroom and thought, " Sheesh every time I get in trouble I always feel like I'm walking the gallows"

She walked towards the classroom and took a deep breath then knocked

" Come in" Snape said in his teacher voice

Brenda took another deep breath and opened the door

Snape was grading papers when his daughter came in, he glared at her and motioned towards the Potions storage room where the wall that leads to the apartment is at

Brenda slowly walked towards the potions storage room, she knew her dad was glaring at her and she was keeping her eyes firmly on the ground so she wouldn't look at him, she knew that if she did she would lose her Gryffindor courage and bolt out the classroom and run as far away as possible from her dad and then she'd get in more trouble when he caught her. She finally made it and said the password to get inside and then ran to her room and on her bed, she took her pillow, buried her face in it and cried

Grandfather Severus came into Brenda's room, " What's wrong?"

" You should know" Brenda said with her face still buried in the pillow

" Yes, you beat up Draco Malfoy but why are you crying?" Grandfather Severus asked

" Because" Brenda said

Grandfather Severus waited for a moment and when he didn't get more of an answer he asked, "Because why?"

Brenda got her face out of her pillow and with a tear streaked face she glared at her Adopted Great Grandfather and said, " Because Dad is angry at me and I'm most likely grounded. It's Malfoy's fault that he got hit, he was talking bad about the Weasley's parents and Harry and my parents. We don't know much about our parents, we mostly know that they sacrificed themselves to save us when we were one, of course we would get worked up if somebody said something bad about them. Umbridge is a pink toad and she banned us from Quidditch for the rest of our Hogwarts days and she took our brooms away and are now hung up in her office taunting us if we have a freaking detention with her. 3/4 of the school thinks Harry and I are crazy thinking Voldemort is back and because of Voldemort I can't get a decent nights sleep without that night light. The night light makes me feel like I'm five again . I've been holding this all in and I can't take it any more" Brenda put her face back in her pillow and started to cry again

Grandfather Severus looked at his adopted great Granddaughter, " A lot has happened to her in her very short life, she shouldn't be punished, she's been punished enough" He thought and then walked out of her room and went back into the living room to wait for his grandson

Severus came in the apartment a half hour later and he looked angry, he was walking quickly towards Brenda's room

" Severus stop" Grandfather Severus said firmly

" What?" Severus snapped

" Don't use that tone with me young man" Grandfather Severus said firmly and with a glare

" Fine... what is it?" Severus asked

" That's better... don't punish Brenda" Grandfather Severus said

" What?" Severus asked startled

" Don't punish Brenda" Grandfather Severus said again

" After what she did you think she doesn't deserve punishment?" Severus asked

" She's been punished enough, she doesn't need a punishment, if she needs anything it's a hug from her father" Grandfather Severus said

" Do you have any idea what those Gryffindors did to Draco?" Severus asked

" Do you have any idea what Draco said to Harry and Brenda about their parents?" Grandfather Severus questioned

Severus was taken back

" I can see why Harry and Brenda went after Draco, he talked bad about their parents, they don't know much about them except what they're told and they want to defend them like how their parents defended them" Grandfather Severus said

" But that still doesn't give them any right to fight" Severus said

" And they were punished for it by Umbridge the pink toad" Grandfather Severus said, " She banned both Weasley twins and Potter twins from Quidditch for the rest of their Hogwarts days, she even took away their brooms which are hanging up in her office" Grandfather Severus said

" Why are you defending Brenda?" Severus asked, " You used to despise her"

" I got used to her and gotten to know her,she's family and you need to start being a better father, not just one that punishes but also one that loves" Grandfather Severus said

Severus sighed and thought about what his grandfather said and knew that he was right, Brenda has been punished more than enough

" Brenda better get her broom back from that toad at the end of the school year or there's going to be some problems" Severus said and walked slowly towards Brenda's door

" Severus" Grandfather Severus warned

" You be the grandfather, I'll be the dad" Severus said

" Severus" Grandfather Severus warned again

Severus smirked which told Grandfather Severus that Brenda wasn't going to be punished and he smiled

Severus opened Brenda's door slowly and found her crying into her pillow. Severus took a deep calming breath and slowly walked over to the bed and sat down on it. He felt Brenda stiffen and stop crying after he sat but she didn't lift her head up from the pillow. It was silent for ten minutes and nobody said anything

" Brenda you're going to sufficate with your face in the pillow like that, turn your head" Severus finally said after knowing Brenda hasn't even moved her head for the past ten minutes

Brenda turned her head opposite of Severus and she was still shedding silent tears and was confused why she wasn't being scolded yet

Severus didn't know what to say so they both just sat and laid on the bed, after another ten minutes Severus went into the bathroom and got a warm washcloth and came back into the bedroom and grabbed the kleenex box on the bedside table then sat back down in his spot

" Ok Brenda it's time to sit up, you've been crying enough" Severus said

Brenda shook her head no

Severus was shocked, Brenda rarely said no to him. He put his hand on Brenda's shoulder and she tensed up which didn't really surprise Severus that much and then figured out why Brenda wouldn't listen to him

" Brenda look at me" Severus said firmly but not harshly

Brenda closed her eyes knowing if she didn't listen she'd be in more trouble. But she was scared her dad was going to glare at her so she shook her head no again

" Oh this girl is so stubborn" Severus thought, stood up and said, " Brenda please look at me"

" Dad never says please when he's angry" Brenda thought and she turned her head facing her dad but she still didn't look at him, she looked at the floor

" Better, now will you sit up?" Severus asked

Brenda fearfully looked at her dad but he wasn't glaring, his face was blank, except for his eyes, his eyes showed love. She knew that her dad loved her, if he didn't then he wouldn't even have adopted her, she knew that he was angry at her but it didn't look like she was going to be punished so slowly she sat up from her position

" Finally" Severus thought

Severus gave her the kleenexes and she greatfully took them and then after she was done blowing her nose, Severus took the warm cloth and wiped her face with it getting the tears off her cheeks, " Feel better?" He asked

Brenda nodded with a small smile

" Come on lets go in the living room and talk" Severus said and he gently pulled her up and put an arm around her in a half hug

Brenda was still scared and tense

" Relax Brenda, I'm not going to spank you" Severus said knowing that is what she was afraid of

Brenda calmed down a little and smiled

They headed towards the couch and Severus sat down first then pulled Brenda onto his lap and hugged her around the middle

" Ok this is awkward" Brenda thought and said aloud, " I'm not five"

" No you're fifteen" Severus said

" And fifteen year olds don't sit on their dads' lap" Brenda said and tried to get out of her dad's grip

" How would you know?" Severus asked not loosening his grip

" Because I've seen Ginny and Mr. Weasley cuddle when they were talking and it wasn't like this" Brenda said

" Then how do they do it then?" Severus asked letting her go

Brenda got off her dad's lap and sat real close to him and wrapped her arms around him in a bear hug, " Like this"

Severus looked down at Brenda and smiled then put his arm around her which made her smile. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Brenda finally breaking the hug but not moving away from her dad who still had his arm around her in a half hug. Finally Brenda broke the silence

" So what did you want to talk about?" Brenda asked with a little shakiness in her voice knowing the answer

" We need to talk about what happened today" Severus said

Brenda went stiff again

" Calm down Brenda" Severus said rubbing her arm

" I'm sorry I attacked Draco and got in a fight with the other Slytherins, I'm sorry, I know that I need to control my temper even when Malfoy is saying mean things about the Weasleys and my parents, I know I should have let Hooch deal with it. I'm sorry for apparating underaged to save Harry and Dudley from the dementors and worrying you. I'm sorry I can't sleep without a freaking nightlight because of my nightmares, I'm sorry that it's both mine and Harry's fault that Voldemort is back and you have to go to those meetings and get crucioed all the time, I'm sorry that I endanger myself all the time which makes you worried more" Brenda said all of that and more

Severus was trying to interrupt her ever since she started, she was apologizing for every little thing, starting with the latest all the way down to the least, she was on third year

" BRENDA STOP APOLOGIZING" Severus yelled and it made Brenda stop, " You don't have to say sorry for everything, leave the past in the past, it's not your fault that the Dark Lord returned" Severus started

" Yes it is, it was mine and Harry's blood that brought him back" Brenda said with tears in her eyes

" Did you bring him back on purpose or were you forced?" Severus asked

" Forced but..." Brenda started

" But nothing, you were forced so that means it wasn't your fault" Severus said, " It's ok to have a night light to help you sleep, it keeps the nightmares away and it doesn't bug anybody else"

" Lavender Brown saw it and she makes fun of me because of it" Brenda said

Snape glared a minute thinking, " Does she know of our relationship?" He asked

" All of Gryffindor does" Brenda said

" You know, that's kind of scary now that I think about it" Severus said

" Because Wormtail was in Gryffindor?" Brenda asked

Severus nodded

" There's a spell on the entrance that makes it so nobody can tell or write anybody about you and me... except for the trusted few, it's been up there ever since you took me in... why do you want to know?" Brenda asked

" Because I'm going to give that girl a piece of my mind" Severus said with a glare

" Please don't take away points" Brenda said

" No that'll punish everybody, I just want to punish her" Severus said,“Now where were we? Oh yes, you were apologizing for every little thing starting from latest to least, we were on the purple night light... next would be... ah the Dementor apparating incident... you were already punished and forgiven for that let it go, and now today's incident... Draco will always try to get under your skin, you just have to ignore him, you have to realize that he just lost the Quidditch match and he was still fuming when he was saying those things, and I know the Weasley's were angry at the song that Draco made up and those badges... (Severus sighed) they need to just ignore the Slytherins, the song will eventually die down once they're all ignored... You and Harry both need to work on your tempers" Severus said and then smiled, " You got your tempers from your mother"

" Yah" Brenda said with a smile, " McGonagall told us"

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, Brenda was happier that she was forgiven and wasn't being spanked

" So did you finish grading papers?" Brenda asked hoping it was a yes so she could spend time with her dad

Severus sighed, " No unfortunetly, still got six and seventh year to go and... (Severus smiled) third and second"

" Can I check them?" Brenda asked excitedly

" Sure" Severus said with a smile but neither one was getting up, " Later"

They just sat there sitting in silence with smiles on their faces

" Kodak Moment" Grandfather Severus said with a smile

 

The rest of the day Severus and Brenda spent their time grading students homework. Brenda loved helping her dad grade papers and potions, she wanted to be a potions mistress when she's older

" Well it looks like we're done" Severus said

Brenda nodded

" I think you should stay down here for a few nights" Severus finally said

Brenda looked fearful, " Am I grounded again?"

" No... I think you should stay down here for a few nights because Lavender is probably going to be angry when I get through with her for teasing you about the night light, that and I kind of like having you around here, kind of boring just talking to a portrait of Grandfather, what do you say?" Severus asked

Brenda smiled and gave her dad a hug, " Kay "

They got up and started walking out of the apartment and into the potions classroom

" And tonight, I'll teach you how to play wizards chess" Severus said with a grin

" I know how to play" Brenda said

" You don't know how to win" Severus smirked

" I can beat Harry... sometimes" Brenda said

" I rest my case" Severus rolled his eyes

Brenda smiled, " So I'm not grounded?"

" Didn't you just ask that like thirty seconds ago?" Severus asked and lifted his eyebrow

" Just making sure" Brenda said

" No you're not grounded, now go tell your friends so they stop worrying and... warn Ms. Brown I'll be seeing her later... after dinner in my office" Severus smirked

Brenda smiled and gave her dad another hug then left the potions classroom they were currently in. She ran up to Gryffindor Tower and up to her friends

" Brenda" Harry gasped

" I knew this necklace was lucky” Brenda said with a smile

Harry gave his sister a weird look

" I'm not in trouble" Brenda smiled

" I don't believe it" Fred piped in

" It's true, he didn't punish me whatsoever" Brenda said

" Then why are your eyes a little red?" George asked

" Oh that's from earlier when I thought I was in trouble, I kind of broke down" Brenda said

" Yah, hard time trying to stay out of it" Harry said

" We really need to learn Occlumency or something so we can stay out of each other's thoughts when we don't want each other reading them" Brenda groaned

" You guys can think to each other from that far away?" Fred and George asked

" Farther" Harry and Brenda said together

" Try like from Little Winging to wherever Brenda lives in the summer" Harry said

" No idea where it is but it is a long way" Brenda said

" You never got off the grounds?" Hermione asked

" Nope, never the front yard only the back" Brenda said

" Why?" Hermione asked

" For my safety I guess" Brenda said and shrugged, " Have you guys seen Lavender anywhere? I'm supposed to warn her that Snape will be talking to her in the very near future"

" Oh about that night light thing?" Hermione asked

" Yah" Brenda answered

" That was so mean of her for teasing you about it, it's not like the light bothered her in the dorm we can't even see it" Hermione said with a glare

" Well I have a feeling she won't be bothering me anymore about it when Snape gets a hold of her" Brenda said with a smile

" What do you think he'll do to her?" Ron asked

" I don't know, maybe a detention or something, you know she always likes things neat and clean, maybe he'll make her scrub cauldrons or smash up potions ingredients like beetle eggs or pig eyes or something as gross as that" Brenda imagined

" I hope whatever he does, it gets her good and she won't tease you anymore" Fred said

" You know she might be angry at you for a while for ratting her out like that" Hermione said

" Yah I know, that's why I'm going to stay down in the apartment for a while until she cools down after the punishment" Brenda said

" You're staying there? Willingly?" Fred asked with surprise

" Yes, we actually had a good time today, dad wants company besides the Grandfather portrait" Brenda said with a smile

Fred looked disappointed

" It's only going to be for a couple days and I don't have to be down there after dinner" Brenda explained

" So what is a good time with Snape like?" Ron asked

" Well... we didn't really do anything you would think as fun, it was just nice not being yelled at when I'm down there for a change... we mostly just sat in a comfortable silence and then he let me help him grade the homework assignments" Brenda explained

" He lets you grade our assignments?" Ron asked excitedly

" No not our assignments, just the younger students' work, he doesn't want me to be cheating" Brenda smiled

" You actually like doing that?" George asked

" Yes, I want to be a potions mistress when I get older, I need to start somewhere" Brenda explained, " So enough about that... what did Angelina say?"

" She's frantic that there won't be enough time to get a seeker, two beaters and a chaser before the next game, and she's angry that Umbridge would do that" Fred explained

" She's mostly acting like a chicken with it's head cut off" George joked

" I feel really bad for her, I'd hate being captain, too much drama and stress" Harry said

" I wish I got a piece of Malfoy" Ron said

" No you don't then there would only be two chasers left" Brenda said

" Well it was because of me you guys did that" Ron said, " Weasley is our king, he always lets the Quaffle in"

" No, that just started it, Malfoy was egging all of us on, you know when he started talking bad about our parents" Harry said

" Harry, I think we both inherited our mother's temper" Brenda said

" Yah, but I think you got it worse" Harry said, " Or I just hold it in"

" Oh I know I got it worse" Brenda said with a cocky grin

Harry rolled his eyes

" Well Brenda here's your chance to scare Lavender, she's right over there" Fred said pointing

Lavender was doing her homework with the Patil twins and Brenda went over to them

" Oh look it's baby Brenda, she actually needs a night light to sleep at night" Lavender teased

" Lavender that's not very nice" Parvarti said

" Yah you shouldn't be making fun of people" Padma joined

" Thanks you two" Brenda said and then smiled at Lavender, " Lavender, Snape would like to see you in his office after dinner tonight

Lavender gasped, " What for?"

" Oh gee I don't know" Brenda said sarcastically with a glare, " He just told me to tell you to meet him in his office after dinner" Brenda smiled, " Have fun" She went and joined her friends

" Wow I think you scared her" Hermione said

" That was the idea" Brenda said

" At least the Patil twins understand" Hermione said

" Yah, Lavender is the only one who is giving me trouble" Brenda said, " well about the night light issue"

" So without the night light, what are your dreams about?" Ron asked

" Off and on about Voldemort coming back and what I'm guessing is Voldemort killing our parents"

" Yah I keep dreaming about both of those too, and then about all the other Voldemort encounters we faced" Harry said

" Ok will you two stop saying his name?" Ron asked, " It's giving me the willies"

" Actually you know who's real name is Tom Marvallo Riddle, so we're not actually saying his name" Brenda pointed out

" You know what I mean" Ron said with a glare

Brenda smiled, " Sorry, just giving you a hard time"

The friends hung out until dinner, during that time though, Fred and Brenda went up to the boys 7th year dorms and kissed a lot

" That is so weird, they just left us to make out" Ron said

" Well they don't get to see each other a lot since Brenda is like always grounded, they take what they can get" George explained

" Don't worry Ron, you'll understand once you mature and start liking us girls" Hermione teased

Ron glared and stuck his tongue out

" Yah it's going to be a while for you" Hermione smiled

After dinner the six of them watched Lavender slowly go down into the dungeons

" I can't wait until we find out what he makes her do" Fred said, " How dare she tease my girlfriend" He gave Brenda a kiss which she returned

When the six returned to the common room Fred took Brenda upstairs again, George and Lee worked on their candies, Ron and Harry were playing chess and Hermione was reading a book

" So Brenda what do you want to do?" Fred asked when they got up to his dorm room

" Want to play a game?" Brenda asked

" Yah sure, exploding snap sound ok?" Fred asked

Brenda nodded and waited for Fred to get the game out

They played for an hour and found themselves cuddling and kissing when George came in

" You've been kissing all this time?" George asked

" Don't you knock?" Fred asked

" My dorm too brother of mine" George answered

" For your information, we haven't been kissing the whole time, we played exploding snap" Brenda said

" Uh-hu sure you were" George teased

" We did... what are you doing here anyway?" Fred asked

" Lavender's back and she looks like she saw a ghost" George said

" Then she would look normal" Brenda said, " We see ghosts every day"

" I'm trying to use the muggle expression" George explained

" Ok, so she looks scared, she is clamy looking, pasty face" Brenda listed

" All of the above" George said with a grin

Brenda smiled, " Lets go down"

They headed down to the common room where Lavender was

" Potter, Snape wants you down in the dungeons" Lavender spat and glared

" Fine, Brown I'll go down to the dungeons, I'm glad you got what you deserved" Brenda said and returned the glare then headed up to the dorm and packed her belongings to head down to the dungeons

" And I was having so much fun making out with her" Fred pouted

" We can do it tomorrow if you wish" Brenda said coming back down

" Ooh something to look forward to" Fred smiled

Brenda smiled right back and kissed him goodbye, she waved at the others and left the common room, she couldn't wait until she found out what happened to Lavender

She walked towards the potions classroom knowing that she couldn't get to the apartment because of all the Slytherins, a few stopped her

" What are you doing down here Potter? Didn't you do enough damage for one day?" A Slytherin asked

" Get out of my way, I have... detention with Snape" Brenda spat and glared

" Well then by all means... not, if I make you later, he'll be even more upset with you" The Slytherin said

Brenda rolled her eyes, took out her wand and petrified the Slytherin

" Don't mess with an angry Gryffindor especially a Potter" Brenda said to the Slytherin who now looked up at her, " The hex will end on it's own in about 10 minutes if nobody walks by to help you... good night"

Brenda walked away and knocked on the classroom door

" Enter" Snape said

Brenda entered with a smile

" Good evening Brenda, I trust Ms. Brown told you the message?" Snape asked

Brenda nodded and smiled

" I don't think she'll be teasing you about anything ever again" Snape smirked

" What'd you do to her?" Brenda asked surprised

" Well after I yelled at her, I made her clean cauldrons, and then she wrote sentences while sitting in a corner like a five year old" Severus said with a grin, " Now then, I believe I was going to teach you how to win in chess where you'll at least be as good as Ronald Weasley"

Brenda gasped, " But he is like the best student in the school"

" Not after I get finished with you, then you'll also be the best" Severus smiled

Brenda smiled and nodded and gave her dad a hug. Severus put his arm around her and they went towards the apartment together

 

Severus taught Brenda how to play wizards chess until Brenda's bedtime at 10:00

" Can't we play one more game? I'm sure I can figure it out" Brenda said not wanting to go to bed

" Brenda" Severus said with a warning tone

" Oh come on, it's Sunday tomorrow" Brenda explained

" What did I explain to you your second year?" Severus quizzed

" The schedule is the same here as it is at home" Brenda said not liking where this is going

" And what's your schedule?" Severus quizzed

Brenda rolled her eyes, " Bedtime at 10:00"

" And what time is it?" Severus asked

Brenda looked at the clock, " 10:03"

" So what do you think you should do?" Severus asked again

" Get ready for bed" Brenda said gloomy

Severus nodded

Brenda sighed, " Fine, I'll go to bed" She got up from the table and walked towards her bedroom to get ready for bed

Severus came into her room twenty minutes later to find Brenda in her bed all covered up, she looked worried but she neglected to turn the night light on

Severus looked at Brenda and lifted up his eyebrow and asked" Do you really want to have nightmares?"

" I don't want nightmares but I don't want to feel like a five year old either" Brenda said sadly

Severus sighed and turned on the night light before he turned off the light, the purple glow returned

" There's nothing wrong with having a night light, it keeps your nightmares at bay. It doesn't keep you awake does it?" Severus asked

Brenda shook her head no, " And I like the purple glow" she smiled

" So what's your problem?" Severus asked sitting down at the foot of Brenda's bed

" I don't know, maybe Lavender is just getting to me, she was really ticked off when she returned, she actually called me Potter instead of using my first name, I called her Brown right back, it probably is a good thing I'm staying down here for a while" Brenda said and Snape agreed

" Brenda I assure you that nobody is going to be teasing you anymore about the night light, you're not the only one who uses a night light either, there are 7th years in Slytherin who still use night lights because they are afraid of the Dark Lord and have nightmares about him and I'm sure other students in other houses use night lights because of nightmares, there is nothing wrong with night lights, and this one is really neat" Severus indicated to the night light

" Yah I like it, purple glow and a picture of Angel, a girl making a potion and a girl playing Quidditch" Brenda said, " And for some reason that pictures make me sleepy"

" Yah that's supposed to happen" Severus smirked, " So do you feel better?"

Brenda nodded

" Good, then I think it's time you get some sleep ok?" Severus asked

" Ok" Brenda said then yawned

Severus smiled then bent down to give her a hug and a kiss on the forehead

" Good night Brenda" Severus said

" Night dad" Brenda said then closed her eyes with a smile

The next day the four fifth years were enjoying a nice day outdoors and they saw smoke coming from the chimney of Hagrid's Hut

" You guys, Hagrid's back" Hermione said excitedly

The group smiled and ran over to the hut but before they started knocking on the door they heard the annoying voice of Umbridge

" Wonder what they're talking about" Ron whispered

The four crept up to the window and listened, they were talking about where Hagrid has been all this time, they were almost caught by Umbridge who looked out the window a second after they ducked down

" Let's hide behind the hut until she leaves" Harry whispered

The others nodded and they hid, when Umbridge came out they saw her put on her perfume then squirted some on the door in an X

" Like that's actually going to do anything" Brenda whispered and rolled her eyes

They waited until Umbridge was long gone before knocking on Hagrid's door

Hagrid opened up and the four gasped

" Hagrid what happened to you?" Harry asked

" Shh, I'll talk about it inside" Hagrid said and beckoned the four in

Before he started talking he gave his guests some tea and then put a steak on his eye that was swollen then he sat down

" Ok this is top secret, as in Order secret, Dumbledore had me go talk to the giants" Hagrid said

" Giants" Hermione and Brenda gasped

" Shh, not so loud" Hagrid said

" So you found them then" Hermione said

" Well they're not that hard to find to be honest with you, they're so big and all, I was trying to get them to join the cause, we're not the only ones who want them" Hagrid said

" He's also trying to persuade them?" Harry asked

" You know who? Yah" Hagrid said, " I gave them Dumbledore's message, I think some of them remember that he's nice to them... I suppose they remember"

" They did this to you" Brenda said

" Well... not exactly... no" Hagrid said putting the steak on his eye again but it made fang whine, " Oh what the heck, it's not doing any good, here fang take it"

Hagrid threw the steak at the dog and sighed, " There's a storm out there... we all should be ready when it comes"

The four knew what Hagrid was talking about even though it was a metaphor

" Ok, now for some good news Hagrid said happily, our first thing we will be working on are Thestrals

" What are Thestrals?" Hermione asked

" Well the best explanation is a skeleton looking horse, they pull the carriages every year, only some people can see them" Hagrid said

" So we're not going loony?" Harry asked

" What? Oh, no of course not, of course you and Brenda would be able to see them since you saw... Cedric... people can only see Thestrals if they saw somebody die" Hagrid said, " That will be our first lesson when it's time for Care of Magical Creatures"

Hermione smiled with relief, she was afraid it would be something dangerous

They had Care of Magical Creatures the next day and the four were looking forward to it. But it didn't go so well, Umbridge was there and she kept making fun of Hagrid, well that's what it seemed like to the golden four. Every time Umbridge asked a question she would speak very loud and slow like Hagrid didn't know English or something and when Hagrid was trying to explain something Umbridge would interrupt and ask something else would make Hagrid lose his place in his teaching and have to take a moment and Umbridge would write on her clipboard and say what she was writing out loud, none of it was good. At the end of her interview with Hagrid she used sign language and talking loud and slow to mime talking to the students, it was making everybody who liked Hagrid very angry

" Oh that toad" Brenda spat quietly

Umbridge mostly went to the Slytherins who didn't like Hagrid one bit and they were exaggerating about the stuff they had to do over the years

After the class Hermione was fuming and the other three weren't far behind

" I can't believe she actually spoke to Hagrid like that, she was twisting everything, I just know he's going to be in no better shape than Trelawny" Hermione spat

Hermione was fuming for the rest of the day

After the Dessert came Brenda saw Umbridge give Snape an envelope and she knew those were the teacher inspection results

Snape looked at the envelope and felt somebody staring at him, he automatically looked over at the Gryffindor table and saw Brenda staring at him and she looked worried

Snape sighed, " She notices things way too easily" He stood up and walked out of the Great Hall

" You guys, I'll see you later, Snape just got his results" Brenda said standing up

" Bye, see you... tomorrow" Hermione said

The other three waved since their mouths were full of dessert

Brenda walked out of the Great Hall and headed down towards the Dungeons and into the apartment

" Hi Brenda" Grandfather Severus said

" Hi Grandfather... Phoenix Feather"

Grandfather Severus opened up and let her in, to her disappointment Severus wasn't in yet

" Well it does take longer from the teachers table to get down" She thought to herself

A minute later Severus came in with the envelope

" You notice things way too easily" Severus said

" I know, did you open it yet?" Brenda asked

" Not yet" Severus said

" Well then what are you waiting for?" Brenda asked

Severus rolled his eyes and went to his desk and sat down

" One thing you need to work on is controlling your emotions, you're like an open book" Severus said

" Well I'm just nervous that's all" Brenda said

" Yes, I can tell and I'm not going to open it until you calm down, what ever it says on here it will not be the end of the world" Severus said

" She has the authority to fire you" Brenda said softly

" I doubt anything bad is written on here, she mostly talked to the Slytherins and you" Severus said

" I'm not on her good list right now, so I don't think I was much help" Brenda whispered

" Maybe, maybe not, I don't know, but she also talked to Draco Malfoy and... well I think he idolizes me" Severus smirked

Brenda chuckled, " That's because you're his godfather"

Severus lifted an eyebrow, " Who told you that?"

Brenda pointed to Grandfather Severus

" Figures" Severus said and rolled his eyes, " Yes I'm his Godfather... how long have you known?"

" Since the summer of third year" Brenda said

" We were arguing a lot, I'm surprised you didn't get angry at me about that" Snape said

Brenda shrugged, " It took me about a week to get over the shock"

" And you're not angry I didn't tell you?" Snape asked

" No not really, I accepted it and I know you would think that if you told me I would be very angry" Brenda said, " I'm kind of glad that you know that I know, now we can drop this whole conversation and you can open up that envelope and see what your fate is"

Severus sighed and rolled his eyes then broke the seal, he was taking his sweet time with it just to annoy Brenda, and she knew it

" Oh come on you're taking forever" Brenda whined

Severus looked up from what he was doing and smirked then pulled it out, unfolded it and started reading, on it were all the comments Umbridge wrote and everything that the students said but were annonymus. Severus's face was blank as he was reading it to himself

" So what's it say?" Brenda asked not liking the silence or her dad's blank face, " He's too good at that" She thought

Severus finished reading it, folded it back up and put it back in the envelope then put it in his desk drawer

" Ok now you're killing me" Brenda said

" I know" Severus said with a smirk

" What did it say?" Brenda asked again

" I'm not fired" Severus said with a smirk

" Thank Merlin" Brenda sighed and sat on her desk chair

" I'm actually one of the best teachers at this school, according to her" Severus said getting out the chess set

" Well there's something that toad and I agree on" Brenda said

" You know one of these days you're going to say toad and she's going to hear" Severus warned setting the chess set on the desk

" I'll be careful" Brenda said setting up her pieces

Severus nodded, " You know after I teach you how to play chess where you can beat Ronald Weasley, I'm going to teach you how to keep a blank face"

" Ok, but first, chess" Brenda said smiling

Severus rolled his eyes and they began playing

 

A few days later there was another DA meeting where the Potters taught everybody Stupify and Reducto. After the meeting though, things got scary, Filch was looking at the entrance door

" I think they know that we're up to something" Brenda whispered

" There has to be another way out of here" Harry whispered

" There is... follow us" Fred and George said

The group followed Fred and George out of the Room of Requirement

" Ok we all need to be careful for now on, when we come here, make sure that nobody sees you" Harry whispered before everybody snuck out

" Thick head" Fred and George whispered

In the Common Room Fred, George, Ginny, Harry, Brenda, Ron and Hermione were thinking of a way to distract Filch

" Well we could give him some of our candies from our Skiving Snack Boxes" George whispered

" The ones that give you zits would be perfect" Fred said

" Not to mention funny" George said

" Oh honestly" Hermione said

" No, I think they have a good idea...but... can you make them into heart shapes?" Brenda asked

Fred and George lifted up their eyebrows

" I think Filch is in love with Umbridge... I think it'll be funnier if it looks like a box of love candy from Umbridge, that way Filch wouldn't be so suspicious" Brenda said

" Hmm... I like the way you think" Fred said and gave his girlfriend a kiss which she gladly returned

" So is that a yes then?" Brenda asked

" That's a yes" Fred and George said

During the next DA meeting everybody entered the room all except Fred, George, Brenda, Harry and Ron... Hermione didn't want to see what would happen because she doesn't like the Weasley's Wizard Weases and Ginny was kind of bored with the Skiving Snack Boxes since she lives with the two jokers

When Filch came he saw the heart shaped box that had his name on it. He opened it up and there were candies in them, he thought it was from Umbridge and he was happy, he ate three of them and his face became full of zits that were ready to explode and he ran away

" Wicked" The five Gryffindors said at the same time then they snuck into the room

" It worked" Fred and George said happily

" So what are we going to do today?" Neville asked

" Today is a review day, you work on whatever you think you need to work on, we covered Expelliarmus, Stupify, Levicorpus and Reducto" Brenda said

" Just work on one of those four and if you need help just ask" Harry said

" We'll be walking around assisting you all" Brenda said

Everybody got to work

After that DA meeting Umbridge set up her own little club called the Inquzitorial Squad, which would help Umbridge catch students doing wrong, the members of that are Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, Tracy Davis, Daphne Greengrass, Theodore Nott, Blaze Zabini and Argus Filch. The ones the DA had to mostly avoid would be Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Filch because they were always together and suspicious about the DA and almost got in but the Room became a broom cupboard before they did

Everybody was in their common rooms and the seven Gryffindors were coming up with one more DA meeting before the Holidays

" Ginny does Angelina have any Quidditch Practices on this day?" Brenda asked They were looking at a calender

" No, nobody has practice on that day, I asked Cho and she asked a girl from Hufflepuff" Ginny said

" Well then I think this day will work for everybody" Harry said, " Hermione will you notify everybody?"

Hermione nodded and got out her Galleon and said the spell that notifies everybody when the next meeting is

The next meeting was also just a review, since it would be the last one before the Holidays, Harry and Brenda didn't want to teach them anything new because they might forget what they were taught. The Room of Requirement was decorated for the holidays, there were Christmas lights on the ceiling and there was a Christmas tree decorated in a corner

" You don't think this will mess everybody up will it? I mean it won't be a distraction?" Brenda asked

" I don't think so, nothing is in anybody's way" Harry said

Brenda nodded, Harry had a point

Everybody worked on the things they thought they needed to work on. Zacharias Smith was getting very bored with the review

" Why can't we learn anything new?" Zacharias Smith asked

" Because we have a three week Holiday, this meeting would be pointless if we did something new" Harry said

" Haven't you heard the term practice makes perfect?" Brenda asked

" Yes" Zacharias Smith said

" Well then there you go, you're practicing so it will be perfect" Brenda said with a grin

Zacharias rolled his eyes and returned to what he was doing

Finally the meeting was over and Harry and Brenda started talking

" You guys have done really well" Brenda said

" That's it for this lesson and we won't be having another meeting until after the holidays" Harry said

" So keep practicing on your own" Brenda said, " Our first meeting after the holidays will be another review"

" And then we will start the big stuff like Patronuses" Harry said

That got everybody excited

" Good job everyone and have a Merry Christmas" Harry and Brenda said together

Everybody clapped and then went to grab their stuff

Harry was watching Cho get her stuff and the other three knew it

" Well we'll see you in the common room" Hermione said pulling on Ron's shirt

" Ok" Harry said

" Go talk to her" Brenda thought to her brother

" You reading my mind again?" Harry thought

" No, we just have a habit of not being able to keep our emotions off of our faces... well according to dad" Brenda thought

" I don't know" Harry whispered

" It shouldn't be very difficult, just talk to her" Brenda whispered

Harry smiled, " You're right, ok, thanks Brenda"

" You're welcome" Brenda said and smiled

She watched her brother walk up to Cho but were stopped by the Weasley twins who were talking about their Skiving Snack Boxes

" That's great guys, will you excuse me for a moment?" Harry asked

" Yah sure" Fred and George said and they went up to Brenda and Fred wrapped his arm around her shoulder and they walked out of the room heading up towards the Gryffindor Tower

" So what's up with your brother?" Fred asked

" He's finally going to talk to Cho Chang, he had a crush on her since last year" Brenda said

" Ah so that's why he brushed us off like that" George said

Brenda nodded and said, " Christmas holidays are the best times to hook up, it's so romantic"

" Don't I know it" Fred said and kissed his girlfriend again which she returned again

" You two do that a lot you know" George said

" We know" Fred and Brenda said smiling

When Harry got back into the Common Room he looked stunned, his friends and sister were sitting by the fire, the girls were reading and Ron was playing chess with Fred and Ron just won the game

" Why do I even bother?" Fred asked

" No idea" Ron said with a smile

" Well I better get upstairs and work on Weasley's Wizard Weases some more, see you all later" Fred said and Brenda got up to hug her boyfriend and of course kiss him, " Night"

" Night" Brenda said

They watched Fred go upstairs and then they saw a stunned looking Harry

" Hi Harry, How'd it go?" Brenda asked

" We kissed" Harry said

" How was it?" Ron asked

" Wet" Harry said

Ron made a noise that sounded like a snort

" Because she was crying" Harry finished

" You're that bad of a kisser are you?" Ron asked with a smile on his face

Hermione and Brenda rolled their eyes

" I'm sure Harry's kissing was more than satisfactory" Hermione said

" Cho spends half of her time crying" Brenda said

" You'd think a bit of snogging would cheer her up... it cheers you up Brenda" Ron said with a smile

Brenda hit Ron upside the head

" How can you be so insensitive Ron?" Brenda asked, " Can't you understand how Cho must be feeling?"

Both boys looked confused

Hermione sighed, " Well obviously she's feeling really sad because Cedric died, and then she feels really confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, but she can't figure out who she likes best"

" Then she'll be feeling guilty by kissing Harry because she would think it would be an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all, and she'll be worrying what everyone else might say if she starts going out with Harry" Brenda said

" And she probably can't figure out her feels towards Harry anyway because he was one of the two people who were with Cedric when he died, so thats all very mixed up and painful" Hermione said

" And she's afraid of being kicked off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she is flying so bad" Brenda finished

" One person couldn't feel all of that... well they would explode" Ron said

" Just because you have an emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean everybody else does" Hermione said

" So how do you know she feels all of that?" Harry asked

" We're girls" Hermione and Brenda said at the same time

" Yah that explains everything" Ron said sarcastically

" Men don't understand how women think" Hermione said

" Obviously" Ron said

Hermione and Brenda rolled their eyes again

That night while everybody was sleeping both Harry and Brenda had a dream that they were one and they were gliding along a dark cold stone floor sliding on their belly, it was dark but they could see objects around them shimmering in strange colors. They turned their head and at first the corridor they were in was empty but then they saw a man sitting on the floor ahead of them and his chin was drooped on his chest, his outline was gleaming in the dark. The creature that was Harry and Brenda put out it's tongue and tasted the mans scent in the air. The man was alive but drowsy. The man saw the creature and pulled out his wand. The creature didn't want to since killing wasn't it's mission tonight but it had no choice, the creature reared high from the floor and struck three times, plunging it's fangs deeply into the man's flesh, feeling his ribs break beneath it's jaws, feeling the warm gush of blood. The man yelled in pain then he fell silent and slumped backwards against the wall. Blood was splattered onto the floor.

At the same time Harry and Brenda woke up and their scars hurt terribly, they felt like they were about to burst

Brenda was screaming when she woke up, she woke her dorm mates up and Hermione went to her side

" Brenda, Brenda what's wrong?" Hermione asked terrified

" Mr... Mr... Mr. Weasley's been attacked" Brenda panted

" What?" Hermione asked shocked

" Mr. Weasley's been bitten by a snake, it's serious... There's so much blood

" You were just dreaming" Lavender said

" NO I WASN'T" Brenda yelled and she got out of bed, grabbed her robe and headed down into the common room, she saw Harry doing the same thing

" We have to help him" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

Two minutes later McGonagall came in the common room

" What's the matter where's it hurt?" McGonagall said

" Oh thank god, Mr. Weasley has been attacked by a big snake" Brenda and Harry said at the same time

" You were dreaming" McGonagall said

" Dreams are not supposed to make our scars burn like crazy" Harry snapped

" Mr. Weasley is in trouble, there's blood everywhere, we have to help him" Brenda said

McGonagall looked at the two Potters, " Ok I believe you, we're going to see the Headmaster

McGonagall, Harry, Brenda, Ron and Hermione went to see the headmaster and the twins told him what happened

" How did you see this?" Dumbledore said not looking at them, he hasn't looked at them the whole time they were talking

" Inside our heads" Brenda said

" No, I mean where were you standing" Dumbledore said

" Oh... well... we were the snake" Harry said

" You both were?" Dumbledore asked

" Yes sir" Brenda said

Dumbledore nodded and walked over to a few portraits and whispered to them, the portraits nodded and left

" They will check it out... McGonagall will you please transfigure extra chairs, I have a feeling we will be here for a while" Dumbledore said

McGonagall nodded and did as she was told

They waited for a few minutes and then one of the portraits came back and told them that Mr. Weasley looked really bad and was on his way to St. Mungos

" Thank you" Dumbledore said to the portrait then turned to McGonagall, " Minerva I need you to wake the other Weasley children"

" Of course Albus" McGonagall said and she left right away

" Headmaster what about my mum?" Ron asked

" I believe she already knows because of that enchanted clock of hers" Dumbledore said

Ron nodded he was very worried

Dumbledore went to a black kettle and said Portus and then went to another portrait and tried to wake it up, " Phineas" Nothing happened, " Phineas" Still the portrait didn't wake up, " PHINEAS"

" You yelled" Phineas said

" I need you to go to your other portrait and tell Sirius and Molly that her children, the Potters and Hermione will be coming" Dumbledore said

Phineas rolled his eyes but obeyed

A minute later the rest of the Weasleys entered the office

" Hey what's going on? McGonagall said that our dad was hurt" George said

Before the Potters could reply Dumbledore did, " Your father has been injured and has been taken to St. Mungos, I am sending you lot to Sirius's house, Brenda I will notify your father where you are at" Dumbledore still didn't look at the Potters even by addressing them

A few minutes later Phineas came back and said, " My great, great grandson will be delighted if you all came" He said very boredly

" Excellent" Dumbledore said

" So how will we get there? Floo?" Fred asked

" No too risky, the floo network is being watched, you'll be traveling by portkey" Dumbledore explained, " Now we must not dawdle or Umbridge might come, now has everybody traveled by portkey before?"

Everybody nodded yes

" Ok, everybody touch the kettle then" Dumbledore instructed and everybody did, " On the count of three... one... two... three"

Harry and Brenda looked at Dumbledore wondering why he wouldn't look at them, well Dumbledore did look at them for one second and during that second their scars started burning again and they got very angry at Dumbledore but they didn't know why

When they got to Grimmuald Place Sirius asked what was going on?

" All that my grandfather said is that Arthur was injured and you guys all had to come here" Sirius said

" Ask Brenda and Harry" Fred said

" Yah we want to know what's going on also" George said

Everybody stared at Brenda and Harry and they looked at each other and nodded

" It was... well it was a vision" Harry said

They both explained all of what happened, except for the part of actually being the snake, Only Ron and Hermione knew of that part of the story

" So does mum know yet?" Ginny asked

" Not yet, the important thing was to get you all out of Hogwarts and away from that Umbridge woman" Sirius said

" We need to go to St. Mungos" Fred said

" We need to see if he's ok" George put in

" Sirius can you lend us a few cloaks or something" Ginny asked

" Hold on a minute, you all can't go to St. Mungos

" WHY NOT" The Weasley's yelled

" Because it would look very suspicious if you all went to visit your dad when your own mother hasn't been notified yet" Sirius said

" What does it matter if we know before mum" George asked

" We don't want the Ministry to know that the Potters are having visions, do you realize how bad that would look if you guys knew something happened to Arthur hundreds of miles away the mument it happened?" Sirius asked

" Well somebody else could have told us" Fred said

" Like who?" Sirius asked

The Weasley's were quiet

" I thought so... listen, your dad will be fine, you will be able to see him later alright?" Sirius asked

The Weasley's nodded

" Let's go sit at the table and have a butterbeer" Sirius said and everybody nodded

They sat and drank quietly for five minutes, the Weasleys weren't looking at the Potters

" Do you think they blame us for what happened" Brenda thought to her brother

" I hope not" Harry thought

" Did you feel a second of anger towards Dumbledore when we were traveling by portkey?" Brenda thought

" Yah... I wonder what that was about" Harry thought

" I don't know" Brenda thought, " I just hope Mr. Weasley's alright"

Before they could think to each other again a note came from Fawkes and Sirius grabbed it

" It's from your mum" Sirius said, " She says that your dad's ok and that you all need to stay here, she'll see you as soon as possible"

Everybody was silent, the only sound was when somebody took a drink of their butterbeer

" Well, I think you should all go to bed" Sirius said but nobody moved and Sirius got the Weasley glares, " Or not"

It was a very long night, nobody was talking and the silence was uncomfortable and for some reason the Weasleys were avoiding eye contact with the Potters and Brenda knew it was on purpose because she tried catching Fred's eye like five times and every time he saw her looking at him he stopped looking at her, she finally gave up, she really wanted to comfort him but he kept ignoring her

Ron wasn't looking at the Potters either, they kind of knew why because they neglected to say that they were the snake in the vision

By 4:30 in the morning the Weasley twins looked like they were asleep, Ginny was curled up in a ball on her seat, Ron's head was down on the table, Hermione had her head in a book but she wasn't reading, Brenda's head was on the table, and Harry's elbows were on the table and his head was in his hands, Sirius was the only one who looked like he was awake

At 5:10 in the morning Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen, she looked very pale and tired but she looked happy, " He's going to be all right, Bills sitting with him right now, he took the day off"

Everybody was very happy, everybody sighed and then cheered, Ginny and George ran to their mother and hugged her, Ron laughed and chugged down the rest of his butterbeer, Fred sat back down in his chair and laughed

" I think it's now time for breakfast" Sirius said happily, " Kreacher, Kreacher... oh forget it... lets see breakfast for nine, eggs, bacon and toast with pumpkin juice

Harry, Brenda and Hermione headed over to the kitchen, they wanted to leave the Weasley's alone for a while, Harry got the plates down, Brenda was getting the food out and Hermione was getting the cups, Mrs. Weasley came in the kitchen and made the teens put everything down and then she hugged both Potters

" If it wasn't for you two Arthur would probably be dead, thank you thank you thank you" Mrs. Weasley said and she was hugging too tight, but finally she let go and went over to Sirius

" Thank you so much for letting my children come here, and thank you for staying up with them" Mrs. Weasley said and hugged Sirius, not so hard but hard enough

" Your welcome, in fact you guys are welcome to stay until Arthur is up and about again" Sirius said

" But that would mean we'd have Christmas here" Mrs. Weasley said

" Hey the more the merrier" Sirius said excitedly

Mrs. Weasley smiled and nodded then shooed everybody out of the kitchen, she wanted to make breakfast and didn't want any help

" Should we tell him?" Harry thought

" Yah" Brenda thought back

" Sirius" Harry started

" What's up kiddos?" Sirius asked

" May we have a word with you? Now?" Brenda asked

" Sure" Sirius said

They followed Sirius into the room with the family tree

" Now what do you want to say?" Sirius asked with a smile

" We didn't explain the whole vision" Brenda said

" You didn't? What else could there be?" Sirius asked

" We... Brenda and I were the snake" Harry said

" And... Afterwards when we were in Dumbledore's office about to portkey here, there was a moment where we were very angry at him and we don't know why" Brenda said

" It was like we were the snake again, we felt like we wanted to strike Dumbledore" Harry explained

" This connection between us and Voldemort, what if we are becoming more like him?" Brenda asked

" Dumbledore already told us we have certain similarities between him and us" Harry said

" What if we're becoming bad?" Brenda asked

Sirius looked at his godchildren for a mument and then took them both by the shoulders squeezing them firmly but not harshly and said, " You two are not bad people. You are very good people with bad things happening to you, that is all, never tell yourselves you're bad people ok?"

" Ok" Harry and Brenda said

" Now then, I suggest you two get some sleep and then you can go with the Weasley's and Hermione to see Arthur" Sirius said

The twins nodded and headed back downstairs with the rest of the teens

After breakfast Mrs. Weasley shooed everybody upstairs to bed, they had a long night and needed some sleep, they would see Mr. Weasley after lunch

When everybody woke up their trunks were brought from Hogwarts and everybody dressed in muggle clothes so they wouldn't look too out of place when they walked out of Grimmuald Place, on the way to St. Mungos they were escorted by Mad Eye Moody and Tonks

The teens didn't get to visit with Mr. Weasley long because Fred and George wouldn't stop asking questions like where he was and what the weapon was and stuff like that, so Mrs. Weasley kicked all the teens out

" Fine we're going, we're going" George said

" So now what?" Ron asked

George and Fred smiled and took out seven extendable ears and passed them around

They listened to what the adults had to say, they were talking about the Snake and Voldemort first and how the snake appeared after it attacked and then they were talking about how Dumbledore was waiting for the Potters to have a vision like this

That made the teens gasp that Dumbledore knew and what also made them gasp is when Moody said that Voldemort is possessing the Potters. Brenda and Harry couldn't take it any more they stopped listening and pulled the extendable ears away and saw that everybody was looking at them

" Well at least we know that we're not evil" Brenda thought

" Like this is so much better" Harry thought back

The next day was December 23 the eve of Christmas eve, everybody was in a good mood all except Harry and Brenda, they were happy they weren't evil but they were scared stiff that they could be possessed by Voldemort. They haven't been out of their rooms all day

" George do you know what's wrong with Brenda and Harry?" Fred asked

" I think they are scared about being possessed by you know who, they haven't come out of their rooms since they ran in there yesterday" George said

" You think I should give Brenda her Christmas present now to cheer her up?" Fred asked toying with it since it's in his pocket

" No tomorrow would be your anniversary since tomorrow would be one year since your first kiss, give it to her then" George said

" Well then help me figure out a way to get at least one of the Potters out of this funk" Fred said, " Hermione and Ron both tried everything they could think of and nothing has worked"

" Yah I noticed... um... I have an idea, bring Brenda into Harry's room and I'll get everybody else" George said

" What's your idea oh brother of mine?" Fred asked

" Well I think that they haven't been possessed, you know our sister has been possessed maybe she can help" George said

" That is a good idea, but why in Harry's room?" Fred asked

" Well... if Brenda fights you and won't listen, you can always carry her" George said smiling

Fred smiled too, " I like your thinking"

George smiled, " Thank you, now lets put this plan into action"

Fred nodded and went towards Brenda's room and knocked

" Go away please" Brenda said

" Brenda it's Fred can I come in?" Fred asked

Brenda sighed, " I'm sorry but I'm really not in the mood to be around anybody right now"

" You want to talk about it?" Fred asked through the door

" Not really" Brenda said

" Ok she might get angry at me but I have to do this" Fred thought and opened the door

" Fred I said" Brenda began

" I know what you said but everybody is worried about you and Harry, the adults don't know why you're acting like this and all of us teens are worried about you because you think you're being possessed by you know who" Fred said

" That's because I am" Brenda said, " And I'm trying to keep everybody safe by staying away from everybody"

" That's not healthy, come on I'm taking you to Harry's room where we're going to have a teen meeting" Fred said

" There's nothing to talk about" Brenda said

" Oh yes there is, now we can either do this the easy way or... well I'd call it the fun way but I don't know what you would call it" Fred said with a smile

" What are you talking about?" Brenda asked

" Come on, we're going to Harry's room" Fred said

" No, just... please leave" Brenda said

" Fun way it is then" Fred said and before Brenda could ask Fred picked her up

" Fred put me down, put me down" Brenda said struggling

" Nope" Fred said with a smile

He carried her towards Harry's room and sat her on the foot of the bed

" That was cheap" Brenda said with a glare

" Yah I know, but you'll thank me later" Fred said with a wink

" Oh you think so huh?" Brenda asked with a smile

" Oh I know so" Fred said

Brenda crossed her arms and mock pouted

" So do you all want to tell us why you forced us into a meeting?" Harry asked, " Fred you actually carried Brenda in here for the meeting, so what's it about?"

" Well Brenda was being stubborn so I had to and this meeting is about you guys thinking you're possessed by you know who" Fred said

" We are possessed by him" Harry and Brenda said

" Are you two sure about that?" Ginny asked

" Yes" Harry and Brenda said again

" Really... so do you two black out for hours at a time?" Ginny asked

" No" Harry and Brenda said

" Then you're not possessed by you know who, I have had experience and that is what happens when you are possessed, you black out for a few hours" Ginny said

" So we're not possessed by him, we just have visions of him" Harry said

" Exactly" Ginny said

" And you all kind of figured that out?" Brenda asked looking at the others

" We knew something was amiss" George said, " We didn't actually know what"

" Well then, I know I feel better knowing I'm not possessed, how about you Harry?" Brenda asked

" Oh yah, I'm glad you guys helped straighten things out for us" Harry said

" So are you two done sulking in your rooms?" Ron asked

" Yes" Harry and Brenda said

" Good now lets do something" Ron said

" Ok then... after I thank my boyfriend, then Ron I challenge you to a game of Wizards Chess" Brenda said with a twinkle in her eye

" Ok... how long will this take?" Ron asked

" Play a game with George, Ginny and then Harry" Brenda said smiling

" I'm liking the sound of this" Fred said

" Oh go get a room you two" George said

" Oh, we are" Brenda said with a mischievous smirk

The two left the room and headed back into Brenda's room and did a little more than kissing but had a full make out session, Brenda got her first hickey

" How's that for a thank you?" Brenda asked

" I love your thank yous" Fred grinned, " So you're actually going to play Ron in Wizards Chess?"

" Of course, and I'm going to beat him" Brenda said

" Uh-hu" Fred said, " You do realize he is like the best in the school right?"

" Not anymore, Snape taught me how to play very well and taught me how to win against Ron" Brenda said then went to the mirror to fix her hair and then she saw the red mark on her neck

" Ok, this will be embarrassing" Brenda said

" That's what a concealment charm is for" Fred said and did the charm for her since she couldn't use her magic outside of school

" Thank you" Brenda said

" Your very welcome" Fred said with a smile

They headed down together with smiles on their faces

" Wow you two are finally back" George said

" We only took what like fifteen minutes, don't tell me you are done playing Ron" Brenda said

" Fifteen minutes? I don't even want to know what you two were up to" George said with a grin, " You both are still virgins right?"

Both Brenda and Fred turned as red as their hair

" Oh honestly George" Hermione said

" It's just a question" George said

" Yes George if you must know" Fred said with a glare

" Ok new topic, Ron are you ready to play me?" Brenda asked

" Yes" Ron said thinking that it would be an easy win

Brenda smiled and they set up the chess board

The game went on for an hour and fifteen minutes, everybody was in the living room watching them, they were both concentrating very hard. Finally it was Brenda's move, she smiled and after she moved she said, "checkmate"

" Wow" Ron said

" Wicked" Fred and George said together

" How did you get so good at this game? You used to barely be able to beat Harry" Ron said

" Snape" Brenda answered

" Well he must be a good chess teacher then because you... and now... wow" Ron said

Brenda smiled

" Well you lot it's time for Dinner, now go wash up" Mrs. Weasley said

 

The next day was Christmas Eve, everybody was excited, Sirius was singing Christmas carols and the teens joined in while decorating. That night everybody gathered around in the living room and around the fireplace where Sirius made a fire and everybody had hot cocoa and sang Christmas carols, they sat by the fire until the fire was burning low

" Ok you lot it's time to go to bed, tomorrow's Christmas you know" Mrs. Weasley said

Everybody smiled and listened to Mrs. Weasley

" Hey Brenda wait a moment" Fred said

Brenda stopped and turned around

" I want you to open your gift tonight" Fred said

" Oh... ok" Brenda said with a smile

Fred took out the little package from his pocket and handed it to her

They sat back on the couch

" Fred, tonights not Christmas, tomorrow is" Mrs. Weasley said

" Tonight is more romantic for that gift, it's our one year anniversary since we became a couple" Fred said

Brenda slowly opened the gift and she opened the box and inside the box was a ring and she gasped and so did the others who didn't go upstairs yet because they knew about the ring

" Fred" Brenda gasped, " It's... its beautiful"

" Fred is that?" Mrs. Weasley started

" Don't worry, it's a promise ring" Fred said

The ring was white gold and on top was heart shaped with a ruby stone inside the heart and on top of the ruby was a little diamond

Brenda was speechless after she said beautiful

Fred took the box with the ring in it and took the ring out and put it on Brenda's ring finger

" Thank you" Brenda breathed and hugged her wonderful boyfriend and then kissed him

" You're welcome" Fred said with a smile

" Ok... now it's time for bed you lot" Mrs. Weasley said

Fred and Brenda got off the couch and while hugging each other went to the other teens who didn't go upstairs

" I was wondering when he was going to give it to you" Ginny said with a smile

" You knew about it?" Brenda asked

" We all did, I gave him some pointers" Ginny said

" When did you talk about it?" Brenda asked

" Every time you were down in the dungeons, so you really like it?" Fred asked

" Fred I don't like it... I love it, it's perfect, I love how it has my birthstone and I love diamonds and the heart is just... the ring is perfect" Brenda said and kissed him again

After another half hour everybody headed up to bed

That was the highlight of Brenda's Christmas, Christmas day after everybody opened their presents and ate breakfast, everybody visited Mr. Weasley again and watched him open his gifts

As the holidays were coming to a close Sirius was getting grumpier and grumpier

" He's sad that we're leaving" Brenda thought

" I feel bad, all he will have for company is Buckbeak and Kreacher" Harry thought

" Don't forget his mothers portrait" Brenda thought

" Yah like that's any better" Harry thought

" We'll still write him all the time like we do" Brenda said

" Yah" Harry sighed

The day before it was time to go back to Hogwarts, Snape arrived at Grimmuald Place

" Harry, Brenda, Professor Snape is here and he needs to talk to you" Mrs. Weasley said

Everybody was in the living room hanging out, Harry and Ron were playing chess, Brenda and Hermione were reading, Ginny was watching Harry and Ron playing chess and Fred and George were talking about their products

" What was that Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked

" Professor Snape is in the kitchen and he needs to talk to you two" Mrs. Weasley said again

Brenda smiled wide, she hasn't seen her dad in almost a month, she was the first one out of the living room, Harry groaned and followed his little sister

" Only she will be so happy to see Snape" Ron mumbled

Brenda walked into the kitchen and saw her dad and godfather glaring daggers at each other

" Um... hi dad" Brenda said trying to break the glaring contest. she went over to her dad and giving him a hug which he returned after smirking at Sirius, " What's going on?"

" Wait until your brother gets here, I only want to go through this once, I cannot stay long" Severus said

Brenda sat at the table next to her father waiting for her brother to get into the kitchen

" What is taking him so long?" Severus snapped

Another minute later Harry arrived

" About time Potter, now sit down" Severus snapped

Harry went over and sat next to his godfather

" You know Snape, I don't think you should be giving orders around here, being my house an all" Sirius said

" I was supposed to talk to you two alone but Black" Severus started

" I'm their Godfather" Sirius interrupted

" I am here on Dumbledore's orders, but by all means Black, stay if it makes you feel... Useful " Severus said

" Here we go again" Brenda thought

" What's that supposed to mean?" Sirius asked standing up and glaring

" Only that I'm sure you must feel frustrated by the fact that you can do nothing useful for the order" Severus said with a smirk

" Ok enough both of you, you guys are acting like children. Dad why are you here?" Brenda asked getting very annoyed at the bickering

" The headmaster has sent me to tell you that you both are to study Occlumency this term" Severus said getting ready for the excited scream that he knew would come from Brenda who has been fascinated by Occlumency and Legimency since well second year

Brenda didn't scream but she gasped and stood up, " You're serious, we're actually going to be taught Occlumency" She had a big smile

Severus smirked and nodded

" Study what?" Harry asked

" Occlumency, The magical defense of the mind against external penetration. An obscure branch of magic, but a highly useful one" Severus said

Harry turned to Brenda

" In other words, we're going to learn how to keep Voldemort out of our minds and maybe we can keep thoughts to ourselves" Brenda translated

" And how come you know this?" Harry asked

" Brenda's been reading about Occlumency and Legimency ever since second year" Severus said spilling the beans

" No... not that long" Brenda said confused

" Oh yes, that long, you just don't remember because I gave you a potion, you were getting into dangerous stuff for a second year so I erased your knowledge of knowing about it" Severus said

" O...k..." Brenda said but then got excited again

" So why do we have to study Occl whatever?" Harry asked

" Because the Headmaster thinks it's a good idea" Severus said, " You both must keep this a secret, mostly from that Umbridge woman"

" No problem" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

" So who's going to teach us?" Brenda asked excitedly

Severus smirked, " I am"

Brenda's smile widened

" I am a master at Occlumency and Legimency" Severus said

" So is Dumbledore, why can't Dumbledore teach Harry and you teach Brenda, that way there's more time for both of them?" Sirius asked

" I suppose because it is the headmasters privilege to assign less enjoyable tasks to those under him" Severus said, " I assure you I did not beg for the job, but I'm the only one most qualified to do it... I expect to see you two Monday night at 6:00 in the potions classroom, If anybody asks then you say that Harry is being tutored in potions by Brenda, everybody who's seen Harry in class knows that he needs the tutoring and everybody knows Brenda is qualified for the job. Well I better be going, I don't have time to laze the day away, unlike you Black" Severus got up and started to leave

" Wait a minute Snape" Sirius said getting up

" What Black? I'm very busy" Severus said

" If you use these lessons and they harm either kid, you have me to answer to" Sirius said

" Hmm, that's touching but you're not much of a threat" Severus said

Sirius got mad at that and got out his wand and at the same time Snape got his wand, they were squared off glaring daggers

" SIRIUS/DAD" Harry and Brenda yelled

They weren't paying attention

" I warned you Snivellus, I don't care if Dumbledore thinks you've reformed, I know better" Sirius said

" Then why don't you tell him so? Or don't you think he'll take advice from somebody who's been inside his mother's house for six months?" Severus asked

" WILL YOU BOTH STOP IT?" Brenda screamed

" STAY OUT OF THIS" Sirius and Severus said at the same time and they were about to jinx one another

Brenda looked at Harry and they both nodded, " ACCIO WANDS"

Severu's and Sirius's wands flew to Harry and Brenda's hands and everything went quiet

" THAT... IS... QUITE... ENOUGH" Brenda yelled glaring at both men, " YOU ARE BOTH ACTING LIKE TODDLERS, START ACTING YOUR AGE”

" Wow you have Lily's temper" Sirius said trying to make a joke

" I know I do" Brenda said glaring

" Give me back my wand Brenda" Severus said in his teacher tone

" Only if you promise not to fight anymore" Brenda said still glaring like Severus, " And no crosses count"

" I promise, I have to leave anyway" Severus said, " But I cannot leave without my wand"

" Fine, here" Brenda said handing back the wand, " I don't want you two to fight anymore, it is getting old"

Harry handed back Sirius's wand to and they both put the wands away

" Remember Potters... 6:00" Severus said and then left the building

" Hmm, first time he called me Potter in a long time" Brenda thought

All of a sudden Mr. Weasley came into the kitchen yelling, " I'm cured"

The evening should have been a joyful one because of Mr. Weasley being cured, but it wasn't, everybody knew that Sirius was sad about everybody leaving

The next morning everybody was in a rush to get everything packed because the teens would be going back to school. After the Potters were packed and triple checked to make sure they had everything, they found Sirius in Buckbeaks room

" Hi Sirius" Brenda and Harry said said

" Hi Rose bud, hi Prongslet" Sirius said

Harry and Brenda looked at each other confused

" What's Rosebud?" Brenda asked sitting down next to Sirius and Harry on the other side

" A nickname your dad made up because of the color of your hair and the fact that in Lily's family all the daughters have flower names, Lily and Petunia" Sirius said

" Rosebud... I like it" Brenda said with a smile

" And your nickname Harry is Prongslet because..." Sirius said

" Because dad was Prongs?" Harry asked

" Exactly" Sirius said with a grin

" I like it, Prongslet, nice ring to it" Harry said

" Sirius we're sorry about yesterday" Brenda started

" Don't be, Snape and I should be the ones apologizing, we were acting like kids, or toddlers as you said, it's a good thing you did stop us, who knew what could have happened" Sirius said, " I know you hate it when we fight since you love both of us and all, I know how hard that could be"

Brenda nodded

" Sirius are you going to be all right?" Harry asked

" Yah I'll be fine, you two need to get an education, I have Beaky to keep me company" Sirius said

" We'll write to you a lot even though we have to write Snuffles instead of Sirius" Brenda grinned

" Or Padfoot" Harry put in

" Who came up with Snuffles anyway?" Sirius asked

" I think that would be Mrs. Weasley" Harry grinned

They stayed with Sirius for the rest of the day until it was time to go back to Hogwarts

Finally it was the first school day of second term and also the first Occlumency lesson, only Brenda was looking forward to the lesson

" How can you not be excited about Occlumency?" Brenda asked Harry

" It's more time with Snape" Harry answered

" Oh come on, Snape's not that bad" Brenda said

" You're just used to him, he likes you, he despises me and I don't know why" Harry said

" Well aren't you excited to learn how to keep Voldemort out of your head? I know I am" Brenda said

" How do you know this isn't just another way to torture us?" Harry asked

" Because I've been reading books on the subject for a couple years now, I'm very excited to learn, and dad will not torture us" Brenda said

" Snape may not torture you but he'll torture me, I just know it" Harry said

Brenda rolled her eyes and said " Well if you think he's torturing you then talk to Dumbledore or Sirius, I'll be their with you and I'll know if you're being tortured or not"

During classes that day, the members of the DA kept asking them when they would have another meeting

" Soon" Brenda said to Zacharias Smith

" How soon? Why not today? Nothing is going on today" Zacharias Smith said

" I have to... tutor Harry in Potions, I asked Professor Snape if I could tutor him in the classroom because he needs that much help and he let me, but we have to set up appointments and the first appointment is tonight, sorry, we'll get back to you though" Brenda said

" Fine, well then see you later" Zacharias Smith said and left

" How did you think of all of that on the spot?" Harry asked

" I kind of figured this would happen, I rehearsed it last night, it's not a total lie, he gave us a specific time and that's like an appointment, and I'm using the excuse Snape gave us" Brenda explained

Harry rolled his eyes, " I can't believe you actually rehearsed something like that"

" Well like I said I figured something like that would happen, and I was right" Brenda said and then saw Cho coming up to them and she smiled, " Now if you excuse me I'll be going now"

" Where are you going?" Harry asked

Brenda just smiled and walked away hearing Cho saying hi to Harry

" You did that on purpose" Harry thought to her

" Yep" Brenda thought back, " See you later"

Finally it was time to head down to the potions room

" So what did you and Cho talk about?" Brenda asked with a smile

" I invited her to Hogsmeade on Valintine's day" Harry said with a smile

Brenda smiled and they headed down to the potions classroom and knocked

" Come in" Snape said

Brenda was the only one smiling when the two Potters entered

The Classroom was different when they entered, the tables and chairs were gone and so were the cauldrons, Brenda figured Snape shrunk them and put them in a safe place so they would have enough room to practice, also what was different was that there was a pensieve in the room

" We going memory diving?" Harry thought

" I doubt it, I think it's for Snape so we don't accidently see any of his memories when he's casting Legilimency at us" Brenda thought back

" O...K" Harry thought, he didn't know what Legilimency was but he didn't have time to ask

" Shut the door behind you Harry" Snape said from his desk

Harry did as he was told

" Well you two are on time, very good" Snape said then he indicated at the two chairs that were in the room side by side, " Sit and we'll get started"

Harry and Brenda sat in the chairs and watched as Snape sat in the other chair

" The Headmaster wants me to teach you two Occlumency, let's just hope you both learn this better than you learn how to behave and not get into trouble shall we?" Snape asked

Harry and Brenda rolled their eyes at what Snape said

Snape glared at them both, " This may not be an ordinary class but you both will treat it as such understood?"

" Yes sir" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

" Much better" Snape said

" Sir why do we have to be taught Occlumency?" Harry asked

Snape sighed and rolled his eyes, " The Dark Lord is highly skilled at Legilimency

" What's Legilimency anyway?" Harry asked

Snape rolled his eyes and sighed but before he could begin Brenda answered

" It is the ability to extract feelings and memories from another person's mind" Brenda explained, "I think it's like reading minds"

" You thought wrong, Legilimency is not like reading minds even though skilled people who have mastered Legilimency are able to detect certain things, like they know when people are... lying for instance”

Brenda's eyes went wide and silently gasped

" Yes Brenda, like I told you before, I know when you're lying" Snape said with a smirk

" Because I don't know Occlumency" Brenda said

" That's true, but I still know when you're lying, you can't keep a blank face and it's in your eyes" Snape said

Brenda sighed again

" Now then any other questions before we begin?" Snape asked

" Why do we have to learn Occlumency?" Harry asked

" Because the curse that failed to kill you two formed some kind of connection with you and the Dark Lord, not to mention that annoying thinking thing you guys do a lot" Snape said

" Well that annoying thinking thing we do saved our lives on many occasions" Brenda said

" Yes and on one of those occasions you almost got expelled" Snape said with a glare

" Stop bringing that up" Brenda said looking away

" Anyway back to the topic, you both are to learn this so the Dark Lord cannot get inside your heads anymore, so you won't have visions" Snape said

" Why does Dumbledore want it to stop? If we didn't have that vision of Mr. Weasley then it would have been too late" Harry said

" Up until now the Dark Lord didn't know that he had a connection with you two, but after the incident with Arthur Weasley he found out about the connection”

" I don't get it, how come when we had that vision, we were the snake?" Brenda asked

" Because the Dark Lord was possessing the snake and since you both have a connection" Snape started

" We were looking inside the snake" Brenda finished

" Exactly" Snape said, " Now since we don't want that to happen again, or the Dark Lord possessing you two, we are brought back to Occlumency"

Snape stood up and took his wand to his temple and cast a silver substance out of his head and placed it in the pensieve, he did that a couple more times and then carefully moved it out of the way then he turned to the two Potters and smirked

" Now then... who wants to go first?" Snape asked but he had a very good idea who wanted to go first

Brenda stood up first with a grin on her face and Snape nodded

" Ok then, take out your wand, you may attempt to disarm me or defend yourself in any way you can think of" Snape said

" What are you going to do?" Harry asked

" I'm going to break into her mind and she needs to resist" Snape said

Brenda got a little nervous then, it was one thing reading about Occlumency and Legilimency but to actually do it, well that was different

" Ok I need to clear all thoughts, clear all thoughts clear all thoughts" Brenda thought to herself

Snape took out his wand and yelled, " Legilimens"

Brenda gasped as the classroom disappeared and her bedroom at the Williamson's appeared and an image of a three year old Brenda was playing by herself by the window waiting for her parents to come home, the image shifted to a six year old Brenda listening to her nanny say that her parents died in a carcrash and she had to go to an orphanage. Brenda was fighting to get Severus out of her head, " EXPELLIARMUS" Brenda yelled and Severus was out of her head

" Hmm, very good for your first try, only took you five minutes to get me out, who was that lady you were with when you were six?" Severus asked

" My nanny Mary, she told me my parents died and I had to go to an orphanage" Brenda said

Severus didn't say anything about that, " Ok, your first try was good, now try getting me out of your head without using your wand"

" How am I supposed to do that?" Brenda asked

" That is the test, you need to figure it out on your own, now clear your mind and we'll begin again" Severus said, " Legilimens"

Brenda and Harry met for the first time not knowing they were related, Harry and Brenda were both sorted into Gryffindor, Harry and Brenda found out they were related, Brenda answered Professor Snape's many questions during first year

Snape pulled out of Brenda's head and glared at her, " You weren't even trying" he spat

" I liked those memories, I wanted to watch them" Brenda explained with a grin

" That is not the point of this, I'm trying to teach you Occlumency, if you do that again then you'll be grounded again" Severus warned

" Fine I won't watch them, I'll try to block you" Brenda said

" Later, it's Harry's turn" Severus said

Harry looked very nervous as he stood up and pulled out his wand

" Remember Harry, try to clear your mind" Brenda said

Harry nodded and faced Snape waiting for him to come into his mind

By the end of the lesson both Harry and Brenda were exhausted

" You two are to practice controlling your emotions and emptying out your minds before bed, is that clear?" Snape asked

" Yes sir" Harry and Brenda tiredly said

" Good, our next lesson will be this Wednesday at the same time, you both better practice, I will know if you did not" Snape said

The Potters nodded and left the classroom

" So you were excited about that?" Harry asked

" It sounded better in the books" Brenda said, " But I'm glad we are being taught it, I think it's a scary thought that Voldemort can get into our minds like that"

When they got back to the Common Room and told their friends about Occlumency they both headed up to bed, not caring if it was only about 8:00

The next day during breakfast when the owls came and everybody got the daily prophet who subscribed to it, there was a deathly silence

" What's going on?" Ron asked

" Listen to this" Hermione said looking at her copy of the Daily Prophet, " Mass Breakout from Azkaban Ministry Fears Black is " Rallying Point" For old Death Eaters

" Black, you don't mean" Harry started

" Shh, not so loud" Hermione whispered, " Read it" she handed Harry the paper and Brenda read over his shoulder

The Ministry of Magic announced late last night that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban. Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minster of Magic, confirmed that then high-security prisoners escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening, and that he has already informed the Muggle Prime Minister of the dangerous nature of these individuals. " We find ourselves, most unfortuately, in the same position we were two and a half years ago when the murderer Sirius Black escaped" Fudge quoted last night. " Nor do we think the two breakouts are unrelated. An escape of this magnitued suggests outside help, and we must remember that black as the first person to every break out of Azkaban, would be ideally placed to help others follow in his footsteps. We think it is likely that these individuals, who include Black's cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, have rallied around Black as their leader. We are, however, doing all we can do to round up the criminals and beg the magical community to remain alert and cautious. On no account should any of these individuals be approached."

" I can't believe Fudge is blaming the breakout on Sirius" Brenda said

" He doesn't even like his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange" Harry said

" I can't imagine what Neville is going through right now" Brenda thought

" Yah I know" Harry thought back

During lunch that same day Seamus went up to the Potters

" Can I speak with you two for a minute" Seamus asked

Harry and Brenda looked at each other and finally nodded

They left the Great Hall and entered a deserted corridor

" Yes?" Brenda asked

" I believe you two" Seamus said, " About you know who coming back"

" What made you change your mind?" Harry asked

" The break out in Azkaban, I don't think it's Black who done it" Seamus said, " My mum is having second thoughts also"

" Do you think we should invite him to the DA meetings?" Brenda thought

" I don't know" Harry thought

" I'm sure we can trust him, he believes us now and he doesn't even know about the meetings" Brenda thought

" We'll see, lets not talk about it right now, the walls have ears" Harry thought and said, " Well Seamus I'm glad that we made up"

" Yah, me too, now it won't be awkward in the dorm anymore, no more fighting" Seamus said

The three smiled and returned to lunch

After lunch the Gryffindors moods darkened because Hagrid didn't look happy and that was unusual

" I think we should go see him and ask him what's wrong" Hermione said

The others nodded and trecked down torwards Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door

" Who is it?" Hagrid asked

" Hagrid it's us" Harry said

Hagrid opened the door and he looked kind of grumpy

" Sorry you four but I don't feel like company right now, I don't think you all should come here any more, I'm too dangerous and I'm on probation" Hagrid said with a glare

" Too dangerous? On probation What?" Brenda gasped

" Yah, I got my review back and she said I was too dangerous and now I'm on probation, she says my classes are too dangerous and she doesn't want me to endanger the students anymore" Hagrid said with a glare, " Hey I need your fours help"

" We'll do anything to help you out Hagrid you know that" Harry said

Hagrid smiled at that

" Come back after all your classes and I'll introduce you to somebody" Hagrid said

" Ok" The four said

" But you should go now, you don't want Umbridge catching you" Hagrid said

" Ok, we'll come back later" Hermione said

The four teens left wondering who Hagrid wanted them to meet

When they went back to the hut they saw Hagrid waiting outside for them

" So who do you want us to meet?" Brenda asked

" Follow me" Hagrid said and he led the Gryffindors into the Forbidden Forest

" Are you sure we should be in here? We don't want you or us to get in trouble" Ron said

" Nobody will know, now keep moving" Hagrid said

They kept moving and five minutes later Hagrid stopped

" Um, why did we stop?" Harry asked

" Because I need to fill you lot in on a secret of mine" Hagrid said

Everybody waited patitently

" Well... the thing is there is a very good chance that I'm going to be getting the sack any day now with how bad my review is and I need to lot to help me with something if I do get sacked" Hagrid said

" It's not dangerous is it?" Hermione asked

" Of course not, why would I endanger you lot?" Hagrid asked

The four students gave each other looks

" Of course we'll help you Hagrid" Harry said with a smile

Hagrid smiled and a tear fell down his cheek and then he composed himself, " Ok, then follow me, we have about another fifteen minutes

Fifteen minutes later the group saw the biggest creature they have ever seen, it was a giant

" I would like you to meet my half brother Gwarp" Hagrid said smiling

The Gryffindors were too stunned to talk

" Turns out my mother slept with another when she left me and dad" Hagrid said not noticing the stunned looks on the Gryffindors' faces

" Um... Why is he tied up?" Brenda asked

" He gets violent once in a while, but only when he's cranky" Hagrid said

" Is he the one that beat you up?" Hermione asked

" Well, he doesn't know his own strength" Hagrid said, " But he's doing a lot better now"

" So what exactly do you want us to do?" Harry asked

" Look after him while I'm gone" Hagrid said

" You mean we have to feed him?" Ron asked

" No, he can get his own food, it's company he needs" Hagrid said, " Somebody who can teach him things too like English for example"

" You want us to teach him?" Harry asked

" Yah, just talk to him a bit" Hagrid said

The four Gryffindors looked at eachother again

" We'll do our best Hagrid" Harry said with a smile that looked kind of worried

Hagrid smiled big at that

" I knew I could count on you four" Hagrid said with a big smile, " Now it's time for the introductions"

Hagrid turned towards the giant, " Gwarpy I have some friends that would like to meet you"

Gwarp stared dumbly at the group

" Gwarp this is Harry, Ron, Brenda, and Hermione" Hagrid said loudly and a little slowly

" Harry, Ron, Enda, Hermy" Gwarp said

" Well he got half of our names right" Ron said with a worried smile

" Don't feel offended, the Bs are kind of hard and he's not that great with more than two syllables, you two don't mind do you?" Hagrid asked worriedly

" Of course not" Hermione and Brenda said

" Great, well now since you met him, I think we should be going back" Hagrid said

" It's nice to meet you Gwarp" Brenda said loudly and kind of slowly

Gwarp just smiled

On the way out of the forest Hagrid told the four to just visit him like once a week after he's gone, they could go under the invisiblity cloaks

During dinner Snape gave Brenda a message to come to the apartment Brenda sighed when she read it

" Now what?" She thought and pondered what her dad wanted now

Brenda made it down to the apartment and waited for her dad to show up, she showed up a few minutes later

" What's up?" Brenda asked

" Have you been occluding your mind at night?" Severus asked

" You mean last night? Yes, I occluded my mind" Brenda said

" Good, I'm just reminding you" Severus said

" Ok" Brenda said, " Well then goodnight" She started leaving

" Another thing I need to talk to you about" Severus said

" Yes?" Brenda asked

" I've been wondering this for some time now, and Moody reminded me of it, why do you, your brother and Granger carry your wands in the back of your pockets?" Severus asked

" Because we can't figure out how everybody carries them in their robes and they don't fall out" Brenda said

" Why didn't you ask?" Severus asked

" Didn't think of it as a big deal" Brenda said with a shrug

" Do you realize that by not carrying them in your robes, they can easily be stolen?" Severus asked

" Well... yah now that you mention it" Brenda said, " But I still don't get how people can carry them in their robes and not have it fall out, you forget that I was raised in the muggle world, and I don't get out much in the Wizarding world"

" Good point... but it's one of the simplest things ever, the way people keep their wands in their robes is because of a wand holder" Severus said

Brenda looked confused

Severus sighed and rolled his eyes and lifted up his left robe sleeve and on the upper part of his arm was his wand inside a holder that must be the wand holder

" It cannot fall out and only comes out if pulled or pushed out" Severus explained, " And before you ask, they are very comfortable and you can't even feel them"

" Cool, so where do you get them and do they come in different colors?" Brenda asked

" Yes, they do and you can get them anywhere, I'm surprised you haven't gotten one already" Severus said

" Well the thought never crossed my mind" Brenda said

" Obviously" Severus said putting his sleave down

" So does Hogsmeade have them?" Brenda asked

" Yes, I believe Dervish and Banges sells them" Severus said

" Cool" Brenda said

" I suggest you get one during the next Hogsmeade trip" Severus said

Brenda nodded

" Now since you're not grounded for a change" Severus said with a smirk

Brenda glared at her dad

" I suggest you get back up to Gryffindor Tower" Severus said, " And tell your brother and Granger about wand holders, they're very useful"

" Yah I will, I think they'll like not having to risk getting their wands stollen for a change" Brenda said after a thought

Severus smirked

" Well I'll see you later, and I promise I'll occlude my mind before bed" Brenda said giving her dad a hug

" Ok, remind your brother also" Severus said

" I will, goodnight" Brenda said heading out the portrait

" Night" Severus said

When Brenda got up to the Common Room she told Harry and Hermione about the wand holders

" You mean you guys don't have wand holders? They're like a nessessity to having a wand" Ron said

" Why didn't you tell us that Ron? You've seen us carry our wands in our back pockets for five years" Hermione said

" I just thought you guys were being stubborn and didn't like wand holders, some people don't like them and don't use them" Ron said with a shrug

" Good point, we're not the only ones who don't use wand holders" Harry said

" Well we now can purchase wand holders at Dervish and Banges at Hogsmeade" Brenda said with a smile, " They come in different colors and I really want to get a purple one"

" Of course you do, it's your favorite color" Harry said

" So, I'm sure they have a green one for you" Brenda said with a smirk

Harry blushed, not many people knew that his favorite color was green, he didn't like admitting it because that is a Slytherin color

" You like the color green?" Ron asked

" Yes, mostly because of my eyes" Harry said, " But I don't like admitting it" Harry glared at Brenda

Brenda just smirked, " Oh it's not wrong having a Slytherin color as your favorite color, I bet you liked green way before you came to Hogwarts"

" True, but please don't tell anybody else" Harry said

" I'm not, just friends" Brenda said with a smile, " And I'm serious about the wand holder"

Harry smiled, he can't be angry at his sister forever

" I guess I have to get used to you being a little sister" Harry said teasingly, " Little sisters like to tease big brothers"

Brenda rolled her eyes, " Yah by like what? Two minutes?"

" I'm still older" Harry smirked

" And older brothers like to tease little sisters" Ron put in

Harry smirked

" You three are so immature" Hermione said and got out a book

" Oh we're just having some fun" Ron said

" It is true, I am older than Brenda" Harry said proudly

" And you're never going to let me forget it are you?" Brenda asked

Harry shook his head no with a smirk

" Ok new topic, anybody want to play chess?" Ron asked

" Sure" Brenda said with a smile

" I'm going to beat you this time" Ron said

" Oh I don't think so" Brenda said sitting down getting ready to play with a smirk on her face

Brenda beat Ron at the chess game

Days passed since the Gryffindors met Gwarp and during that time Harry and Brenda still had Occlumency lessons, thank goodness Snape hasn't seen the make-out sessions with Fred yet and there were two DA meetings. Umbridge made another decree which was Decree number Twenty-six saying "Teachers are hereby banned from giving students any information that is not strictly related to the subjects they are paid to teach" That was the only bad news that happened for a few days and everybody was getting excited about the Hogsmeade trip that was getting closer

Finally it was Valentine's Day and Harry was excited because it would be his first date with Cho

" Hey since you're going on a date with Cho, you want me to get you a wand holder?" Brenda asked

" Yah sure" Harry said

" What color you want?" Brenda asked with a smile

" Gryffindor color" Harry said

Brenda nodded

Hermione got into her purse and grabbed a few Galleons" Here's some money, can you get me a Gryffindor one too? I have to go to The Three Broomsticks and talk to Luna Lovegood about something and I won't have time to go to Dervish and Banges" Hermione said

" Yah, ok" Brenda said, " What about you Ron?"

" I already have one, I'm going to hang out with Fred, George and Lee for a while" Ron said

" So you'll be at Zonkos" Hermione said with a smile

" Yep" Ron said

" We should all meet somewhere if we want to get together" Hermione said

" How about Honeydukes, get some candy before we head up to the castle, I know my supply is short" Brenda grinned

The other three smiled

" Actually I need to talk to you two in The Three Broomsticks, so can we meet there?" Hermione asked

" Ok" Brenda said, " But I still want to go to Honeydukes"

Harry and Cho didn't meet up until they were at Hogsmeade and the other three just left him there with smiles on their faces and split up

Brenda entered the store that she hasn't been in before because she never really needed anything from the store before and she looked around, there were all kinds of merchandise; there were sneakoscopes, golden snitches for riding brooms and ones to catch on the ground, miniature brooms that fly and a lot more. Brenda was awed at all of the stuff the store had, but she didn't know where to look for wand holders so she went up to the manager and asked

" Excuse me, can you please show me where the wand holders are at?" Brenda asked

" Follow me" The manager said and he led her towards them

There was a whole wall of wand holders

" Wow" Brenda said in awe

" Wand holders are very useful, that's why there are so many, I'll just let you look, take your time" He said

" Thank you" Brenda said with a smile

" If you need help finding anything else, just let me know" He said

Brenda nodded and waited for him to leave

There were many colors of wand holders, some had different shapes on them and there were also glittery ones

" Ok, now where are the purple ones?" Brenda asked herself and then saw the purple wand holders, there were a lot to choose from, " I just want a regular purple, not a glittery purple or a pokadotted purple, just a plain purple one" She thought

It took her five minutes to find the exact one she wanted, five minutes to shop for one thing is a long time

" Ok now I need to find two Gryffindor ones" Brenda thought and found the perfect ones for Hermione and Harry, they were both Crimson and Gold and they had a lion on them, " Perfect"

She grabbed them and then looked around at the other things in the shop, she bought a snitch that you could play on the ground

After she excited that store she headed over to The Three Broomsticks where Hermione was still talking to Luna Lovegood

" Hi you two" Brenda said

" Hi, you're done already? That was kind of quick" Hermione said

" Not really, it took me five minutes to find a purple one" Brenda said

" Wow" Hermione said surprised

" Oh here's yours" Brenda said handing over Hermione's wand holder and her change

" Cool both the house colors and it has a lion on it, it's perfect" Hermione said with a smile, " Thanks Brenda"

" You're welcome, so what are you two talking about?" Brenda asked

" Brenda, how would you and Harry like to let people know of the whole story?" Hermione asked with a grin

Brenda knew what story Hermione was talking about

" Are you serious?" Brenda asked surprised

Hermione nodded

" Yes, we'd love to get people to believe us" Brenda said

" Great" Hermione said with a smile and took out a jar with a beetle in it and released it and cast a spell on it and in front of them was none other than Rita Skeeter

" I can't believe you left me in there all that time" Rita spat with a glare

" Hey you deserved it" Hermione said coldly, now you know what to do, and we want you to write the truth"

" Or what?" Rita asked

" Or you're going back in the jar" Hermione said

" Not again" Rita said

" I let you out once and you wrote lies again and I put you back in, now this time I want you to write the truth" Hermione said

Rita groaned, " Fine, where is the truth going to be published?"

" In the Quibbler" Luna said dreamily and smiled, " My dad owns it"

Brenda sighed, " Well it's not exactly the Daily Prophet, but at least it's something"

" We just have to wait for Harry to show up" Hermione said

Harry showed up a half hour later with no Cho

" Hi Harry, where's Cho at?" Brenda asked

" She's with some of her Ravenclaw friends crying her eyes out" Harry said

" What happened?" Hermione and Brenda asked

" I don't know, the whole time all she wanted to talk about was Cedric and she started crying and we ran into her friends and went our separate ways from there" Harry said and then saw Rita, " What's she doing here?"

" She's going to interview us and it's going to be the truth and it'll be published in the Quibbler" Brenda said and thought, " I don't know if this will work or not but at least we'll be heard"

Harry nodded and sat down

The Potters told their story to Rita and made sure it was correct

It took about a month for the story to be published in the Quibbler and during that time Gryffindor lost to Hufflepuff in Quidditch by ten points only because Ginny caught the snitch, otherwise they would have lost by a lot, poor Ron. Also in that time to Brenda's horror Snape finally found the memory she dreaded her dad of seeing

" What... did... I... just... see?" Snape asked trying to control his temper and he was glaring

Brenda was too stunned to talk

" ANSWER ME" Snape yelled

" What? The ring?" Brenda asked because that image was shown also

" You know what I'm talking about" Snape said, " I am not talking about the ring"

Snape took out his wand and pointed it at Brenda and both Potters gasped

" DAD DON'T" Brenda yelled walking backwards

" PROFESSOR WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Harry said standing from his seat and taking out his wand but he was too slow

" FINITE INCANTATEM" Snape said and his wand was pointed at Brenda's neck where the conceal charm was at

Brenda groaned when she saw the look on her dad's face and she tried to hide the hickies with her hands

" Too late Brenda" Snape said with a glare

" Oh come on, they're just hickeys, we didn't do anything... wrong" Brenda protested

" Right like making out is nothing wrong? YOU'RE FIFTEEN BRENDA" Snape yelled

" I know, but what does that have to do with kissing?" Brenda asked

" Kissing can turn into something more" Snape hissed with a glare

" OH BLOODY HELL DAD, WE ARE SO MUCH MORE MATURE THAN THAT" Brenda said

" Professor Brenda and Fred are still on first base, they're going to be on that for a while" Harry said

Brenda didn’t like that Harry knew that, but with the mind connection, kit made sense.

" You stay out of this, this is between your sister and me" Snape spat

" Well I think you're blowing this way out of proportion" Harry said

" Well then you're thinking too much" Snape said, " Now sit down and be quiet"

" NOT UNTIL YOU STOP YELLING AT MY SISTER" Harry yelled

" INSOLENT LITTLE BRAT" Snape yelled, " 15 points from Gryffindor for not doing as you're told and a detention with Filch Saturday at 7:00, Now sit down Potter"

Harry sat, " Sorry" He thought

Snape turned back to Brenda, " You are forbidden to kiss Mr. Weasley do I make myself clear?"

Brenda was in tears of hurt and rage, " What is wrong with you? You were fine with me kissing him before"

" That was before you started making out with him" Snape said with a glare

" We're still on first base" Brenda protested

" Yes well you're half way to second" Snape said

" It'll be a long time before we reach second base, you have to trust us" Brenda said

" I did trust you, I trusted you both to just kiss, but now you're making out with him and I do not approve" Snape said

" I don't know why you don't approve, we're just kissing and hugging, we're not doing anything wrong" Brenda argued

" Before you know it Brenda, you will be on second base and then third base" Snape said, " Face it, Mr. Weasley will get tired of just kissing, he'll want to move to second base and then even sooner third base"

" No he won't not until I'm ready" Brenda protested, " He loves me and he will wait until I'm ready to move and it'll be a while before I want to move"

" Brenda the boy is 17, soon he would want to move to second base" Snape said

" YOU'RE WRONG" Brenda yelled, turned around and stomped towards the door and thought, " Come on Harry, lets get out of here"

" Right behind you" Harry thought, he didn't like the conversation one bit, it was awkward and embarrassing to his sister

" POTTERS GET BACK HERE, YOU'RE NOT FINISHED WITH YOUR LESSONS" Snape yelled

" TODAY WE ARE" Brenda yelled back with tears in her eyes

Brenda was crying when they entered the Common Room that night

" Hi how was the tutoring?" Hermione asked since there were still people in the room

They didn't answer and Hermione then noticed Brenda crying

" Brenda what happend?" Hermione asked

Brenda couldn't talk

" Snape found out about her and Fred making out and he kind of blew up and talked about going to second base and then third base, it was all very awkward and scary, he was yelling at both of us" Harry said

" That's awful, they're not even ready for second base forget about thirdbase" Hermione said and then went over to Brenda and hugged her, " I'm so sorry"

" Not your fault" Brenda whispered

Fred, George and Lee came from their dorm rooms with new merchandise, they had wands that turn into rubber chickens if you say a magic word, they wanted to play a joke on their younger brother but when Fred saw Brenda crying all his joy disappeared

" Hey what's wrong" Fred asked

Brenda went to Fred and hugged him not letting go, Fred just hugged her right back, " Anybody want to tell me why my girlfriend is crying?"

" You might want to sit down" Harry said

Fred and Brenda sat on the couch

Harry told him what happened and Fred was getting redder and redder either from embarrassment or anger or both

" I knew Snape was a greasy git but to actually say something like that to his own daughter..." George didn't finish his thought because of the glare that Brenda gave him

" Oh don't glare at me, he is a greasy git" George said irritated

" George stop it, he's still her dad no matter what he said" Fred said quietly

George didn't say anything

" Well your dad doesn't have to worry, no matter what he thinks, we will not take it to the next level in this relationship for a long while" Fred said looking down at Brenda and kissed her head

Brenda wouldn't let Fred go, but it was ok with Fred because they were both cuddling, Brenda still has tears in her eyes though

Brenda ignored her dad as best as she could for the rest of the week and the next week and didn't even show up for the scheduled Occlumency lesson, it was hard since she had class with him and he kept wanting her to answer questions, to the other houses it looked like Snape wanted to see Brenda slip up and get a question wrong, but to the Gryffindors it was so Brenda would actually talk to him even if it was just an answer. The other Gryffindors who weren't the Weasley's Hermione or the Potters knew Brenda was mad at Snape but they didn't know why

Fred was also angry at Snape for actually talking about 2nd and 3rd base, he knew that neither one of them would be ready for the other bases for quite some time yet, like at least three years when Brenda has been of age for at least a year, Fred didn't like how Brenda was glaring at her dad the way she was, he knew that in order for them to be together that she needed to forgive her dad and in order for her to forgive him, he needed to apologize for yelling, and he knew that he was the one who had to talk to Snape first, even though he really didn't like talking to his Potions professor at all, he'd do it for Brenda because he is deeply in love with her, so that is where Fred was at after his class was over

" Professor may I speak with you for a moment?" Fred asked

" Make it quick Mr. Weasley, I am very busy right now" Snape said

" Hmm, you're too busy to apologize to your daughter?" Fred asked with a glare

Snape looked at Fred, " What are you talking about?"

" You yelled at Brenda just because you saw a memory of her and I kissing and saw a couple hickies, that is still first base sir, neither one of us are ready for second and third" Fred said, " Harry told us the whole story and at the end of the argument you and Brenda had, Brenda was crying, and she was crying for a good two hours because of it. With no disrespect sir, you over exaggerated"

" Oh I did? So I over exaggerated when I wanted her to stay away from you because I was worried about her saftey" Snape said

" Worried about her saftey? What are you talking about? She's perfectly safe" Fred said

" You're seventeen, she's only fifteen, I don't want to see my daughter get hurt, she can get hurt in many ways and I don't want to see that" Snape said

" You're the only one who hurt her with your words, if you haven't noticed sir, Brenda and I are in love and I will never move things too fast with her, regardless my age I am a gentleman and I can wait as long as she wants" Fred said

" You think you're not moving too fast? You gave her a ring" Snape said

" A promise ring, I love her" Fred said

" And what's your promise?" Snape asked with a glare

" That she can always trust me no matter what" Fred said, " And I will keep that promise"

" So she can trust you to not take it to second base for a while?" Snape asked

" Of course she can" Fred said, " And she would like to trust you to not get angry every time you see a memory with her and I kissing, she really doesn't like ignoring you but you just made her so upset"

" If you promise to not hurt Brenda in anyway then it's ok if you two make out, but do not go to second base for a long long time" Snape said with a glare

" I wasn't planning on taking it to second base" Fred said seriously

" Ok, now get out of here, I have work to do" Snape said

Fred nodded and left the classroom

That night Snape left the dungeons and headed up towards Gryffindor Tower

" Password?" The Fat Lady asked

" Mimbulus Mimbletonia" Snape said and the Fat Lady opened up

Snape walked in and scared all of the young Gryffindors and some of the older ones

" Mr. Jordan where is Ms. Potter?" Snape asked

" Her Dorm, you can't get in there because you're not a girl though" Lee said

Snape lifted up his eyebrow

" A spell was put on it a few years ago" Lee explained

" I see, well thank you Mr. Jordan, I'm sure you are finished with your potions assignment and you will get an O on the next exam right?" Snape asked because Lee was playing exploding snap with a third year

" Of course" Lee said not too confident

" I suggest you study" Snape said

" Yes sir" Lee said

Snape went up towards the Fifth year girls dorms and knocked

" Come in" Lavender said

Snape came in and startled every girl in the room

" Professor Snape" Lavender gasped

" Wow you're observant" Brenda said under her breath and went back to her book

" Brenda can I talk to you?" Snape asked

" You already are?" Brenda said

" Brenda" Snape warned

Hermione knew that Snape wanted to talk in here and that father and daughter should have some privacy

" Come on, lets give these two some privacy" Hermione said to the other girls

The girls walked out knowing it would get uncomfortable

Brenda put her charms book away and sat on her bed and put her knees up to her chin

" What do you want?" Brenda asked

" To talk" Snape said

" I got that" Brenda said

" You asked" Snape said

" That's not what I meant and you know it" Brenda said not looking at her dad

" I want to apologize for the way I overreacted... I saw your memory and I... blew up, especially when I saw the red marks on your neck, my thoughts went directly towards second and third base, I was just so angry I didn't listen to what you were saying... I'm sorry for yelling at you and not understanding, I know now that Fred... is a gentleman and you trust him... I trust him now too" Snape said

Brenda was quiet for a bit but then whispered, " Fred talked to you?"

" Yes he did and he explained everything, even explained what your ring meant" Snape said and smiled when he saw his daughter smile

" So... can you forgive me?" Snape asked

Brenda didn't answer, she got off her bed and walked over to her dad and gave him a hug

That was all the answer Severus needed

After Severus and Brenda made up nothing exciting happened until the Quibbler came with the story. The title of the article was POTTERS SPEAK OUT AT LAST: THE TRUTH ABOUT HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED AND THE NIGHT WE SAW HIM RETURN

Harry and Brenda got the Quibbler in the mail for free from Luna's dad and along with that piece of mail were many letters who either believed them or didn't believe them

" At least we know people outside school believe us" Brenda said with a smile

It turned out that Umbridge heard about the Quibbler and what was in it and the next thing anybody knew there was another Decree saying, " Anybody caught with the Quibbler is expelled"

" Harry I think we've done it" Brenda said smiling

" Brenda, I think you're right" Harry said returning the smile

No matter how hard Umbridge tried, she couldn't find anybody with the Quibbler but everybody had one because they were whispering about the Potters' article everywhere they went

A few days passed and everybody was still talking about the article in the Quibbler, everybody was smiling at the Potters and saying that they believe them, everything was going right, until Harry and Brenda had a vision at night about Voldemort's Deatheaters after the weapon

They both woke up at the same time gasping

" That wasn't a dream was it?" Brenda thought

" I don't think so" Harry thought back

" We should tell somebody tomorrow" Brenda thought

" Brenda we're supposed to be learning Occlumency, we're not supposed to have these visions" Harry thought

" I don't understand, I was occluding my mind" Brenda thought

" I wasn't, I'm trying but it's hard" Harry thought

" Just don't think about anything, that's all you have to do" Brenda thought

" Better said then done" Harry thought

" Well we'll worry about that tomorrow, try to get some sleep" Brenda thought, " Night"

" Night" Harry thought

The next day all that Harry and Brenda could think about was the vision they had, they didn't know if they should tell somebody about it because that would mean that they weren't occluding, but Brenda couldn't figure it out because she was occluding

" Maybe it has something to do with our minds being linked" Brenda thought to herself, " At least I can keep some thoughts to myself now"

Harry and Brenda thought of the vision for the rest of the month, during DA meetings, during class, and during Occlumency lessons and prayed Snape didn't find out. They didn't tell anybody about it because they knew what their friends would say, Hermione would nag them about not occluding and Ron would just get scared. Unfortunetly Snape did find out during an Occlumency lesson, he was reading Harry's memories and saw Voldemort and a death eater trying to get the weapon

" What was that memory?" Snape asked

" What the one where my cousin gave me a swirly?" Harry asked

" No, the one with the Dark Lord" Snape said

" Oh... it was just a dream" Harry said

" Bad mistake" Brenda thought to her brother

" Why?" Harry thought

" Not supposed to dream while occluding your mind" Brenda thought and looked very nervous

Snape looked from one Potter to the other and said " I would have thought that after two months with these lessons you two would have made some progress"

" We're trying" Brenda said

" Well try harder, now it's your turn" Snape said rasing his wand

Snape cast Legilimens and entered his daughter's mind again, he saw Brenda talking to snakes at the orphanage, he saw a two year old Brenda asking for a bedtime story with her father but he was too busy to pay attention, he saw dementors swarming her, Harry and Sirius and almost saw another make out session with Fred but Brenda stopped it

" PROTEGO" Brenda yelled

Now inside Brenda's head was a little boy huddled in a corner while his parents argued, A greasy-haired teen sat alone in a bedroom reading Defense Against the Dark Arts book, A greasy-haired teen was making a healing potion because of the welts on his back

" ENOUGH" Snape yelled

Brenda felt like she was pushed back hard and she fell on the floor

" Well... Brenda... that was... an improvement, I don't remember telling you to use a shield charm but it was effective" Severus said a little shaken

" You told us we can disarm you or defend ourselves however we liked at the beginning of these lessons" Brenda reminded him

" I did say that didn't I?" Severus said

Brenda nodded

" Very well, we shall try again" Severus said

Brenda tried to clear her mind but she didn't like the images of her dad making a potion because he had welts on his back

Before anything happened though there was a scream

" What on earth?" Brenda gasped

" Sounds like Trelawny" Snape said puting his wand down, " Nothing unusual happened on your way down here did it?"

" No sir" Harry and Brenda said

Snape nodded and went into the store room and was out of sight

" Where'd he go?" Harry asked

" No idea, come on lets see what all the comotion is" Brenda said and the two Potters left

Snape was right, it was Trelawny and surrounding her were suitcases

" Thi... this cannot be happening, I will not accept this" Trelawny said

" You didn't realize this was coming?" Umbridge asked

" You... c-c-cant do this t-t-to me... H-Hogwarts is my h-home" Trelawny stuttered through tears

By now there was a group of people surrounding the two professors

" It was your home, until you were fired, now please remove yourself from the school grounds, you are embarrassing us" Umbridge said

" I told you she was a toad" Brenda thought to her brother

Everybody watched as Trelawny didn't move, she just cried in the spot she was in and a minute later McGonagall came to Trelawny

" There there Sibyll calm down, you don't have to leave Hogwarts" McGonagall said

" Oh really Professor McGonagall?" Umbridge said, " And your authority for that statement would be?

" Oh that would be mine" Dumbledore said walking through the group to get to the smaller group

" Yours Professor Dumbledore" Umbridge said with a little laugh, " I'm afraid you forgotten the position I have here"

Dumbledore just smiled which shocked Umbridge

" As high Inquisitor you have every right to dismiss my teachers" Dumbledore said and saw the smile widen on Umbridge's face, " But you do not have the authority to send them away from the castle. I am afraid that is still the headmasters job and Trelawny can remain here at Hogwarts for as long as she likes" Dumbledore then turned to McGonagall, " Minerva will you please escort Sibyll back upstairs?"

" Of course Albus" McGonagall said taking Trelawny's arm and guiding her back to her room

" And what pray tell are you going to do with her once I appoint a new Dvination teacher who needs her lodgings?" Umbridge asked

Dumbledore smiled again," Oh that won't be a problem, I already found a new Divination teacher and he will prefer lodgings on the ground floor"

" You found... YOU FOUND?" Umbridge shrieked, " Might I remind you that under Educational Decree Twenty two"

" The Ministry has the right to appoint a suitable candidate if and only if the headmaster is unable to find one" Dumbledore finished, " And I have succeeded, " May I introduce you to Firenze?"

A Centaur entered and was introduced

Harry and Brenda both liked the look on Umbridge's face when she saw the half human

Nothing exciting happened for the rest of the month, the fifth years all were worried about their up coming OWLs and they had to concentrate. The only thing that kept Harry and Brenda sane would be the DA meetings, it was like a break from everything hectic, from Umbridge who for some reason kept inviting people into her office for tea and cakes to Occlumency lessons which were hard to block Snape out even for Brenda to OWLs. They were working on Patronuses

" In order to create a patronus you need to think of a happy memory, make it the happiest you can think of, the happiest it is the more powerful" Brenda said

" Let the memory fill you up inside and say Expecto Patronum" Harry said

A few people said Expecto Patronum and got a silver mist

" Keep trying" Harry said

" A full body patronus is the most difficult to produce but even the silver mist will shield you from your oponents" Brenda said

" George your turn" Harry said

" Fred then you’re next" Brenda said

" Expecto Patronum" George said and got a silver mist

" Keep trying" Harry said

" Ok Fred you're next" Brenda said with a smile

" Expecto Patronum" Fred said and his wasn't just a mist but was a monkey

" Wow" Everybody said at the same time

" I did it" Fred said with a smile

" All right brother of mine, so what was your memory?" George asked

" Brenda and my first kiss" Fred said

" Very powerful" Brenda said with a smile, " Especially since it was on Christmas Eve last year" She gave her boyfriend a kiss

" Well you know that it's possible to do it, just think of a very powerful memory" Harry said

Five minutes later more people got their patronues, Ron had a retriever, Hermione's was an Otter, Luna's was a rabbit, George's was a hyena, Cho's was a swan, Ginny's was a horse

" Very good, the rest of you keep practicing" Brenda said with a smile

" These are so pretty" Cho said smiling at her swan

" They're not supposed to be pretty, they're supposed to protect you" Brenda said

" You know, what we really need is a Boggart or something" Harry said

" No thank you" Brenda said

" Why? That's how we learned" Harry said

" And do you remember what happened when we got too close? Even with a boggart turning into a dementor we passed out" Brenda said, " Plus that only works with fears, not everybody has the same fear as we do"

" I'm never going to get this" Neville said

" You have to think of something happy" Harry said

" I'm trying" Neville said miserably

Neville was trying, so hard that he was sweating

" Hey I'm doing it!" Seamus yelled

Harry and Brenda asked Seamus if he wanted to join and he signed up right away

Harry and Brenda ran over to him and just saw mist

" Well I had it, it was definitely something hairy" Seamus said

" Keep trying Seamus and once you have it, keep a hold of the memory" Harry said

Seamus nodded and practiced again

Everybody was having a good time practicing making Patronuses that they didn't here somebody banging on the door until Luna heard it

" There's somebody at the door" Luna said dreamy

" Shh, everybody quiet" Harry and Brenda said together

Everybody was quiet and they listened, there was somebody banging on the door

" Everybody to the other exit, and make it snappy but quietly" Harry whispered loud enough for everybody to hear

Everybody grabbed there things and were heading towards the other exit when there was a BOMBARDA coming from the exit

" She's going to break down the door" Brenda whispered panicked

" We can't let them get caught, it doesn't matter if we do, but we can't let our students get caught" Harry said

" Yah I know that, I just wish we had something to barracade the door with" Brenda said

Harry and Brenda looked at each other and thought of something to barracade the door with just so the others can escape

The Room of Requirement listened to their thoughts and put up a thick wall that Umbridge would have to Bombarda to get through

Once everybody was out of the room then the Potters ran, hoping that they would escape Umbridge and her Inquizitorial Squad. They made it out of the room but then they were tripped and went sliding about six feet before they stopped

" Not to think of the obvious but this isn't good" Brenda thought

Harry didn't say or think anything

" We got two of them" Malfoy said

Harry and Brenda glared at Malfoy and Parksinson

" Trip jinx" Parkinson said

" THEM? Oh Excelent Draco, Pansy, very Excelent... 50 points to Slytherin" Umbridge said

Draco and Pansy smiled big

" I'll take it from here" Umbridge said, " Stand up Potters, you're coming with me to the headmasters office"

Umbridge grabbed the Potters by their shirts, she couldn't reach their shirt collars because they were too tall and she marched them to the Headmaster's office

The Potters hoped that none of the others were caught because everybody was making progress

When they entered the Headmasters office, Minister Fudge was there along with Percy and Kingsley Shacklebolt and McGonagall

Since they made it to the Headmasters office, Brenda didn't like being this close to Umbridge and she was squirming

" Ms. Potter stop squirming this instant" Umbridge commanded

" Then let go of my shirt" Brenda spat

" I'll take her Professor Umbridge, she has always been a troublemaker, just like her brother" Percy said and grabbed Brenda's shoulders

" I'm the trouble maker? At least I don't run out on my family" Brenda spat

Percy glared at her

" Right back at you Weasley" Brenda glared back

" Enough both of you" Dumbledore said and gave Brenda a look

" Well, now lets get to the point, I'm sure you both know why you were brought here" Fudge said

" Dumbledore doesn't want us to tell the truth" Brenda thought to Harry very fast

" No" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

" I beg your pardon?" Fudge asked

" No" Harry and Brenda said again

" You two don't know why you're here?" Fudge asked

" No we don't" Brenda said and Harry agreed

Harry and Brenda looked at Dumbledore who looked at the carpet and winked

" We're doing the right thing" Brenda thought

" So you two don't have any idea why Professor Umbridge brought you to this office?" Fudge asked

" No we don't" Harry said

" You are not aware that you broke school rules" Fudge asked

" No" Harry and Brenda said

" Or Ministry decrees" Fudge asked angrily

" Not that we're aware of" Brenda said

" So, it's news to you that an illegal student organization has been discovered within the school?" Fudge asked seething with anger

" Yes it is" Brenda said trying not to smirk, she liked egging Fudge on

" I think we should bring in the girl who told us all about the organization" Umbridge said

" Very well" Fudge said

Umbridge let go of Harry and Kingsley took over restraining him

" Who could have told her? Brenda thought

" I don't know" Harry thought back, " This is not good though"

The room was silent for many minutes until Umbridge came back with to Harry and Brenda's horror Cho Chang

" Now dear, will you tell Minister Fudge what you told me about the secret organization?" Umbridge asked sweetly

Cho shook her head no

" Come on dear, you are not in trouble" Umbridge said again

Cho shook her head no again

" Well I'll tell you what she told me, she told me about the secret organization and it was in the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor" Umbridge said, " I already had my suspicions because I got an annomynus tip from a guy who was in the Hogshead during a Hogsmeade meeting, he told me that a group of students came and were discussing a meeting, he heard the Potters lie again about You know who being back and they talked about meetings. The purpose of these meetings was to teach illegal spells and curses that the ministry does not approve of"

" I believe you will find your information wrong Dolores" Interrupted Dumbledore

The room was quiet for a minute

" Yes lets hear the story that Dumbledore made up to pull the Potters out of this one" Fudge said, " So the annomynus guy was lying was he? Or do the Potters have another set of siblings somewhere?”

" Cornelius, I do not deny and I'm sure that Harry and Brenda were in Hog's Head that day nor do I deny that they were trying to recruit students to form a Defense Against the Dark Arts group, I am pointing out that Dolores is quite wrong to suggest that such a group was, at that time, illegal. The Ministry Decree ban wasn't put into effect until after the Hogsmeade meeting, so they weren't breaking any rules at all"

" Albus, it has been over six months since that decree has been introduced" Umbridge said, " If the first meeting wasn't illegal then the other ones were"

" And do you have any proof that the meetings continued?" Dumbledore asked

" PROOF? Umbridge gasped, " Why do you think Ms. Chang is here?"

" So can Ms. Chang tell us about six months worth of meetings?" Dumbledore asked

Everybody turned to Cho who looked very scared

" Come on dear, tell us" Umbridge said

" No" Cho said

" I don't think you understood the question, did you go to the meetings for the past six months?" Umbridge asked

" No" Cho said again

" Well there's your answer" Dumbledore said with a smile

" So there were no meetings for the past six months is that correct?" McGonagall asked

" Yes" Cho said

" But there was an organized meeting tonight that the Potters organized right?" Umbridge asked with a smile

" No" Cho said again

" What do you mean no?" Umbridge asked

Cho didn't say anything

" Doesn't matter, I have all the names that were involved in this organization even though the escaped" Umbridge smiled and got into her pocket and withdrew the signup sheet, " The moment I saw the Potters' names on top of the list, I knew what we were dealing with"

" Excellent" Fudge said with a grin taking the parchment

" This cannot be happening" Brenda thought to herself

Fudge turned to Dumbledore, " You see what they named themelves? Dumbledore's Army"

Dumbledore took the parchment from Fudge and read it and then smiled, " Well it looks like the game is up"

" What are you talking about?" Fudge asked

" Dumbledore's Army Cornelius" Dumbledore said, " Not Potters' Army, Dumbledore's Army"

It took Fudge a moment to figure out what Dumbledore said, " You" Fudge spat

" Me" Dumbledore said

" You set this up?" Fudge asked

" That's right" Dumbledore said grinning

" You organized this? You recruited these students for your army?" Fudge asked

" Tonight was supposed to be the first meeting" Dumbledore said

" SO YOU... YOU'VE BEEN PLOTTING AGAINST ME?" Fudge yelled

" Yes" Dumbledore said with a smile

" Well... well well well, I came here to expell the Potters, but now it looks like instead I get to arrest you" Fudge said with a smile, " Weasley did you get all of that written down, his whole confession?"

" Yes" Percy said, " With a Quick Quotes Quill”

" Excellent, release Ms. Potter and copy your notes and give one to the Daily Prophet" Fudge said and then turned to Dumbledore, " You will be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged and then sent to Azkaban to wait for your trial"

" Ah, I knew we would hit that snag" Dumbledore said

" Snag? What Snag" Fudge asked, " I see no snag"

" Oh I do, you seem to believe that I'm going to come quietly, but Minister you are sadly mistaken”

With that Fawkes flew to Dumbledore and they both disappeared in fire

" Where'd he go?" Fudge asked surprised

" That was cool" A portrait said

" Well if there is no more to talk about, I will escort these three to their houses, it is past curfew you know" McGonagall said and the three students and her left the office, the two Potters were glaring at Cho the whole way

Umbridge gave everbody who was part of the DA detentions and she used the blood quills, they weren't illegal in the school anymore because she was the new Headmistress because of the Educational Decree Number Twenty- eight, lets just say that Murtlap essance was very popular for a few weeks. The DA knew that it was Cho who ratted them out and nobody was her friend anymore, they just glared at her

One day Umbridge invited Harry and Brenda to tea, they had no choice and had to come because Filch made them

" Wonderful, sit down both of you, now what would you both like in your tea? Cream, sugar, milk?" Umbridge asked

" No thank you, we're not thirsty" Brenda said

" Oh I insist, it was a very long walk here from your common room" Umbridge said

" Not really" Harry said

" It's very rude if you do not except something if somebody offers" Umbridge said

" Just except it, but don't drink" Brenda thought

" Why?" Harry thought

" Never except things from strangers" Brenda thought

" Oh... yah" Harry thought

" I like sugar and milk in my tea" Brenda said sweetly

" Same here" Harry said

Umbridge smiled and turned her back on the two and put the ingredients in the teas then handed them to the Potters

" Thank you" Brenda said sweetly

" Thanks" Harry said

" You're welcome" Umbridge said with a smile

Harry and Brenda pretended to drink the tea, but actually they kept their lips tightly closed

" Now then, where is Dumbledore?" Umbridge asked

" Don't know" Harry said

" No idea" Brenda said

" Keep drinking the tea" Umbridge urged

" So this is what she's doing, whatever you do don't drink it, the tea's spiked" Brenda thought to her brother

They pretended to drink more tea

" Now where is Dumbledore?" Umbridge asked again

" Don't know" Harry said

" No idea" Brenda said

" Very well... Where is Sirius Black?" Umbridge asked

" I don't know" Harry said

" In the land of only he knows" Brenda said cooly

Umbridge glared at Brenda's answer

" I know that you two know where he's at, and when I find him, you both will be expelled and put in Azkaban along with him for witholding information from the Ministry" Umbridge said

" But we are telling the truth, we don't know where Sirius Black or Dumbledore are at" Brenda said innocently

Umbridge thought for a moment and looked at the cups and nodded, " Very well, I'm warning you though, the mail is being checked, the floo network is being watched, nothing can get past me, nothing, you two may go"

Harry and Brenda got out of their chairs and put down their full cups of tea and left the toad's office

" Well that was fun, you know what was put in the tea right?" Brenda tested

" How can I not know it? Snape threatened to put some in my morning pumpkin juice last year" Harry said

" I'm going to ask him about that, the stuff is illegal to give to students" Brenda said

The next night Fred and George just came back from a detention with Umbridge and so did Nigel and since Nigel was only a second year he was crying

" What's wrong?" Brenda, Hermione and Harry asked coming from the library

" We just got done with one of our detentions with Umbridge" George said, " Those blood quills are painful"

" Don't we know it" Harry said

" Come on Nigel, that cut needs some Murtlap essence, it will heal it and make it feel better" Hermione said

" Ok" Nigel said and walked back up to the Gryffindor Tower

" You two should head up too and put the stuff on" Brenda said

" Oh we can take it" Fred said puting his arm around Brenda

All of a sudden Fred and Brenda were knocked back about two feet

" The opposite sex is to be two feet away from each other at all times" Umbridge said

Umbridge walked away with a smirk on her face but when she left their sight Fred and Brenda got back into their position

" I really hate that woman" George said

" Yah me too" Fred said

" We should do something about her" George said

" What?" Brenda asked

"We don't know, but I do know that Brenda you're the only reason why I'm staying here" Fred said

" I am? What about your NEWTS?" Brenda asked

" We don't care about NEWTS, we know what we want to do in the future" George said

" We are going to open up Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" Fred said

" We're opening up a shop in Diagon Alley" George added

" We have enough money saved up to buy the empty building in Diagon Alley" Fred said

" Wow that's cool" Harry said

" You really don't want to take your NEWTS?" Brenda asked

Fred and George shook their heads

" Like I said Brenda, you're the only reason why I'm staying here" Fred said

" So if you wanted to, you would leave right now?" Brenda asked

" Yes" Fred and George said together

Brenda grinned

" So would you two like to go out with a bang?" Brenda asked

" We were planning on it?" Fred and George grinned

" Need any help?" Brenda asked

" You are a joker aren't you?" Fred said

" I'm an expert with firecrackers" Brenda grinned

" When are you going to go out with a bang?" Harry asked

" During OWLS and NEWTS" George said

" Well that's what we were planning" Fred said

" Please do it after the tests are complete" Brenda said

" Of course" Fred said and gave his girlfriend a kiss, " Are you sure? Because we can stay until graduation"

" I'd like to see you two go out with a bang, that and... it'll drive Umbridge nuts" Brenda said grinning

The other three guys grinned too

" Lets plan in the common room, this is going to be cool" George said with a smile

" Oh yah, this will be the ultimate prank" Fred said also with a smile

The four headed towards the Gryffindor Common Room to plan the ultimate prank on one pink toad

The next night Harry and Brenda had another Occlumency lesson and this is when Brenda asked about the veritaserum that Umbridge got

" I have to pretend I'm on her side, I trust that you didn't drink the tea she poured for you right? Severus asked

" Of course, we know not to except anything from strangers" Brenda said, " It was very suspicous how she urged us to drink it and I knew what it was once she asked where Dumbledore and Sirius were"

" I thought giving students veritaserum was illegal" Harry said

" It is, but I guess Umbridge can break the rules, she has been with the blood quills" Severus said

" She must be stopped" Brenda said

" She will be, but it's not your job to stop her, let the adults handle it" Severus warned

" Yah, we can't stop a pink toad but we can defeat Voldemort time and time again" Brenda said

" Brenda what did I say about saying the dark lords name?" Severus said sternly

" Actually his real name is Tom Riddle" Brenda said

" Brenda" Severus warned

" Ok, sorry, but it's true" Brenda protested

" Let the adults handle these situations" Severus said again, " Now no more talking, it's time for your Occlumency lessons"

Harry and Brenda silently groaned

Snape gave them a look as he pulled out silver mist from his mind

" Wand out Brenda" Snape said pulling out his wand

Brenda listened

" On the count of three, one, two... three" Snape said but didn't finish because Malfoy barged in on them

" Professor Snape come quick" Malfoy said before spotting the two Potters, " Oh I didn't know you were busy"

" It's alright, I'm just letting Ms. Potter tutor Mr. Potter in potions" Snape said

" Well good then they don't need you, come quick Umbridge found Montegue's head stuck in the toilet on the fourth floor" Malfoy said

Harry and Brenda stifled a laugh, they just pictured Montegue's head in the toilet

" How did his head get stuck inside the toilet?" Snape asked

" I don't know he said he didn't see the guy who did it" Malfoy said

" Very well, Potters you will be able to come in here tomorrow for the tutoring" Snape said

Harry and Brenda sighed with relief, they had another day to practice Occlumency. They watched as Snape and Malfoy left, Snape left the door open so the two Potters could follow

Harry and Brenda were on their way out the door when Harry spotted the pensieve

" Come on Harry" Brenda said

" Hold up, I want to know what's inside that thing" Harry said

" Are you crazy? Those are Snape's memories and thoughts and stuff, we can't go sneaking inside that thing" Brenda said

" What if he has information on the weapon and he doesn't want us to know about it?" Harry asked

" We can't go snooping inside there, what if Snape comes back and sees us in there? He is going to be very very angry, Harry you have never seen him very very angry" Brenda warned

" What about during the summer? He was really really angry then" Harry said

" That was him holding back" Brenda said, " If we look inside that thing and he catches us, I think facing a dragon, Voldemort and all the death eaters would be better than facing his wrath" Brenda said

" Oh come on, he won't catch us" Harry said

" It doesn't take long to get a person's head out of the toilet" Brenda said

" Well they will have to go to the hospital Wing and I know that Snape will take Montegue personally because he's the captain of the Quidditch team, we have a good hour or so, now don't you want to know what the Order isn't telling us or not?" Harry asked

Brenda sighed, " Yes I want to know what the Order isn't telling us"

" Well then here's our chance, it's the only chance we will get" Harry said

" Ok fine" Brenda said

The two went towards the pensieve and looked at the swirling substance, they both took a breath and plunged into the pensieve and Snape's thoughts

At first everything was foggy but when everything was clear the Potters were standing inside the Great Hall but where the House tables used to be there were hundreds of small tables all facing the same way and at the tables were students hunched over parchment and scribbling frantically

" Looks like OWLs" Brenda said

" So where's Snape? He should be here since it's his memory" Harry said

Brenda turned around to see if Severus was behind them since they couldn't see him in front of them

" Oh there he is" Brenda said with a smile

Harry and Brenda went up to Severus's desk, they noticed that teenage Severus had long greasy hair, pale skin and a hooked nose

" Well not much has changed" Harry said with a smirk

Brenda rolled her eyes, " What's he working on?"

Harry leaned over Severus's shoulder, " Defense Against the Dark Arts"

Brenda leaned over as well and looked at the parchment, " He's an over achiever, he has written at least a foot more than the rest of the students, well as far as I can tell and his writing is the same, very small" Brenda chuckled, " No wonder he has me study that much during the summer"

" Five more minutes" A younger professor Flitwick said

Harry and Brenda looked up at the short professor and saw who's desk he was standing next to, it was a boy with dark messy hair

" Dad" Harry and Brenda said with grins

They hurried towards their dad's table and gasped, James looked exactly like Harry only without the green eyes and the scar, Harry could pass as James' twin

" Wicked" Brenda said with a grin

" Yah" Harry said

They saw James rumple up his hair to make it even more messy

" He even does the same jester as you do on occasion" Brenda said

" I don't do that... do I" Harry asked

" You do, when you're nervous sometimes, it's one of those habits you don't know you're doing, I catch myself twirling my hair when I'm nervous" Brenda said

They watched as James turned and faced another dark haired boy who looked a lot like their Godfather

" Oh my it's Sirius" Brenda said with a smile

" And look over there, Lupin" Harry said pointing

Brenda smiled then her faced darkened, " That means the rat Wormatail must be here too"

Harry's face darkened as he pointed. Wormtail looked very nervous and his fingernails were all bitten

They returned their gaze at their dad who was waiting for the test to be done with

" Times up Quills down please" Flitwick said and then Accioed all the parchments which zoomed into Flitwicks outstretched arms, " Very well you all are free to go"

All of the students stood up and walked quickly out the door, Harry and Brenda had to make sure that Severus stayed in sight and wanted to be close as possible to the Marauders

" So Moony did you get question 10 right?" James asked

" Yah... lets see it was list five signs that identify a werewolf... I put 1: He's sitting in my chair, 2: he's wearing my clothes, 3: His name is Remus Lupin" Lupin said

Everybody but Wormtail laughed, even Harry and Brenda

" I like how he can joke about that" Brenda said

" Yah, he doesn't let the beast take over" Harry said

" Where'd Severus go?" Brenda asked looking around

" Well he should be close since this is his memory" Harry said

They both looked around and saw Severus buried in his study guide for his next OWL

The Marauders walked out into the sunshine and headed towards the Black Lake, Harry and Brenda saw Severus following them still buried in his study guide

" How does Snape do that?" Harry asked

" What, read while walking and not bumping into anything?" Brenda asked, " That's easy"

Harry and Brenda watched as the Marauders talked and relaxed and made sure Severus was still in their eyesight

" I'm bored" Sirius announced, " Too bad it's not a fool moon" Sirius winked at Lupin who was reading a book

" This might liven you up" James said looking at Severus

Harry and Brenda looked to see what James was staring at

" Ooh Snivellus" Sirius said softly, " Excellent"

Severus was stowing his study guide in his bag and started walking across the grass towards the castle

James and Sirius stood up and James yelled, " All right, Snivellus?"

" Dad called Snape Snivellus too?" Brenda gasped

Severus reacted very fast, he dropped his bag and took out his wand from his robes and was about to say a spell when...

" Expelliarmus" James shouted

Severus's wand flew twelve feet behind him

Sirius began laughing and took his wand and yelled, " Impedimenta"

Severus was knocked off his feet diving for his own wand

At this point there were students gathering around to watch

" This is horrible" Brenda said shocked

Severus was laying on the ground panting, James and Sirius advanced on Severus with their wands pointed at him

" So how did the exam go Snivelly" James asked

" I was watching him, his nose was actually touching the parchment, I bet there are many grease stains all over the parchment, they won't be able to read it" Sirius said and laughed along with James

The others watching began to laugh too

" I guess Snape wasn't very popular in school" Harry said

" You think" Brenda said with tears in her eyes

Severus was struggling to get up but the impedimenta spell was still in place

" You wait" Snape yelled at James with pure loathing, " You wait"

" Wait for what?" Sirius asked, " What are you going to do? Wipe your nose on us?"

Severus began cussing Sirius and James out and also throwing hexes at them but they were useless without his wand

" You need to wash your mouth out" James said sternly, " Scourgify"

Bubbles began streaming from Snape's mouth making him gag

" OH MY GOODNESS" Brenda gasped

" LEAVE HIM ALONE" Somebody yelled

Everybody looked to where the voice came from and Harry and Brenda gasped, they saw a look a like of Brenda, except for the eyes

" Mum" Harry and Brenda said

" I said leave him alone" Lily said again, " What has he done to you that he deserves this treatment?"

" Well it's more of the fact that he exist, if you know what I mean" James said

That got a lot of the group laughing

Lily looked around and then glared at James again, " You think you're funny? You're nothing but a bully James Harold Potter, Now leave him alone"

" I will if you go out with me Evans" James said with a smile, " If you go out with me, I'll never lay my hands or wand on Snivellus again"

Severus was taking advantage of the interruption and inched closer to his wand because the impedimenta jinx was wearing off

" I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid" Lily spat glaring at James

" Go mum" Brenda breathed

" Brenda" Harry said

" Well dad's being a prat, he's acting like Malfoy" Brenda said

" Good point" Harry said

" Ooh bad luck Prongs" Sirius said and then turned to Severus who now had his wand, " Hey"

Too late Severus pointed his wand at James and with a flash of light there was a gash on James' face that splattered his robes with blood

James pointed his wand at Severus and a second later Severus was hanging upside down in the air and his robes were over his head and the only thing that covered him was a graying pair of underwear

" OH BLOODY HELL" Brenda screamed but since this was a memory nobody could hear her except for Harry, " Why did we come inside here? Why?" Brenda was in tears, she was angry at her biological father and Godfather for picking on her adoptive dad and she was angry that nobody but her mum was helping her adoptive dad out

Lily had a very angry expression on her face, " LET HIM DOWN"

" Ok" James said and let the jinx go and Severus fell on the ground with a thump

Severus got up right away and was about to jinx James but Sirius beat Severus to it and yelled at Severus, " Locomotor mortis" Severus became as stiff as a board

" LEAVE HIM ALONE" Lily screamed letting her temper take control. She took her own wand out and aimed it at both James and Sirius

" Evans don't make me hex you too" James said

" Then take the curse off of him" Lily seethed

James sighed and turned to Snape saying the countercurse

" There, you're lucky Evans was here Snivellus" James said

" I DON'T NEED HELP FROM FILTHY LITTLE MUDBLOODS LIKE HER" Snape yelled

There were gasps and it was quiet

" Fine" Lily said cooly, " I won't bother in the future, I'd wash your pants if I were you Snivellus"

Severus glared at Lily

At this point Brenda was shaken with anger at everybody

" Apologize to Evans" James roared at Severus

" I don't want you to make him apologize" Lily said, " You're as bad as he is"

" What do you mean?" James asked, " I'll never call you that foul name"

" You James Potter are a prat, messing up your hair like you just got off a broom, thinking it's cool catching a snitch, hexing anybody who annoys you, it makes me sick, now shall I go on?" Lily asked

James didn't say anything and Lily walked away

" Women" James said and turned and faced Severus and once again Severus was in the air with his robes over his head, " So who wants me to take off Snivelly's pants?"

Before Brenda and Harry could react to what their father was about to do, a fierce grip on their arms made them wince. They looked up to see to their horror an adult-sized Snape behind them and his face looked livid

" You two having fun?" Snape asked

" Oh shit" Brenda thought

Harry and Brenda felt themselves rising into the air and the next thing they knew they were in Snape's classroom next to the pensieve

" So" Snape said gripping their arms tighter, " So... did you two enjoy yourselves?"

" N... No" Harry and Brenda said together trying to get out of Snape's grip

Snape was scary, it looked like he was holding himself back from casting the killing curse

" Is this what you meant about him being angry?" Harry thought

" I never seen him this angry" Brenda thought back

" Amusing man your father was wasn't he?" Snape said gripping the teens harder that made them wince

" No he" Brenda didn't finish because the next thing the Potters knew they were on the floor with the wind knocked out of them

Snape pushed them with all his might, " You will not repeat what you saw to anybody" Snape yelled seething

" GET OUT! GET OUT I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU TWO BESIDES CLASSES EVER AGAIN. GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT" Snape yelled

Harry and Brenda ran out the door as fast as they could and didn't stop until they were on the fourth floor to catch their breath

Brenda was in tears, Harry didn't know if it was from hurt, anger, sadness, confusion or what and he wasn't about to ask, he himself was horrified that their father and godfather were bullies and their favorite person to pick on was Snape, the guy that took his sister in when she had no other place to go  
On their way up to the Gryffindor tower, Brenda and Harry didn't say anything to each other and when they got inside the tower, Brenda ran up to the girls dorms and shut the door hard and screamed into her pillow

" What's wrong with her?" Ron asked

" Um... nothing, just girl stuff I guess" Harry said and thought, " Brenda do you want to talk about it?"

" NO" Brenda thought back, she sounded angry, " Leave me alone Harry James Potter"

Harry gasped it was rare that Brenda said his full name and it sounded very angry

" Brenda what's wrong?" Harry thought

" What do you think?" Brenda thought but spat in her thought

" Well why are you angry at me?" Harry thought, " I wasn't the one who did that to Snape"

" But you were the one who talked me into going into the pensieve when I told you it would be a bad idea" Brenda thought back, " And now Severus hates both of us and he might even rip up the adoption papers and I'll have nowhere to go again"

" He can't be that heartless can he?" Harry thought

" Didn't you hear him? He doesn't want to see us ever again except for classes, ever again means in the summer as well Harry" Brenda thought, " Now leave me alone and stop thinking to me" Brenda screamed the last part at Harry and began to cry again

Harry sighed

" What was that all about?" Ron asked

" Don't ask" Harry said, " Where's Hermione?"

" Library, where else?" Ron asked

Harry sighed

" What's wrong with Brenda?" Ron asked again, " And don't tell me it's girl stuff because I know it's not"

" I can't tell you" Harry said

" Oh come on, I promise not to tell" Ron said

Harry sighed, " All right, Brenda is upset because we're not getting anymore Occlumency lessons, Snape thinks since we know the basics we can carry on by our selves"

" And she's upset because of that?" Ron asked

" She likes the lessons no matter how much she complains, she likes spending time with Snape" Harry said

Harry told Hermione the same story when she got back from the library

" So you both know how to occlude your minds?" Hermione asked

" Yes... pretty much" Harry said

" Well I don't think Snape should stop them until you're absolutely sure you can" Hermione said, " Harry you and Brenda should go back to him and ask"

" No" Harry said forcefully

" Where is Brenda anyway?" Hermione asked

" The dorm, crying because there are no more lessons" Ron said

" She's crying because there are no more lessons?" Hermione asked not believing that at all

Harry and Ron nodded

That night Hermione tried talking to Brenda about the Occlumency lessons

" What did Harry tell you?" Brenda asked

" That you're crying because Snape thinks you don't need any more lessons" Hermione said

" Well then there's nothing to talk about" Brenda said, " That is the reason why I'm crying, no more lessons" She lied

" Well just ask Snape to keep the lessons going for you if you want them so badly, he is your guardian you know" Hermione said

" Not for long" Brenda whispered

" What?" Hermione asked not hearing what Brenda said

" Nothing" Brenda said sadly, " Just... just leave me alone"

Hermione sighed, she wasn't going to get anything from Brenda right now, " All right, I'll leave you alone, for now"

Brenda didn't talk to Harry at all the next day or the next and she wasn't eating much either because she was so upset. During class Snape was making life rough for the Potters, he was taking off points every which way for the Gryffindors and he would criticize both Potters' work even though Brenda's was perfect Snape would still see something wrong with it and evenescoed the potions half the time and the Potters would both receive zeros for the day, that made Brenda cry even more in the dorm and make Hermione more suspicious that something is wrong and it doesn't have much to do with Occlumency lessons being canceled

Hermione walked in the dorm a week after the last Occlumency lesson, Brenda was still not talking or thinking to Harry nor was she eating enough to be healthy, and Hermione was going to get to the bottom of things so everything could get back to normal

" Brenda you need to talk to your brother and your father" Hermione said

" No and my father is dead" Brenda said

" You need to go talk to Harry and Snape" Hermione refraised

" No" Brenda said again

" Why aren't you talking to Harry anyway?" Hermione asked, " You two always get along and I don't know why you would be fighting at a time like this"

" Just leave me alone Hermione" Brenda said

" I'm not going to leave you alone, you've been crying for a week now and I want to know what happened and why is Snape picking on you like that, he never evenescoed your potions before, and especially when they're right" Hermione said, " What happened between you and Harry and Snape?"

" I can't and don't want to talk about it" Brenda said

" What do you mean you can't?" Hermione asked

" That's exactly what I said, I can't" Brenda said

" And if you could?" Hermione asked

" I won't" Brenda said stubbornly, " Plus it's none of yours, Ron's, Fred's, George's, or Ginny's business either"

The others were trying to ask Harry and Brenda what was wrong also

" We're worried about you two" Hermione said

" Well don't be" Brenda said, "... I'll just say this... I don't think Snape is willing to be my dad anymore"

Hermione gasped, " Why what happened?"

Brenda sighed, " Harry and I did something unforgivable to him, he will never forgive us, he doesn't want to see us ever again except for classes... I have never seen him as angry as he was that night"

Hermione was speechless

" You can tell the others what I told you, tell Harry too so he knows how much information I said, but that's all you are getting" Brenda said

" Why don't you tell him yourself?" Hermione asked

Brenda didn't say anything

" Was it Harry's fault?" Hermione asked

" Yes it was" Harry said from the door

" What the" Brenda started

" I gave him permission" Hermione said

" So what happened?" Ron asked

" Sheesh did you give him permission too?" Brenda asked

" No I did" Ginny said

" Along with us" Fred said as he and George came in

Brenda groaned

" We're worried about you two, this is the longest we have seen you two not talk to each other, you don't even think to each other " Ron said

" That's because there's nothing to say" Brenda said with a glare

" Brenda I know why you're angry" Harry began

" Then I need to Occlude harder" Brenda replied

" No, I know why you're angry without reading your thoughts, I'm sorry I talked you into it, I should have listened to you instead of the other way around" Harry said

Brenda rolled her eyes

" Does somebody want to tell us what those two are talking about?" Fred asked

" We know as much as you do" Ron said

" I don't know what else to say except sorry" Harry said

" Be best if you don't say anything, nothing will help anyway, he's so angry that I know he's going to rip up the adoption papers and I'll either be back in an orphanage, the streets or... Ministry's custody... you lot are so lucky to have blood relatives to live with, including the Dursleys" Brenda said

" Are you serious? You think I'm lucky?" Harry asked

" Yes I do, I would have loved to know I had some blood relatives while growing up no matter how horrible they are, to actually know what my real name was and my birthday, everything I grew up from was a lie, everything not just my being a witch but my last name and birthday, not to mention parents, I didn't even know I was adopted until I came to Hogwarts" Brenda said

It was quiet for a while

" You won't have to go back to an orphanage, the streets or be in Ministry's custody, you can stay with us full time, we will adopt you, you're part of the family anyway" Fred said

Brenda smiled sadly, " Like the ministry would allow that"

" Dumbledore will not let you go live on the streets, orphanage or be in Ministry custody, if anything you'll probably wind up at the Dursleys with me" Harry said

" You guys, we are getting way ahead of ourselves, Snape will not unadopt Brenda, she means too much to him" Ginny said," What he said earlier was just anger, once he cools down you should talk to him Brenda"

" It's been a week and he hasn't cooled down, he actually gave me zeros on my potions and essays, zeros, I think I have an E in Potions now, not good enough for Potions next year" Brenda was very worried, she never had such a low grade in Potions

" You have to get an O on your OWL not your Potions grade in class" Hermione reminded, " And Ginny's right, you should go talk to him"

" What did you two do anyway that made him so angry?" Ron asked

" We can't tell you because we said we wouldn't, we weren't supposed to know and I know you're not supposed to know" Harry said

" Know what?" Ron asked

" Lets just say that the Marauders are not as nice as we once thought" Brenda said gloomy

" That is almost saying too much" Harry said also gloomy

" Can we please go to a different topic?" Brenda asked

" Lets talk about the ultimate prank" George suggested

That got smiles on the Potters' faces

The next day Harry and Brenda were finally on speaking terms but Brenda would still not eat enough

" You know starving yourself won't help matters" Hermione said

" I'm just not hungry" Brenda said

" You're never hungry when you're worried are you?" Ron asked

Brenda shook her head no, " I'll see you guys later" she got up from the table and left

" She didn't eat anything" Hermione said, " We have to do something"

" We can't force her to eat" Harry said

" Somebody can" Hermione reminded him

" Yah but he's furious at both of us and I doubt he will help us out" Harry said

" Well if he cares for his daughter then he will help us out" Hermione said, "Parents can be as angry as ever at their children but they still love them, and if Brenda doesn't start eating enough to stay healthy, she might get sick and might get an eating disorder.”  
" I think you're being too dramatic about this" Harry said, " She hasn't eaten much for a week, I've been doing that all my life at the Dursleys and I'm"

" Malnourished" Hermione finished

" What" Harry asked

" You Harry Potter are Malnourished" Hermione said, " You haven't gotten enough to eat while growing up and that is why you're so skinny and not one of the taller boys in our year"

" You mean if I wasn't malnourished then I would be as tall as Ron?" Harry asked

" Yes" Hermione said

" Oh great, another way my relatives messed me up, and Brenda actually thinks I'm lucky" Harry said

" Well in some ways you are and in others you are not" Hermione said

" So when are we going to tell Snape?" Ron asked scared

" After classes are done with" Hermione said

" You mind if I skip going to see him? He doesn't want to see me except for classes ever" Harry said

" But he sees you in the Great Hall and in the halls" Ron pointed out

" You know what I mean" Harry said

" Yes you can skip, but stay close in case we need your help convincing him to talk to Brenda" Hermione said

Harry nodded

That day went fast, Brenda didn't answer questions like she usually does and she went straight to the Gryffindor Common room after classes were over and Ron, Harry and Hermione went down to the Dungeons

" What if he's not in the classroom but in his apartment?" Ron asked

" Then we have to convince Brenda to give the password" Hermione said

" Good luck with that" Harry said, " I can't even get it by reading her thoughts, she actually practices Occlumency on a daily basis"

" That's because she wants to make her dad proud any way she can and it's important, you need to practice also Harry James Potter" Hermione said

" What is with you two saying my full name all of a sudden?" Harry asked

" Just being stern" Hermione said

They finally made it to the dungeons and to the classroom

" I'll just wait out here for you two" Harry said

Hermione nodded and knocked on the door

" What?" Snapped Snape

" Professor it's Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, can we speak with you please?" Hermione asked

" No, I'm busy" Snape said, " Now go away before I dock points"

" Well he said no, come on lets go" Ron said

" Professor we really need to speak with you" Hermione urged

" I said go away" Snape said again through the door

Hermione sighed, she didn't know what else to do

" Oh for crying out loud" Harry said and opened the potions door

" MR POTTER WHAT DID I TELL YOU?" Snape roared

" Yah I know what you told me but this isn't about that this is about Brenda. She is not eating because of what happened, because she's depressed and she's afraid you're going to rip up the adoption papers because of what you said" Harry said

" What an idiotic thing to think, why would she think that?" Snape asked

" Because you said you don't want to see us besides classes ever again, now I can live with that, but Brenda can't, she thinks ever again also means the summer and that brings us back to you ripping up the adoption papers" Harry said

" She can't actually think that I'd do such a thing even though you both did something unforgivable" Snape said

" Well that is what she thinks and because that is what she thinks she isn't eating much, a bird wouldn't even live off on what she's eating, oh and another thing, stop being angry at her, it was my fault in the first place, I just talked her into it, so if you want to be angry at somebody, be angry at me" Harry said

" Hmm, always the brave one aren't you Potter?" Snape said

" Yes I am, and I think you should really talk to Brenda, like now, the sooner the better so she doesn't become sick." Harry said.

Snape thought for a minute, " Fine... use your telepathy and tell her to come down here"

Harry nodded and thought to Brenda, " Brenda come down to the potions classroom, Snape wants to talk to you"

" No, I know what he's going to say and I can't..." Brenda trailed off

" She says she knows what you're going to say" Harry said

" Well tell her she doesn't" Snape said

" Brenda you don't know what he's going to say... Brenda... Brenda?" Harry thought and said, " She's not answering, she knows how to occlude her mind"

" Good at least one of you practice... where's she at?" Snape asked

" Gryffindor Tower, most likely in the dorm" Harry said

Snape nodded, " Very well, I will talk to her but not until you lot get out of here, I do not trust students in my classroom unsupervised anymore" Snape glared at Harry

The Gryffindors and professor left the classroom and Snape locked the classroom door and they all headed up towards Gryffindor Tower

 

Brenda had a feeling that her dad would come up to the tower because she didn't listen to Harry and come down. She really didn't want to face her dad so she got out her invisibility cloak and headed towards the library

The three Gryffindors and professor entered the common room and Hermione led the way towards the dorms, and went inside

" Brenda" Hermione called

There was no answer

" I thought Potter said she was here" Snape said glaring and crossing his arms

" She was here, she left her charms book" Hermione said and then went to Brenda's trunk, " And her invisibility cloak is gone"

Snape rolled his eyes, " I knew I should have taken that away from her" he said under his breath

" I'm sorry professor, when we see Brenda next we'll tell her to see you" Hermione said

" Make sure it's soon" Snape said and then went back down to the common room and out the portrait

" Well that was quick" Ron said

" Brenda wasn't in the dorm" Hermione said, " And her invisibility cloak is gone"

" Why didn't you check the Marauders map?" Harry asked

" Oh yah... I forgot about that, but does the cloak show up on the map?" Hermione asked

" Of course it does" Harry said, " I'll go get mine and we can get her and bring her to Snape"

" Wait a minute, she obviously doesn't want to face Snape right now, that's why she even left the dorm with her invisibility cloak, I say give her time" Hermione said

" What about her not eating?" Harry asked

" I said give her time to go see Snape, we can talk her into eating, you obviously talked her into doing something, maybe we can too" Hermione said

" Or maybe Brenda will be stubborn and not listen to any of us" Harry said

" Oh we have to try" Hermione said

" We should tell her that Snape doesn't want to unadopt her and then maybe she'll finally eat" Ron said

Hermione and Harry looked at Ron

" When did he get smart?" Harry joked

" I don't know but that is a good idea, she's nervous that she's going to be unadopted and that's why she's not eating, if we tell her that she's going to stay adopted then she'll begin eating again" Hermione said

Brenda didn't come back to the tower until way after curfew when everybody would be asleep and she got up early before anybody the next morning and hid until classes started

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George never had the opportunity to talk to Brenda and talk her into eating because now Brenda didn't even go to the Great Hall, she was afraid that just by seeing her in the Great Hall Snape would be angry at her

It's been two days since Harry talked to Snape about Brenda and they couldn't get close enough to Brenda to tell her to eat, the only time they actually saw her was during classes, otherwise she disappeared

The Gryffindors were at the breakfast table on the third day and all they had on their mind was Brenda not eating

" I'm getting really worried about her" Hermione said, " I think we should talk to Snape again, we have potions today"

" What's he going to do? He can't find Brenda after classes either" Ron said

Hermione looked up at the teachers' table and looked at Snape, his face looked blank but Hermione could tell by his eyes that he was worried about Brenda

" If Snape doesn't do anything today, then we're going to talk to him again" Hermione said

" What do you mean if he doesn't do anything today?" Ron asked

" I mean by making her stay after class" Hermione said

" Oh" Ron said and then grinned, " She'll have to listen to him and stay"

" Exactly" Hermione said

They found Brenda sitting next to a different student during each class, she was sitting next to Neville during potions with a little worried look on her face since Neville isn't the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to potions

" You notice how she's trying to avoid us?" Harry asked

Hermione nodded

Again like she's been doing for a while Brenda didn't answer any of the questions in the class even though she knew the answers and were really easy, Brenda wasn't looking at her dad or best friends at all but what she did was help Neville out with his potion and he actually managed to get an E for the day

" Ms. Potter I need you to stay after class" Snape said

" Yes" Hermione whispered

Neville saw Brenda stiffen for a minute but didn't say anything

After class was over everybody headed out the door, but to everybody's astonishment including the Slytherins Brenda was the first one out the door. Everybody was shocked because nobody disobeyed Professor Snape without major concequences

" MS. POTTER" Snape yelled after Brenda

Brenda didn't even look back

" I can't believe I got away with that" Brenda thought to herself

Snape turned around and pointed to Harry, Hermione and Ron, " You three stay back, I need to talk to you"

They nodded and waited for the rest of the students to leave

Snape looked worried, " Ok now this is getting serious, she is getting way too skinny and their are dark circles under her eyes, I need you three to bring her to me, bring her to the apartment, the password you will use is Potion, I'll tell the portrait about that password, don't tell it to anybody except for Fred, George and Ginny if and only if they help you bring her down to the apartment got it?" Snape asked

" Got it" Harry said

" How are we supposed to do that when we never see her outside classes?" Ron asked

" Do whatever it takes even if it's after curfew, then use the cloaks so Filch doesn't catch you" Snape said

" Or the Inquizitorial Squad" Ron put in

" Exactly" Snape said, " Now get out of here, I'll give you a pass to your next class"

Snape went to his desk and wrote a pass for them and they headed towards their next class

Again after classes were over Brenda disappeared

" How can she just disappear like that?" Ron asked

" She's in the Room of Requirement, it's the only room not on the map, but we can't get in because she doesn't want us to get in" Harry said

" What about Bombarda?" Ron suggested, " That's what Umbridge did"

" We'll most likely get in trouble for doing that, Umbridge did it because she's the boss, if we did it, well then we'd all be in more trouble then we can handle right now" Harry replied

Fred and George came up from the portrait

" So any news on what to do with Brenda" Fred asked worried

" Well we know where she is, we just can't get her out of there" Hermione said

" Room of Requirement?" George asked, " The only room not on the map"

The three nodded

" Snape's real worried, he wants us to bring her down to the apartment if we ever get her and he even gave us a password" Harry said

" We'll help" Fred automatically said

" I think I have an idea how to go about this" George said, " It might take a day before we can do the plan but it will be worth it, this... funk she's in is getting dangerous and the only way it'll work is if we know what time she comes in the dorm, it is at a time where we're all asleep and we know she leaves before anybody is up, so that's only like a few hours of sleep, no wonder she has circles under her eyes, even with the spells for tiredness"

" So how are we supposed to do that?" Ron asked

Fred and George smiled at each other and then at Hermione

" Crystal balls aren't just for seeing into the future" George said

" They also make excellent video cameras with the time on them" Fred said, " If you know how to turn them into one"

" Divination all over again" Hermione sighed

" Yah, but it's worth it isn't it?" Fred asked

" Of course it is" Hermione said

" Excellent" Fred and George said, " Now tell us the password

Harry secretly told the twins the password and Fred nodded

" Ok that's how we're going to find her but how are we going to get her down to the apartment?" Ron asked, " I don't think she's going to come quietly"

" She's not going to like it but we're going to have to petrify her" Fred said gloomy, " I'll do it, she'll forgive me easier than you guys"

" What about me? I'm her brother" Harry said

" She's been angry at you for a while remember?" Fred asked, " I think I'm the best for the job"

Harry sighed and nodded

" Well lets go see if we can borrow one of Trelawny's Crystal balls, " I don't think Firenze has one" George said

" I am not going up to see Trelawny, she never liked me" Hermione said

" I'll go, she'll probably predict my death again but I'll get a ball" Harry said and left

" Now Hermione, we need to find a good place for the crystal ball to go" George said

" A place where we can see Brenda coming through the door" Fred finished

" My nightstand has a perfect view of the door" Hermione said

" Perfect, now this plan can be set in motion" George said

They did set the plan in motion, Harry came back with the crystal ball and Hermione set it on her nightstand and Fred and George did the spell that transfigured the crystal ball into a crystal ball video camera with the time on it

" Perfect, now tomorrow we see what time it is on the camera when Brenda comes in tonight" George said

" And the next night at that time we come in here and petrify her and bring her to the apartment" Fred finished

That night or early morning Brenda came out of the Room of Requirement at the same time she has been coming out of there and she snuck back into Gryffindor Tower and to the dorm, it was 3:00 in the morning when she got to bed and she set her alarm only she could hear for 5:45 when she gets up and goes back to the Room of Requirement

The next morning Hermione grabbed the crystal ball and watched everything it recorded, she found out that Brenda went into the dorm at 3:00 in the morning and leaves at 5:45 in the morning

" Oh my goodness, she only gets two hours and forty-five minutes of sleep each night" Hermione thought to herself

The group didn't see Brenda until classes started and finished again and then didn't see her again that day, Hermione told Snape of the plan and told him to expect Fred and Brenda at around 3:15 in the morning, she even told him how much sleep Brenda has been getting and he was not happy

" Ok we need to wake up at 2:45 and most likely ambush her" Fred said after classes were finished

" She's not going to like it" Ron said

" This is important, she's hurting herself and she needs our help and Snape's " Fred said

" Is it really going to take all of us to ambush her?" Ron asked

" Yes, one to cast the spell, two to catch her so she doesn't fall on the floor, one to hold the door open, and one to put the invisibility cloak on Fred and Brenda" Hermione said

" And we have to do this quietly but quickly" Harry said

" I will petrify her, Fred said, Hermione and Harry you catch her, Ron you hold the door open and turn the light on, George you put the cloak on us and lead us out of the portrait"

" Sounds good" George said

As scheduled everybody's alarm clocks went off at 2:45 and got in their hiding places so they could ambush Brenda

Brenda entered her dorm at 3:00 like she has been doing but then something different happened, a light turned on and the next thing she knew her boyfriend petrified her and her brother and best friend caught her, her boyfriend picked her up and George draped her invisibility cloak on both of them

" I'm taking you to the apartment" Fred explained

Brenda realized that her friends and brother trapped her and was bringing her to her dad, she was panicking and could do nothing about it, she felt betrayed that her boyfriend would do something like that

" I know you're angry right now, but it's for your own good, everybody's worried about you" Fred said before they were out of the common room

Brenda began to cry silent tears that soaked Fred's pajamas

Fred quickly but quietly walked down towards the dungeons and to the apartment then put Brenda down and leaned her against himself and took the cloak off of Brenda and himself before saying the password, " Potion"

" Ha that's not right" Brenda thought but to her horror Grandfather Severus opened up and her dad was waiting for them

Severus knew the plan and knew why his daughter was as stiff as a board. He picked Brenda up because now Fred's arms were full of cloak and he brought her to her bed, covered her up, put a binding spell on the covers so she wouldn't escape and undid the spell. The first thing Brenda tried to do was escape but it was no use she was trapped

" Brenda you might as well calm down, you're not leaving your bed for the rest of the night and tomorrow afternoon" Severus said

Brenda gave up and laid her head on the pillow and squeezed her eyes tight trying to hold back tears

" We will talk tomorrow, tonight I want you to drink this" Severus said taking out a vial, " This is a mild sleeping potion that is not addictive, it will help you sleep since you're very upset right now"

Brenda didn't take the potion, she didn't want it

" Come on take it" Severus said

Brenda shook her head no and kept her teeth clenched

Severus sighed and did the only thing he could think of to get the potion into the stubborn girl's system, he forced her to lay down and plugged her nose and waited until she stopped struggling and opened her mouth to breathe, after he waited until she breathed he poured the potion in her mouth and covered her mouth to keep it shut, the only way she would be able to breathe is if she swallowed. Brenda quickly swallowed and after her dad moved his hands she gasped for breath and began to cry, she didn't like being forced to do things she didn't want to do, it was too much like the imperious curse

" I'm sorry I had to do that, but you need to start listening" Severus said then went over to the night light and turned it on, " We will talk tomorrow"

Severus left her room and came back out into the living room

" How is she?" Fred asked

" She'll be ok, I gave her a light sleeping potion that will make her sleep for a while, Ms. Granger told me she has only been getting about two and a half hours of sleep a night, and I've been worried about her not eating, I'm going to have her stay down here for a few days so I can keep an eye on her. I think it would be wise if you went back up to Gryffindor Tower Mr. Weasley, I'll escort you just in case unwanted company shows up" Severus said, " And by the way, the password was a one time word, that's not the real password so you wouldn't be able to enter again"  
Fred nodded and they both left the apartment

 


	6. Chapter 6

When Brenda woke up, the first thing she saw that it was about 1:00 in the afternoon, the second thing was that she was in her room in the apartment and the whole night came rushing back at her and she started panicking for five minutes then noticed she could get out of her bed and that her door was unlocked, she got dressed and hurried towards the portrait but it wouldn't open

" Grandfather please let me out" Brenda pleaded, her voice kind of scratchy from not using it for a couple of days

" No, Severus gave me strict order to not let you go when you woke u" Grandfather Severus said, " Also he wanted me to call a house elf to bring you some oatmeal... DOBBY"

A house elf popped in the apartment

" Dobby?" Brenda gasped

" Brenda Potter, Dobby is glad to see you Ms." Dobby said

" What? How... What are you doing here?" Brenda asked

" I work for the Headmaster Dumbledore, After you and Harry Potter freed Dobby I got a job here" Dobby said

" That's great" Brenda said happy for the first time since the occlumency lesson

" Yes it is and Dobby is now worried about Brenda Potter because she hasn't been eating" Dobby said, " Why are you not eating?"

Brenda's face fell " Dad's livid" Brenda whispered, " And he doesn't want to see me ever again except for classes"

" That's not true" Grandfather Severus said

" Yes it is, he told me so" Brenda said

" When?" Grandfather Severus asked, " When did he say Brenda I do not want to be your dad anymore?"

" He didn't say that... in so many words but I know what he meant" Brenda said

" Even if that's the case, what does it have to do with starving yourself and your sleep pattern?" Grandfather Severus asked

" I'm just not hungry that's all" Brenda said

" Yah right" Grandfather Severus said, " You just think you're not hungry when you're nervous about something or upset"

Brenda didn't say anything

Grandfather Severus nodded, " Dobby, please bring Brenda some oatmeal, she needs to eat light for a few days or she will wind up sick" Grandfather Severus said

" Right away" Dobby said happily and was out with a pop

" I'm not going to eat" Brenda said stubbornly

" Yes you will" Grandfather Severus said, " Or I'll tell Dobby to do to you what your dad did to you last night"

Brenda gasped, " You wouldn't"

" I would" Grandfather Severus said, " What you're doing to yourself is dangerous and everybody just wants to help you now give us a chance, " Now go sit at the table"

" Yes sir" Brenda said defeated and walked towards the little dining table and put her head in her hands and waited for Dobby to return, " I can't believe my friends and Harry did that, I can't believe Fred did that, he promised me I can trust him, he gave me a promise ring"

" You can trust Fred to look out for you and know what's good for you, he's still keeping his promise whether you like it or not" Grandfather Severus said

Brenda sighed and looked at her ring, " I guess so, but I still didn't like being ambushed like that"

" What would you expect? It was the only thing the Gryffindors could think of" Grandfather Severus said

" I bet it was one of the Weasley twins who did it, they are the tricksters and it was a mean trick" Brenda said

" You might think it is right now, but soon you will thank them" Grandfather Severus said

Brenda sighed again

Dobby returned three minutes later with a bowl of Oatmeal and a glass of pumpkin juice

" What kind is it?" Brenda asked

" Plain" Dobby said

Brenda grimaced and took the sugar that was on the table

" Mr. Snape said no sugar" Dobby said taking the sugar bowl away from Brenda who was about to put some on

" Oh come on, just a little bit for a taste?" Brenda said, " If I'm supposed to eat this stuff it has to have a taste"

" Mr. Snape's orders" Dobby said shaking his head no

Brenda sighed and began eating without really tasting it. When she was done she went back into her room and stared off into space and waited for the unavoidable

Severus came into the apartment at 2:30

" Is she still here?" Severus asked

" Yes she's in her room... staring of into space" Grandfather Severus said

" Did she eat the oatmeal?" Severus asked

" Yes, without sugar and she drank her juice like a good girl" Grandfather Severus joked

" This isn't the time and place for joking, this is serious" Severus said

" I don't understand why she couldn't put sugar on her oatmeal" Grandfather Severus said

" She needs to eat bland foods for a while until her body adjusts again" Severus explained

Grandfather Severus nodded

" Don't enter Brenda's room for a while, she and I are going to have a long talk" Severus said and headed towards Brenda's door and knocked. He didn't get an answer and walked inside anyway

Brenda was literally staring off into space, she didn't even react when Severus entered

Severus sat on the side of the bed and waited for Brenda to react to his presence, it took about five minutes before Brenda looked at him

She looked away again, " Leave me alone" She whispered holding back tears

" No I'm not going to leave you alone, leaving you alone means you're going to hurt yourself" Severus said

" I'm not hurting myself" Brenda said without looking at him

" Then what's with the not eating or sleeping?" Severus asked

" It doesn't matter" Brenda said sadly

" Of course it matters Brenda, you're hurting not only yourself but your loved ones, everybody is worried about you because of what you're doing" Severus said

" It's my life, I should be able to do what I want with it" Brenda replied

" And you want to starve yourself of food and sleep?" Severus asked

" I'm not starving myself, I'm not hungry or tired so I don't eat or sleep, I don't know why everybody is worried over nothing"

" This isn't nothing, this is a big something and if we don't take care of it soon then it will get bad" Severus said

" No it won't" Brenda said stubbornly

" Yes it will. Now I want to know why you decided to stop eating" Severus said

" Oh great" Brenda thought and said, " I don't want to talk about it"

" You may not want to but we are going to talk about it young lady" Severus said sternly

Brenda could feel the tears coming and it was getting hard for her to hold them back

" You already know the reason, Harry already told you the reason, there's no need for you to hear the reason twice... so why don't you let me get back to Gryffindor Tower and leave me alone, then when summer comes I'll go to Grimmuald place and live with Sirius and you won't have to see me until the next term and only for classes" Brenda said angrily and stormed off her bed and into the bathroom and locked the door

" Hmm, Harry was right, what I said did bother her that much" Severus thought then got off the bed and went towards the bathroom door and knocked, " Brenda come on out"

" No" Brenda said stubbornly

" Brenda we're not done talking yet" Severus said

" Yes we are" Brenda said

" BRENDA LILIAN POTTER OPEN THIS DOOR OR I'LL DO IT FOR YOU" Severus yelled

That made Brenda really cry, she couldn't hold it back any longer

" Brenda open the door and come on out" Severus said softly

Brenda stared at the closed locked door and thought about her actions and her friends and family, she knew she messed up but she didn't want to admit it, she knew her dad was trying to help and they both knew they were dodging the topic they should be talking about, she knew her dad was furious at her for going inside the pensieve and that's what mostly scared her at the moment

Brenda stood up from the toilet seat and wiped away her tears then took a deep breath and unlocked and opened the door and looked at her dad

Once Brenda looked at her dad, Severus embraced her and Brenda noticed all of the potion ingredients he smelled like and it was comforting

" I didn't mean what I said that night, I would never do a thing like that no matter how angry I am" Severus said

Brenda felt another wave of tears coming through, she tried holding them back but they weren't cooperating and she got her dad's robes a little damp, Severus knew it but didn't care he just tried calming her down by rubbing her back while still hugging. He knew it was useless talking when she was this upset, they stayed in the embrace for ten minutes and then returned to the bed but Severus still didn't let go of her, she was still upset but she was done crying at least

" Sorry" Brenda whispered loud enough for Severus to hear but not loud enough for Grandfather Severus to hear if he was eavesdropping

Severus didn't say anything he just kissed Brenda on the head

They sat in silence for another five minutes until Brenda broke the silence

" Are you still angry?" Brenda whispered not looking at Severus

Severus sighed, he knew that was going to come up, " I'm... still upset yes, but I'm not as angry as I was. Your brother said that it was his idea and he talked you into it, you both need to learn to not do everything together"

Brenda didn't say anything

" Why did you two go in there anyway?" Severus asked

Brenda stiffened, " We didn't know we would fall into your school memories, we thought you knew something about the weapon that Dumbledore didn't want us to know"

" I see, and you both thought you'd be better off knowing about the weapon?" Severus asked

" Sirius got us curious when he told us that you know who is after some kind of weapon" Brenda explained

" Yes Molly told me about that, she wasn't very happy about that and I'm not either, Sirius has always been reckless and mostly doesn't think before he speaks" Severus said, " You and Harry need to let the adults handle it, if the Order wants you to know about the information then the Order will tell you, you both need to relax"

" Hard to relax when he can get into our minds" Brenda said

" That's why you both learned Occlumency" Severus said, " Whether you want to practice it on your own or not is up to you two"

" I've been practicing and I can keep Harry out of my head, I don't know if I can keep him out though" Brenda said

" Just keep practicing" Severus said

" Ok" Brenda said

They were silent again for a while, Brenda wanted to ask him about her potions grade but she didn't know how to bring it up

Severus saw the look on Brenda's face and knew that Brenda wanted to ask him something else, and he had a pretty good idea what since she looked shocked when he evenescoed her potions along with Harry's during the classes, she didn't know that he actually saw the potions and gave them the grade they actually deserved, he was just angry then and pretended to give them zeros and he knew that Brenda knew that she got enough zeros to bring her grade down to an E

" Ok I admit that was mean" Severus broke the silence

" What?" Brenda asked

" Making you believe you and Harry got zeros on your potions" Severus said

Brenda gasped

" I bottled up some of your potion while you weren't looking, I did the same with Harry's" Severus said, " I only tricked you two because I was angry, it was very immature and I'm sorry for what I did"

" Me too" Brenda said and hugged her dad again, " So what did I get?"

" An O like always" Severus said, " Harry for some reason achieved an E"

" Good, my tutoring does hel" Brenda said smiling

" What tutoring? I thought that was an excuse for the lessons" Severus said

" I've been tutoring him for a while, we've been having a potions study hour, Neville joins sometimes too" Brenda said

" He should join more often, it seems to be working he has an A in Potions and before he had a D" Severus said

" I'll tell him that" Brenda said

Severus nodded and stood up, " Now I think it's time for you to eat some unsweetened applesauce"

Brenda looked at him weird, " Why?"

" Because you need to get your appetite back, you are to have three small healthy snacks a day" Severus said

" Ok... why unsweetened?" Brenda asked

" Because you need to eat bland foods for a few days before you can get back to your regular diet" Severus explained

Brenda groaned

" Hey you're the one who decided to stop eating, and now you pay the consequences" Severus said walking to the door

Brenda followed

" Talking done?" Grandfather Severus asked

" Yes" Severus informed then called for Dobby

" Yes Mr. Snape?" Dobby asked

" Please get Brenda's first snack of the day, the unsweetened applesauce" Severus said

" Right away Mr. Snape" Dobby said and popped back to the kitchen

" I still can't believe Dobby works here now, Mr. Malfoy was so angry when we freed him" Brenda said

" He got over it over time" Severus said, " Now go sit down"

Brenda silently sighed

A minute later Dobby popped back in with a small bowl of applesauce and a glass of water and set them on the table

" Thank you Dobby" Severus said

Dobby smiled, " You is welcome sir" Then he popped back to the kitchen

" I want you to finish all of it" Severus said

Brenda nodded and began eating, she didn't like it this way but she obeyed

After Brenda was done with her snack Dobby popped in and took it away automatically

" Now can I go back to Gryffindor Tower?" Brenda asked

" No" Severus said

" I'm grounded again?" Brenda asked

" No" Severus said

" Then why can't I go back to Gryffindor Tower?" Brenda asked

" Because we need to discuss another thing" Severus said

" Now what?" Brenda asked

" Since you are going to be on a different diet, I want you to eat all of your meals here, so I believe it will be easier for you if you just stayed down here for a few days" Severus said

Brenda sighed, " Well... since my friends and Harry are worried about me can I go up to Gryffindor Tower for a few hours?"

Severus looked at the clock, it was 4:45

" Ok it's 4:45 right now, I want you back here at 6:00" Severus said

" I asked for a few" Brenda said

" You want to go up or not?" Severus asked

" Yes" Brenda said

" Then I suggest you go now, you're wasting time" Severus said, " And don't forget to get your books for your classes and your clothes"

Brenda nodded and hurried to get her shoes on and her school robe and she was out the door and up to Gryffindor Tower. She saw her friends doing their homework and they looked up when she came in, actually everybody who was in the common room looked up because it's been a while since anybody has seen her in the tower

" Brenda" Hermione called and walked over to her and gave her a hug

" Hi" Brenda said returning the hug, " What are you all working on?" releasing the hug

" Potions" Ron said not amused

Brenda smiled, " Need any help?"

That got the group smiling, they were happy Brenda was talking to them again and didn't look mad about last night or early this morning however you want to put it

" Sure" Harry said

Brenda sat next to her brother and accioed her potions things that were in the dorm

" Harry guess who works at Hogwarts we didn't know about until today?" Brenda tested

" Who?" Harry asked

" Dobby" Brenda said excitedly

" Dobby?" Harry asked surprised

" Yah, he is one of the house elves here at Hogwarts now, he seems really happy" Brenda said

" That's great, how do you know this?" Harry asked

" I have a new diet for a few days and Dobby gives it to me" Brenda explained

Harry nodded

" Dobby's the house elf you two saved in second year right?" Ron asked

" Yes" Harry and Brenda said together and smiled

They worked on Potions until 5:45 and that was only because Fred and George came into the room

" Hey, Brenda's here" George whispered

" She probably doesn't want to talk to me. I think she thinks I lied about the promise I made her" Fred said sadly

" You don't know that until you talk to her" George said

Hermione saw Fred and George looking over at Brenda and she got the other two boys' attentions and they nodded

" Well Brenda thank you for your hel" Harry said

" You need any help with anything else?" Brenda asked

" Not right now" Ron said looking over at his older brothers

Brenda followed what he was looking at and saw Fred and George looking at them, " Oh... ok" She started packing up her things

" Go talk to her" Lee urged coming over to the Weasley twins

" She's busy packing her things" Fred said

" Don't make excuses and go over there" George said

" She's angry with me" Fred said

" We were all in that ambush this morning, she forgave those three, she'll forgive you and me" George said

Fred looked hesitant

George sighed and rolled his eyes and went over to the group without Fred

" George" Fred began

" Hi you guys" George said

" Hi George" Harry said

" So Brenda are you ok?" George asked

" I'm fine" Brenda said

" Then you mind talking to Fred?" George asked

Brenda looked over at Fred who looked very worried

" Ok" Brenda said turning back to George

" I'll bring your things back up to your room" Hermione offered

" Don't bother, I need to go up there and pack, I'm staying down in the apartment for a while" Brenda said

Everybody in the group looked guilty

" Don't be guilty, you guys did the right thing even though there could have been a different way to go at it" Brenda said lifting an eyebrow

Everybody's faces looked shocked and Brenda smiled at that then went over to her boyfriend

" Hi" Brenda said

" Hi" Fred said a little worried

Brenda beckoned Fred to lean down because he was at least a foot taller than her

He did so and Brenda kissed him and he was so happy that he kissed back, they broke the kiss with smiling lips

" You forgive me?" Fred asked

Brenda nodded

" I was afraid that you thought that I lied about the promise I made" Fred said

" The promise is that I can trust you, well I can trust you to take good care of me even though I can't take good care of myself" Brenda said

" So how long did it take you to forgive us?" Fred asked

" Well considering it was just this morning... pretty quick" Brenda said

" No really" Fred asked

" Seriously it was pretty quick, I woke up this... afternoon, I was pretty upset right then and there, but a few minutes later Grandfather Severus talked to me and" Brenda started

" Grandfather Severus?" Fred asked

" The portrait that looks like an older version of Snape" Brenda explained

" That's your grandfather?" Fred asked

" Snape's grandfather, my great grandfather, we just call him Grandfather Severus" Brenda explained, " And he made me see that you all were just trying to help me... it worked but it could have been done different, who's idea was it anyway?"

" George's" Fred said

" I figured it was one of you" Brenda said with a smile

" We were worried" Fred said

" Yah I could tell" Brenda said, " Hey what time is it?"

Fred looked at his watch, " 6:10"

" Crap I'm late" Brenda said heading towards her dorm

" Late?" Fred asked

" I was supposed to be back in the apartment by 6:00" Brenda said running inside the dorm and packed very fast

When she was done she raced down the stairs to the common room, kissed her boyfriend, waved goodbye to her friends and brother and hurried out the portrait

It was 6:30 when she got to the portrait

" You're late" Grandfather Severus said

" I know... Pheonix Feather" Brenda said

Grandfather Severus opened up and Brenda slowly went in

Severus was at his desk grading papers

" You're thirty minutes late" Severus said

" I know, I'm sorry, we were working on potions and" Brenda started

" Don't want to hear it, go sit at the table and eat your dinner, then go to your room and work on your homework you missed today" Severus said

" Yes sir" Brenda said sitting down at the table

She had grilled chicken and steamed rice and a glass of water

" Can't get any blander than this" Brenda thought to herself

She finished her dinner in silence and then went to her room to get started on her homework. Severus came in with her next snack a half hour later. She finished her homework at 8:15 then went in the bathroom to take a shower. She decided to read until bed time

Severus came into her room at 9:00, " Time for bed"

Brenda looked at the time and then at her dad with a look

" You need the rest" Severus said

Brenda groaned but did as she was told, she put her book away and got under the covers and laid down

" I don't have to take that potion do I?" Brenda asked

" Yes" Severus said

Brenda groaned again

" Just the mild one you took last night" Severus said

" This morning" Brenda corrected

Severus mock glared, " Cheeky"

" Ye" Brenda said and smiled

" Now this time are you going to take it on your own or do I have to force you again?" Severus asked taking the potion out of his robes

Brenda's answer was sitting up, taking the potion out of her dad's hand and downing it in one gulp and grimacing at the end while handing Severus the empty vial

" I thought so" Severus said with a smirk

Brenda laid down and Severus kissed her on the forehead goodnight then got up and turned on her nightlight

" Night dad" Brenda said

" Night Brenda" Severus said

The few days that followed Brenda had plain oatmeal for breakfast every day, she had a morning snack on the way to her second class each day, a snack an hour after lunch each day and a snack before bed each night, she ate all of her meals in the apartment which was driving her nuts, especially at lunch time because she had to dodge the Slytherins who were in the dungeons. Finally Severus noticed that Brenda was getting her appetite back and was eating more so he changed her diet slightly with sweetened oatmeal, toppings on her dinners like barbeque sauce or ketchup on her meat. Instead of drinking water all the time she had milk or pumpkin juice with all her meals, and her snacks weren't as bland either, now instead of regular celery sticks that she has been eating for her bedtime snack, she had celery sticks with peanut butter on them, she liked that a lot better then plain celery. A few days that followed after that Severus had her cut back on her three snacks and instead just had one in the afternoon and one at night, he still made her go to bed at 9:00 because she had to catch up on her sleep which meant she still had to drink that potion every night. Severus started eating with her instead of going to the Great Hall

" When can we cut the snacks to just one, and when can I start going to bed at 10:00 again?" Brenda asked while getting ready for bed at 9:00 by putting her homework away

" In a few days, it's only been a week since you've been sleeping and eating, and you've made so much progress" Severus said

" I'm getting sick of oatmeal even sweetened, applesauce even sweetened and celery... even with peanut butter" Brenda complained

" How about apples to replace the applesauce, and carrot sticks replacing the celery?" Severus asked

" What's with my snacks being fruit and vegetables?" Brenda asked, " How about popcorn or something?"

" Too much salt" Severus said

" Well since you want me to gain weight, how about pie?" Brenda asked, " My favorite is apple"

" That'll keep you awake at night, and that's too much sugar" Severus said, " We're sticking with fruit and vegetables, you never eat enough when you're in the Great Hall and you always pick at the vegetables when we're at home"

" The only vegetables we have at home are spinach, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, asparagus, and cabbage" Brenda pointed out, " And you wonder why I pick at them"

" Well what kind of vegetable do you like?" Snape asked, " And popcorn is not a vegetable, even if it does have the word corn in it"

" Well, I do like corn, carrots... mostly steamed, broccoli... steamed with butter, green beans, peas, regular potatoes" Brenda said

" Regular potatoes?" Severus asked

" Not sweet potatoes" Brenda said

" What about calliflour?" Severus asked

" No" Brenda said

" I'm surprised you like broccoli, most kids don't" Severus said

Brenda shrugged

" Ok, we'll get more of a variety of vegetables, you must tell Minnie which ones you want when we get home" Severus said

Brenda nodded

" And you need to eat vegetables here too, that's why your snacks are fruits and vegetables, but when you're back on your regular diet, I want to see some fruits and vegetables on your plate young lady" Severus said

" Yes sir" Brenda said

" Now enough talk about that, it's time for you to go to slee" Severus instructed

Brenda sighed, she really hated her 9:00 bedtime

" Lets see if you'll go to sleep without the potion tonight" Severus said

" Fine by me" Brenda said

" I don't want you to go back to reading when I leave your room" Severus warned

" Ok" Brenda said disappointed getting under the covers, she was actually thinking about going back to her book, but now she couldn't

" I mean it Brenda" Severus warned

" I know" Brenda said

" Now have you occluded your mind?" Severus asked

" I will... speaking of that though, how do you make an antidote for snake venom?" Brenda asked

Severus was surprised, " What brought that up?"

" Well you started giving us occlumency lessons because we had a vision of Mr. Weasley being attacked by a snake, I've been wondering how they made the antidote just in case something like that happens again, that and I think it'll be fun to make" Brenda said

Severus lifted an eyebrow, " You really want to know how to make it"

" And make it yes" Brenda said

"Ok, I'll teach you how to make it tomorrow, I'll have to give you a detention though, so mess up or something that would make me angry" Severus said

Brenda smiled, it's a rare occasion she has permission to cause mischief " Can it involve fire crackers?"

"Just as long as the firecracker doesn't land in the potion or anything, then yes that will work" Severus said

Great" Brenda said with a smile

" Why do you like firecrackers so much?" Severus asked, " You give the Weasley's and Harry rude wake up calls with firecrackers a lot"

Brenda shrugged, " I can't believe you're actually going to let me do something like that just so we can make a potion, how tough is it anyway?"

Severus smirked " It is not very complicated and you're right it is very useful in case something like that does happen again, but tonight you need to get some sleep, now occlude your mind"

Brenda nodded and closed her eyes and did her breathing to occlude

Severus kissed the top of her head then got up to turn the night light on

"Good night dad" Brenda said

" Good night Brenda" Severus said then shut the door

The next day in Potions everybody was quiet working on their homework and Brenda got out a packet of muggle firecrackers she got from Fred and George and took two out then lit them and threw them up in the air and they made a popping noise that scared everybody

" MS. POTTER WHAT DID YOU DO?" Snape yelled

" I didn't mean to, it was an accident" Brenda said and looked scared

" Detention Ms. Potter, for a week starting tonight at 7:00" Snape said

Brenda sighed and looked sad but in the inside she was happy

" What a greasy git, it was an accident" Ron complained

" Oh relax Ron, and no it wasn't, I did it on purpose because he's going to teach me how to make the antidote to snake venom, he I told him what I was going to do and he agreed to it, it wasn't dangerous and it was kind of fun" Brenda said

" You got a detention on purpose?" Ron asked shocked

" It's not going to take away our time, he scheduled it at 7:00, I have to be back at 6:00 remember?" Brenda asked

" Why are you going to be taught how to make the antidote to snake venom?" Hermione asked

" Just in case it happens again, you never know, it happened to Mr. Weasley, I think it would be handy to have around" Brenda explained, " He says it's not very complicated"

" Will you show me how to make it after you learn it?" Hermione asked

" Of course" Brenda said with a smile

That night after they ate dinner they headed towards the wall that takes them to the Potions classroom

" For your detention Ms. Potter, you will learn how to make the antidote to Snake venom" Snape said in his teacher voice

" Yes sir" Brenda said

" The antidote only takes a week to make and is very powerful" Snape said

" Wow only a week?" Brenda asked

Severus nodded and smiled

" I think I'm the only one who sees him smile" Brenda thought to herself, " Others would think it's either funny or scary"

Severus told her the ingredients and the directions and Brenda wrote all of them down in her notebook, then they started the potion

Severus was right, it only took them a week to brew it and during that time Brenda's snacks were cut back to one in the afternoon only which Brenda liked, also her bedtime was later to 9:30 instead of 9:00 which she liked too, she still couldn't wait until she could go to bed at 10:00 again, or until she could go back up to Gryffindor Tower, which ever came first. Both Severus and Brenda were in the potions room bottling up the potion

" That's all there is to it?" Brenda asked

Severus nodded

" Huh, should have learned this in second year, just in case Fawkes didn't show u" Brenda said to herself

" What?" Severus asked

" Basilisk, venom in Harry's arm, if Fawkes didn't show up... well I'm glad he did" Brenda said, " I wonder if that thing is still down there"

" You're not going to go exploring" Severus said firmly

" I know that, I don't want to anyway, besides the neat part is blocked off. Thanks to a selfish DADA teacher who likes himself way too much" Brenda said

Severus smirked, he never did like Lockhart, " Well now that we have the antidote done, what do you want to do with it?"

Brenda shrugged, " Maybe you could put it in your potions stores, you never know when somebody might be bitten by a poisonous snake"

Severus rolled his eyes but nodded

" I am so making that potion when we get back to Snape manor" Brenda thought to herself

" Well then, I think it's time for you to either do your homework or read a book" Severus said

" Can I go up to Gryffindor Tower?" Brenda asked

" No, you're staying down here, you're going to bed in two hours remember?" Severus asked

Brenda sighed, " How long until I can either go up to Gryffindor or I can go to bed at 10:00 again?"

" One more week for your 9:30 bedtime" Severus said, " And two weeks after that"

Brenda's eyes widened and was about to say something

" I want to monitor you, make sure you get in the routine again" Severus explained, " And I can't do that while you're in Gryffindor"

" Ok... can we play chess?" Brenda asked

" I have papers to grade" Severus said

" Can I help?" Brenda asked

" For an hour, then I want you to get ready for bed and read for the rest of the night" Severus said

" Deal" Brenda said, she liked helping out her dad

The next day Brenda gave Hermione the notes she took while making the potion and Hermione got very excited

" I didn't know something as powerful as this could be so easy to make" Hermione said

" Yah, I know, I'm going to make it during the summer, just so we have some just in case" Brenda said

" That's a good idea" Harry said, " We always seem to get in some sort of trouble, and now we know Voldemort has a poisonous snake, who knows if we'll get bit or not"

Brenda nodded, " So have you guys thought about what you want to be when we're out of school? We do have a career meeting with our head of house coming up... I think it's at the beginning of the summer term"

" I think I want to be an Auror" Harry said

" I haven't decided yet" Hermione said

" You should do something with books, maybe a librarian" Ron suggested, " Or work at a bank since you've taken Arithmancy and have high marks"

" I don't really fancy banking much, what about you Ron?" Hermione asked

" I don't know, I'd like to do something with Quidditch, or be an Auror" Ron said

" What about you Brenda?" Harry asked

" Potions Mistress or an auror" Brenda answered

" We should probably sign up for our meetings with McGonagall soon" Hermione said and the others agreed

A few weeks later Easter passed where everybody got chocolate eggs and fizzing wizzbies from Mrs. Weasley. Brenda finally got to go back up to Gryffindor Tower, eat what she wanted as long as she ate fruits and vegetables, go to bed when she wanted as long as it was before midnight, makle out with Fred as much as she wanted as long as no hickies were shown and they keep it at first base

" Sheesh dad has so many rules and I'm not even down in the apartment" Brenda thought to herself

Finally they continued the potions tutoring for Harry, Ron and Neville which was actually working some, they need it now more than ever because the OWLs were only a few weeks away

" I have my career meeting with McGongall during our next Divination class" Harry announced

" Lucky, mines during Potions" Brenda pouted

Ron rolled his eyes which just got him a smack upside the head

" Hey what was that for?" Ron asked

" You rolled your eyes at me" Brenda said

Ron glared at Brenda

" Oh don't be childish" Brenda scorned

" I'm being childish? You hit me upside the head because I rolled my eyes" Ron said

" Because I'm disappointed about having my meeting interfere with my favorite class" Brenda explained

" I still don't see how that is your favorite class, besides your dad teaching it" Neville said

" I like potions, my dad teaching it or not" Brenda said, " And since I love it so much and you struggle in it, that is why I am tutoring you three, Hermione is doing it because she understands it"

Hermione was reading her book when she heard her name, " What?"

" Just talking about potions" Brenda said

" We started talking about the Career meeting I have during Divination and we wound up talking about Potions" Harry said rolling his eyes

Brenda didn't hit him

" Why didn't you smack him?" Ron asked

" Because he was rolling his eyes because he was amused" Brenda answered

" There's a difference?" Ron asked

" Yes" Harry, Brenda, Hermione, and Neville said

The next day during Divination Harry forgot about his meeting and when Ron reminded him Harry raced towards McGonagall's office and was only late by a minute

" Sorry I'm late professor" Harry said

" Don't worry about it, it's only a minute" McGonagall said

Harry saw Umbridge in the corner writing on her clip board

" Shall we get started then?" McGonagall asked

Harry nodded and took his seat

When Divination was over and Harry's meeting was over, Harry looked very shocked

" What's wrong mate?" Ron asked

" Umbridge was in the meeting and she kept interrupting us during the meeting, she told McGongall that because of my " Criminal Record" I wouldn't be able to be an Auror, McGonagall told Umbridge that all charges were cleared, Umbridge said that I wouldn't be able to because of my Defense Against the Dark Arts grade this year, McGonagall kept reminding me of the grades I got in the other years and something about from competent teachers, that made Umbridge really mad and she started scribbling in her clip board again, then Umbridge said something about how Fudge wouldn't hire me and McGonagall said that by the time I become an Auror, Fudge might be out of office and Umbridge was accusing McGonagall wanting Dumbledore as Minister, they began yelling at each other and then McGonagall said that she would do anything in her power to help me become one if it's the last thing she'd do" Harry said with a smile

" Wow" Ron said

" Wow is right" Harry agreed

" Well you had an interesting time, more interesting then Divination" Brenda said

" No matter who the teacher is, that class is always boring" Ron complained

Nothing excited happened for a while, Brenda had her meeting with McGonagall and Umbridge was there. The two older ladies glared daggers at each other and McGonagall smiled when Brenda told her she wanted to be a potions mistress or an auror, both needed a lot of schooling and Brenda looked excited and Umbridge didn't. All the fifth year students and seventh year students were studying for their OWLs and NEWTs. And finally it was the day the fifth years had to take their OWLs

All the Fifth years and were in the Great Hall in separate desks

It was quiet in the Great Hall as everybody was testing, they've been testing all day and were on their last test, Defense Against the Dark Arts. When it looked like mostly everybody was finished with their DADA OWLs a shout came from outside the Great Hall and Filch ran inside

" Headmistress, Headmistress, do you have the decree that says I can whip as a punishment?" Filch asked

" Why yes I do, what is wrong?" Umbridge asked

" The Weasley Twins" Filch said with a glare, " They conjured a swamp in a school corridor"

Brenda smiled when she heard that, that was one of Ron's ideas

" It's time" Brenda thought

Umbridge looked mad and stood up from her chair, " Show me"

Nobody was testing now and before Filch or Umbridge could do or say anything, Fred and George opened the Great Hall doors and threw a firecracker inside and it exploded in pretty colors

" What was that?" Umbridge asked

Filch shrugged

All of a sudden yells could be heard and they sounded alike, and two twins on brooms flew into the Great Hall with fireworks and they threw them and cheered, that got everybody else cheering since their tests were done, it was a good way to celebrate. Umbridge couldn't believe it

" George throw one at them" Fred said pointing to Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle

George threw a firecracker that follows the victim until it hits it's target

Fred threw one that traces the looks on the victims faces at Malfoy

The Gryffindors were laughing and cheering on the Weasley Twins

Umbridge and Filch looked very scared and the Potters, Ron and Hermione looked defiant at them

" I think it's almost time for the finale" Brenda whispered to her friends

" The dragon idea sounds so awesome, I hope they pull it off" Ron said

" Yah we figured that would be the most terrifying thing, well the most terrifying firework they have" Brenda said

" I'm ready when you are George" Fred said

" Let it go Fred" George called

Fred let go of the dragon firework and aimed it at Umbridge, all the students got out of her way as the dragon formed and started chasing her. Umbridge tried running from it and only got to the end of the Great Hall when it " ate" her and then it destroyed all of the decrees that were hanging on the Great Hall

" That was a little extra Fred and George made u" Brenda said while everybody was cheering because of all the decrees finally being destroyed

Fred and George led the students outside, Fred and George circled around the school once then Fred zoomed back down and lifted Brenda off the ground, gave her a quick kiss, and put her back down, " See you later Brenda" then returned to his twin brother to shoot off more of the fireworks and there were more cheering from the students and even some of the teachers and ghosts who wanted to see what was going on, including the poltergeist that the students try to avoid came to see what the ruckus was about

Umbridge got to the front of the students

" MESSERS WeasleyS GET DOWN HERE NOW" Umbridge yelled

" WE DON'T THINK SO" Fred and George said together

" WE'RE DONE WITH HOGWARTS" George said

" ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO BUY OUR PRODUCTS, WE SELL THEM AT WEASLEY'S WIZARDING WHEEZES WHICH IS AT DIAGON ALLEY" Fred called

There were a lot of cheers because of that

" HEY PEEVES, GIVE HER HELL" Fred yelled

" YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND" Peeves said with a grin

" NOOOOO" Umbridge yelled

Everybody laughed

Fred came down, lifted Brenda up again and kissed her again, " I love you"

" Love you too, see you later" Brenda said as Fred put her down

With that the Weasley twins did the real finale with a firework that made a giant W appear in the sky

Everybody was celebrating at what the Weasley twins did that day but that night, everybody was gloomy again. Umbridge was so angry about what the Weasley twins did, she was taking things up a notch, she decided it was time for a half giant to go, the students guessed she didn't want to cause a scene like one was caused while getting Trelawny out so at night Umbridge attacked Hagrid, well not her personally but had aurors attack Hagrid. There were stunning spells that kept hitting Hagrid but he wasn't going down, the four Gryffindors have never seen Hagrid mad before, they all thought it was scary because this guy almost always had a smile on his face and was very friendly.

The four were about to go to Hagrid's hut to help him out when McGonagall stopped them, " Stay back, let the adults handle it"

Then she took out her wand and went to help Hagrid, McGonagall was mad, " HOW DARE YOU" McGonagall screamed, " On what grounds are you attacking him?"

The next thing anybody knew, McGonagall was stunned and the four Gryffindors saw Lavender and Parvarti scream who were behind them

" Why did those aurors do that to her?" Lavender asked

" They're attacking Hagrid for now damn good reason" Brenda said angry

" McGonagall was trying to help and she was stunned" Harry said

" Umbridge wants Hagrid out and she doesn't want to cause a scene" Hermione said

" Well she has one" Ron said

" COWARDS" Hagrid yelled full of rage, "HAVE SOME OF THAT AND THAT" Hagrid was swiping at the aurors who stunned McGonagall

" GET HIM, GET HIM" Umbridge yelled

The aurors tried stunning him again but it wasn't working

Hagrid picked up his dog Fang and started running away, he would punch anybody who got in his way and the aurors were very nervous about going within reach of Hagrid's fists

Hagrid got away and Umbridge was angry

" How come those stunners didn't effect him?" Ron asked

" Giant blood" Hermione and Brenda said together

" Poor professor McGonagall" Brenda said sadly

" Four stunners to her chest, she's not that young anymore" Hermione said

" We should wait until the aurors and Umbridge leaves, if she's still out there, lets take her to Pomfrey" Harry suggested

" Good idea" Ron said

" We'll help too" Lavender said

" So do you think Hagrid joined Dumbledore?" Ron whispered

" Most likely" Harry said

" You'd think he'd be back by now" Hermione said

The students waited until the aurors and Umbridge left and then snuck down to Hagrid's hut and McGonagall was still stunned

" ENNERVATE" Brenda said

They waited a minute for McGonagall to wake up

" Are you ok professor?" Hermione asked

" I'll be fine, thank you all for waking me u" McGonagall said

" You should go to the Hospital Wing to be checked over" Ron said

McGonagall nodded

The students helped their professor up to the Hospital Wing even though she said she didn't need their help

Professor Grubby Plank took over Care of Magical Creatures and school went on as usual, there were some students relieved that Hagrid was no longer teaching, but everybody was disappointed that he was gone, except for the Slytherins of course

The Gryffindors were in Histroy of magic being lectured on trolls

" Binns needs a different topic" Brenda thought to Harry

" You just thought of that now?" Harry asked

" No it got boring in first year" Brenda joked

Ron, Harry and Brenda ended up doodling on their parchment they were supposed to take notes on when Harry and Brenda both saw something that scared them, they were looking at something familiar, it was the Department of Mysteries, they were getting flashes of things, first was the hall that looked familiar because it was one they went down for their trial, then it flashed to a number of 97, then to a crystal ball of smoke, and then to their horror they saw Voldemort talking to Sirius

" I need that prophecy and only you can get it for me" Voldemort said

" You'll have to kill me" Sirius said

" Crucio" Voldemort spelled

Sirius was writhing with agony

A minute later the curse ended

" I am waiting" Voldemort said

" Like I said, you'll have to kill me" Sirius said with a glare

" Crucio" Voldemort said again and held it on for two minutes

When it ended Sirius was panting very heavy and he was trembling

" Bring me the prophesy" Voldemort ordered

" Over my dead body" Sirius said

" That will be arranged, but you will fetch the prophesy for me first, Black... you think you've felt pain now? Think again... We have hours ahead of us and nobody will year you scream" Voldemort said and cast crucio again and Sirius screamed

Sirius wasn't the only one who screamed, both Harry and Brenda screamed and fell out of their chairs and when they got back up everybody was looking at them

" Uh... migraine, need to see Pomfrey" Brenda improvised

Binns nodded and the two Potters left the class room and rushed towards the Hospital Wing startling Pomfrey

" What on earth?" Pomfrey asked

" We need to see McGonagall, it's urgent" Brenda said quickly

" McGonagall isn't here, she is at St. Mungos, she says she's fine but she's not, it's a good thing you lot helped her here" Pomfrey said

" She's gone" Harry asked shocked

Pomfrey nodded

" Now who do we tell?" Harry thought

" Dad" Brenda said

Harry nodded and they headed down towards the dungeons at a very fast pace

They first checked the classroom but he wasn't in and then Brenda checked the apartment but he wasn't in there either

" Grandfather Severus, Where's dad at?" Brenda asked

" Meeting" Grandfather Severus said

Brenda gasped and ran out to Harry

" Is he in there?" Harry asked

" No, he's at a Death Eater meeting" Brenda said scared

" Now there's nobody" Harry said

They went back up to the main floor and ran into Ron and Hermione

" What was that all about" Ron asked

" Shh, not here" Brenda whispered

They went into a deserted classroom

" Voldemort has Sirius" Harry and Brenda said

" What?" Hermione asked

" How do you?" Ron asked

" Saw it during class" Brenda said, " Nobody from the Order is here, we're all alone"

" How?" Hermione asked

" We don't know, but we do know where" Harry said

" Where?" Ron asked

" In a room in the department of Mysteries, there are many shelves with little glass balls with smoke inside, number 97" Brenda said

" He's trying to use Sirius to get to it, for some reason he can't touch it" Harry said

" He's torturing him... he's going to kill him" Brenda said close to tears

The four of them sat in silence

" So how are we going to get there?" Harry asked

" G-Get there" Ron stuttered

" Get to the Department of Mysteries to rescue Sirius of course" Harry said loudly, nobody could hear them anyway

" Calm down you two are rushing into things a bit" Hermione said

" What are you talking about?" Brenda asked, " Voldemort has Sirius in the Department of Mystries, he's torturing him and we need to save him"

" Are you positive?" Hermione asked

" YES" Brenda yelled

" How did Voldemort get in the Department of Mysteries with Sirius?" Hermione asked, " They're the most wanted right now"

" We don't know, he just did, maybe it was with an invisibility cloak or something" Harry said, " But we must save him"

" You both have a saving people thing don't you?" Hermione asked

" What are you talking about?" Brenda asked

" You saved Ginny during second year, you saved Sirius during third year, you saved Fleur's sister last year, Brenda you saved Harry this year and you both saved your cousin this year, and now you want to save Sirius when he might not even need saving" Hermione said

" What do you mean might not need saving?" Brenda asked

" It's just very unlikely that Sirius was caught by Voldemort, he's in Grimmuald Place and the secret keeper is Dumbledore and he's not going to talk" Hermione said

" Well maybe Sirius was getting cabin fever and needed to get out, you know like when he came with us when we got on the train at the beginning of the school year" Ron said

" Look, before we go rush to save Sirius, lets make sure he actually needs saving" Hermione said

Harry was about to say something but was interrupted by the door opening and Luna, Ginny and Neville came in

" Hey you all, what's going on" Ginny asked

" How did you know we were in here?" Harry asked

" We saw you and followed" Neville explained

" So what are you four planning?" Ginny asked

" Nothing of your concern" Brenda said

" Uh-hu... Hermione?" Ginny asked

" Can you help us cause a distraction?" Hermione asked

" Sure" Ginny said with a grin, " Why?"

" Because we need to get into Umbridge's office" Hermione said, " It's the only fireplace that's not watched by the Ministry" Hermione turned to the Potters, "You want to see if he's there or not, that's how we're going to do it"

" Ok but we have to do it now or we're going straight to the Department of Mysteries" Harry said

" The Department of Mysteries?" Luna asked, " How are you going to get there?"

Everybody ignored her and figured out a plan, Ron and Neville were going to distract Umbridge, Luna and Ginny were going to be look outs

Harry and Brenda ran to Gryffindor Tower to get their invisibility cloaks and then they plan started

Ron and Neville actually went looking for Peeves and told him to mess up the Transfiguration class room that was the farthest away from Umbridge's office and then told her about it, the three left and Luna and Ginny were look outs while Harry, Hermione and Brenda quickly but quietly went up to Umbridge's office door and unlocked it

" Ok we have five minutes at the most" Hermione said

Harry took the floo powder and said Grimmuald Place

Both Harry and Brenda were inside the fireplace and only saw Kreacher

" Kreacher, Is Sirius here" Brenda asked

Kreacher glared at the Potters, " No"

" Where's he gone?" Harry asked

" Master has gone out... and will not be returning" Kreacher said with a smirk

" Where's he gone?" Brenda asked

Kreacher didn't say anything

" What about Lupin, or Mad-Eye, is anybody there?" Brenda asked

" Nobody is here but old Kreacher" The elf said with a smile, " Old Kreacher and his mistress, just like how it should be"

Kreacher left

" KREACHER GET BACK HERE " Harry and Brenda yelled

All of a sudden somebody was pulling at their hair and the next thing they knew they were facing the pink toad AKA Umbridge

" Did you actually think I would leave my office without spelling sensors around the room?" Umbridge asked, " Take their wands"

Everybody's wands were in their pockets because they didn't have their robes on

" Now then, why are you in my office?" Umbridge asked

" We were... trying to get our firebolts" Harry said

" Liar, your firebolts are up there" Umbridge said pointing, " Your heads were in the fire, who were you communicating with?"

" No one" Brenda said

" Liar" Umbridge said pulling their hair again and throwing them into the desk

Hermione was being pinned by Millicent Bulstrode, Malfoy had their wands and he was dangling them in a teasing way

A minute later there was commotion coming from outside and the rest of the Inquizitorial Squad entered and with them to Harry and Brenda's horror was Ginny, Luna, Ron and Neville

" Got them all" A Slytherin said

" Good, soon it will be a Weasley free Hogwarts" Umbridge said smiling then sat down, " So Potters, you two stationed look outs all around my office and you sent a Weasley and Longbottom to tell me that the poltergeist was making a mess in the transfiguration room when he was actually annoying Filch, but there was a mess in that room, now who made that?"

" Peeves" Ron said

Umbridge gave Ron a look, " Clearly it was very important for you two to talk to somebody, who was it? Dumbledore, your friend Hagrid perhaps?"

" It's none of your business who we talk to" Brenda seethed

" Very well" Umbridge said in a sweet voice, " We'll just have to force you to tell the truth, Draco... fetch Professor Snape"

Draco smiled and nodded

" Ha, he's at a meeting, he's not there" Brenda thought

The room was silent all except for the other captives who were trying to hurt the Inquizitorial Squad

Finally footsteps could be heard and it was Malfoy and Snape coming up to the office

" You wanted to see me Headmistress?" Snape asked looking around the room

Brenda was shocked, he wasn't supposed to be here, but she was also relieved an Order member was here and she was itching to smile but knew she shouldn't

" Yes professor Snape, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can please" Umbridge said sweetly

" I'm afraid you took my last bottle to interrogate the Potters" Snape said coolly, " Surely you didn't use it all, I told you that you only need three drops and it would be sufficient"

Umbridge looked pale, " You can make more can't you? she said sweetly

" Of course, it takes a full moon cycle to mature, so I should have it ready for you in... around a month" Snape said

" A MONTH?" Umbridge shrieked, " I need it this evening, Snape, I have just found the Potters using my fire to communicate with a person or persons and they won't tell me who they were talking to"

" Really?" Snape asked looking at the Potters, he looked annoyed, " Well, it doesn't surprise me. They both have a tendency to break the rules"

" Harry let him read your thoughts, quickly" Brenda thought

Brenda looked into her dad's eyes praying that he's using legimancy on her

" I wish to question them" Umbridge announced angrily, " I want you to provide me a potion that will force them to tell me the truth"

" I already told you I have no more vials of Veritaserum" Snape said then looked at Brenda and Harry again

" Please dad read my thoughts read my thoughts" Brenda thought

" YOU ARE ON PROBATION" Shrieked Umbridge

That made Brenda angry but she was trying to keep her cool

Snape looked back at Umbridge and raised an eyebrow

" GET OUT OF MY OFFICE" Umbridge yelled

Snape nodded and was about to leave

" HE'S GOT PADFOOT" Brenda shouted

" HE'S GOT PADFOOT AT THE PLACE WHERE IT'S HIDDEN" Harry added

Snape stopped from opening the door and looked at the Potters blankly

" Padfoot? What is Padfoot?" Umbridge asked, " Where is what hidden? What are they talking about Snape?"

Snape looked from Brenda, to Harry to Umbridge and back to Brenda and glared, " I have no idea what they're talking about" then he left

" OH MY GOSH" Brenda thought, " OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH"

Umbridge was very angry and she stood up with her wand in her hand, " Very well, I am left with no alternative... this is more than a matter of school discipline... This is an issue of Ministry security"

" She talking to us or to herself?" Brenda thought

" I don't know" Harry thought

" You two are forcing me to do this... I do not want to" Umbridge said, " But sometimes we have no choice in the matter... I'm sure the minister will understand"

Both Harry and Brenda were confused

" The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongues" Umbridge said quietly

" NO" Hermione yelled

Brenda was about to get her wand out

" Professor Umbridge... it's illegal" Hermione yelled

Umbridge ignored her, she looked very eager

" The Minister wouldn't want you to break the law Professor Umbridge" Hermione cried

" What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him" Umbridge said, " He never knew I ordered dementors after Potter last summer, it was by luck that his sister ended up there as well, Cornelius was delighted to be given the chance to expel him, all the same"

" You" Brenda spat and glared at Umbridge getting ready to draw her wand

" You sent the dementors after me?" Harry gasped

" I wanted to send them after her too but nobody knows where the Williamsons live" Umbridge said, " Somebody had to act, they were talking about discrediting you two but nobody did anything, all except me, I knew this would work especially since you were charged with underaged apparation along with magic" Umbridge looked at Brenda, " But you two wiggled out of it"

Umbridge looked down at her wand, " But not today... no not today" Umbridge lifted up her wand and pointed it at both of them, " I learned of a new spell that how you say? Kill two birds with one stone?" Umbridge smiled sweetly, " Cru"

Before Brenda accioed her wand to her Hermione interrupted

" NO... WE HAVE TO TELL HER" Hermione yelled

" NO" Harry yelled

" We have to, she'll force it out of you two anyway, what's the point of being tortured?" Hermione asked

" Well, well, well, little miss smarty pants, going to give us some answers?" Umbridge asked

Hermione pretended to cry but there were no tears

" She's faking" Brenda thought, " She's got a plan"

" I'm sorry everybody but I... I... I have to tell her" Hermione said

" Go on Ms. Granger, tell me" Umbridge said

" Th-th-they were trying to speak to Dumbledore" Hermione said

The Gryffindors and Luna were shocked

" You know where he is then?" Umbridge asked eagerly

" No... we've been trying to find him in the spots he usually is at, we ha- had to te-tell him something imp- important" Hermione sobbed

" What was important?" Umbridge asked

" Th- That it's ready" Hermione said

" What's ready?" Umbridge asked

" The... Weapon" Hermione wailed

" There's a weapon to use against the Ministry, on Professor Dumbledore's orders?" Umbridge asked

Hermione nodded, " But he had to leave be-be-before it was finished, but we had to fin-finish it for him but now we can't find him" Hermione cried

" Where's this weapon at?" Umbridge asked

" I'm not showing them" Hermione said indicating the Inquizitorial squad

Umbridge thought a minute and weighed her options, " All right, you keep a hold on them, you three lead me to the weapon"

" Professor are you sure you don't want some of us to go with you? You know for protection?" Malfoy asked

" Malfoy I am a grown witch, I have my wand, you have their wands, they can't do anything to me but I can do stuff to them if they lead me in the wrong direction" Umbridge said, " Now you three show me the way"

Harry, Hermione and Brenda led the way into the forbidden forest

" How far into the Forbidden Forest are we going?" Umbridge asked

" It's very well hidden" Hermione said

" And it's going to be dark... so since we're going first can we have your wand for some light?" Brenda asked

" No, I'm afraid the Ministry places a higher value on my life than yours Potter" Umbridge said

Brenda rolled her eyes but didn't say anything else

It got so dark in the Forbidden Forest that Umbridge did say Lumos and there was a little light

They walked on some more

" Are we there yet?" Umbridge asked

" We're close" Brenda said with a smile, she knew where they were going and so did Harry

They walked a little further until they got to the spot where Gwarp should have been but his rope was cut

" Well? Where is this weapon?" Umbridge asked and nobody said anything, " There isn't one is there? You were trying to trick me... you know? I really hate children"

All of a sudden the four of them could hear hooves and Umbridge turned around from where she was standing and to her horror saw centaurs, about fifty of them. Umbridge started backing up and stepped behind the wandless students

" Ok she was either a Hufflepuff or a Slytherin" Brenda thought

Harry agreed

" Y-y- You have no business being here Centaur, this is a ministry matter" Umbridge said bravely

The Centaurs took out their bows and arrows and aimed them at the four

" Lower your weapons" Umbridge demanded, " I warn you out of the law of creatures of near human intelligence "

The lead Centaur fired his arrow and Harry just got out of the way just in time

" How dare you you filthy half breed" Umbridge shrieked then lifted her wand and said a spell that made rope come out of her wand and shoot it at the Centaur's neck and it went down

The three Gryffindors went to the down Centaur and tried getting the rope off but it wasn't coming off

" Stop it, please stop it" Hermione begged

Umbridge didn't listen, " Enough, I will have order"

" I'll show you order you pink toad" Brenda spat

Brenda took out her wand that she hid in her pant leg but before she or Umbridge could say a spell or hex, Gwarp came to the rescue and picked up Umbridge

The Centaurs went after Umbridge who was being carried by Gwarp and they shot their arrows at her, it didn't really do much to Gwarp, it just scared him

" FILTHY ANIMALS, DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM" Umbridge yelled

The Centaurs started going after the giant who wouldn't put Umbridge down

" Leave him alone, it's not his fault" Hermione yelled at the Centaurs

" No you don't understand" Brenda said

Gwarp got scared and figured out all they wanted was the pink toad so he dropped her and the Centaurs ganged up on her

" Potters do something, tell them I mean no harm and I'll even drop the pink toad comment" Umbridge begged

" Sorry Professor, but..." Harry and Brenda looked at each other, " I must not tell lies" Harry and Brenda said together seriously

The centaurs took Umbridge away

" WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Umbridge yelled, " I'm Dolores Jane Umbridge... LET ME GOOOOOOOO"

" Thank you Gwar" Hermione said as she saw him take an arrow out of his arm

" Hermione... Hermione we need to save Sirius" Harry said

" Let's hurry... Lumos Maxima" Brenda said and her wand lit very brightly

" How did you get your wand back?" Harry asked as they were running towards the castle

" Malfoy didn't take it, he took one of Fred and George's joke wands, I didn't like the wand holder on my arm so I put it around my ankle" Brenda explained, " I only had that wand in my pocket just for show"

They ran out of the forest and into Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna who all looked like they were in a fight

" How did you get away?" Harry gasped

" Well we got our wands first by me pretending I wanted some candy and the Slytherins ate it, it was actually candy from Fred and George's Skiving Sneak Boxes, we stunned them a few times and disarmed them, Neville here did a perfect Impediment jinx" Ron said

" I got your wands here, but Brenda, Malfoy had one of Fred and George's joke wands, where's your wand?" Ron asked

" I had it the whole time, I put it in my pant leg instead of my pocket, after dad told me that they can easily be stolen from pockets I've been using that as a prop and putting my wand on my ankle" Brenda said

" So what happened to Umbridge?" Ginny asked

" She got carried away by a herd of centaurs" Brenda said with a smile

" And they left you behind?" Ginny asked

" Yes, they were pretty angry at Umbridge calling them half breeds" Harry said

" And that spell she cast didn't make matters any better" Hermione said

" And it felt good calling her a pink toad to her face" Brenda put in

" You said that to her face?" Ron asked shocked

" Of course, hey we were about to be tortured by the cruciatus, of course I called her that to her face" Brenda said

" And it was so cool how we gave her a piece of her own medicine by saying that we must not tell lies" Harry put in

" Cool, ok enough of that, what did you find out in the fire?" Ron asked

" You know who have Sirius or" Ron was cut off

" Yes he does and we're sure he's still alive, but how are we supposed to get to the Department of Mysteries to help him?" Harry asked

" Well we'll have to fly won't we?" Luna asked

" We?" Brenda asked

" Yes we" Luna said

" No, only Harry and I" Brenda said

" No, you're not doing this alone, no way" Hermione said stubbornly

" We have too" Brenda said

" No, we were in the DA together, or weren't you serious when you said lets get down to business to defeat you know who?" Neville asked, " You made up that song and everything, this is the first chance we've had to actually do something real... or was that all just a game or something?"

" Of course it wasn't a game" Harry said

" Then we're coming too, we want to hel" Neville said determined

" That's right" Luna said happily

" We still don't know how to get there" Brenda said

" I thought we're flying" Luna said

" We don't have enough brooms" Ron said

" Who said anything about brooms?" Luna asked

" Well maybe you can sprout wings but nobody else can" Ron said

" There are other ways to fly without brooms or enchanted cars" Luna said

" How?" Ron asked

" By riding them" Luna said pointing behind Harry and Brenda

Behind them were thestrals but only a few of the teens could see them

" What? Are they those horse things?" Ron asked

" Yes" Harry said happily

" How many are there?" Ron asked

" Only two, Brenda and I" Harry said

" I believe there are six of us" Luna said with a glare

" Fine but only if we find four more" Brenda said

" More will come, they like to travel in packs" Luna said

And she was right, more did come, more than enough actually

" Pick one and get on, hurry" Harry said

Harry, Brenda, Luna and Neville had to help the other three get on, Neville saw his grandfather die that is how he can see them. Once everybody was on; the Thestrals took off and the students were on their way to the Department of Mysteries

The Gryffindors and Luna dismounted the thestrals when they were at the phone box/lift Harry and Brenda were in with Mr. Weasley during their hearing

" We're going to be squished" Brenda pointed out

Harry rolled his eyes, " Ok whoever is the closest to the receiver when we get in the elevator dial 6-2-4-4-2"

" We have to go in there? There isn't enough room" Ron complained

" Well then go back to Hogwarts, this is the only way in" Harry said

Ron sighed, " I'm going in"

Everybody else nodded to

After everybody was squished in the elevator Ron dialed the number since he was the closest and the elevator went down. When it opened up again everybody fell out because they were so squished

" Ow" Ginny said

" Is everybody ok?" Harry asked

Everybody grumbled yes

Harry and Brenda looked around and it was odd, they were sure that somebody would be their, a guard... the guy who weighs the wands, anybody but it was totally empty

" Lets go" Harry said

The Potters led the others down the corridor and to the door they saw in their vision

" Ok, you all have time to turn back" Brenda said

" We're not turning back, we're in this together" Hermione said stubbornly

Harry and Brenda sighed and opened the door

They ended up in a circular room that was all black and when Neville shut the door the doors rotated and the torches lit up

" Ok that's weird" Brenda said a little worried

Hermione was so frightened that she grabbed Harry's arm

" Ok why did that happen?" Ron asked scared

" Um... I think it was to stop us from knowing what door we came from" Ginny whispered

" Anybody actually follow the door we came in when they were being shuffled around?" Brenda asked

Everybody shook their heads no

" How are we going to get back out?" Neville asked

" We'll figure that out later, right now we need to save Sirius" Harry said

" Which door?" Ron asked

Brenda looked at Harry with a questioning look but he looked as confused as her

" Um... lets try a few doors, we would know which door to go into when we see it" Brenda said

They all tried a few doors that weren't the right ones, each time they closed the door the doors started spinning again

" This is making me dizzy" Ginny said

" Well then close your eyes when the doors switch" Brenda answered

" Everybody keep the doors open when we look through them" Harry said

Everybody nodded and did just that, the room didn't change the doors on them that time but then they shut themselves and the room changed the doors again

" This is getting us nowhere" Ron complained opening up another door

" Wait I have an idea" Hermione said and took out her wand, " FLAGRATE"

A fiery X appeared on the door

" Now you can close the door" Hermione said

Ron closed the door and the room changed the doors again but the X stayed where it was

" Now we know which doors we already looked at" Hermione explained

" Good thinking" Harry said, " Now lets try this one"

They went through another door and this one looked promising

" Lets go through here, I think we're going the right way" Brenda said

Everybody went through the door and Hermione put another X on the door

" Now why did you do that?" Ron asked

" So we know what door to go out of when we get back" Hermione explained

There was nothing in this room, only a veil of some sort

" Pretty" Luna said

" Somebody's in there, hello can you hear me?" Brenda asked

" Nobody's there" Hermione said

" Can't you hear the voices?" Harry asked

" What voices?" Ron asked

" I can hear it too" Luna said

" Yah so can I" Neville said

" Must be another seeing death thing" Ginny said

" There are people in there" Harry said

" In there?" Ron asked

" What do you mean in there?" Hermione asked

" There are people in the veil" Brenda said

" There is nobody in the veil, come on we need to find Sirius and get out of here" Hermione said

That got the Potters out of their stupor and the group headed towards the door the Potters saw in their vision

" This is it" Brenda said

Hermione took out her wand and unlocked the door and they walked through the room. Inside were glass glass balls that were sparkling

" Ok we need to find number 97" Brenda reminded her brother

Harry nodded, "Keep your wands out"

The group walked around the shelves looking for 97

" 97" Harry said, "... He should be here"

Brenda and Harry ran to the spot that Sirius was supposed to be at

" What if we were wrong?" Brenda whispered

Harry looked at Brenda and was about to say something

" Harry, Brenda over here" Hermione said

Harry and Brenda went over to Hermione and the rest of the group

" Look at this" Ron said

" It has your names on it" Neville said

" It does?" Harry asked

Neville was right it said Dark Lord and Harry and Brenda Potter

Harry and Brenda looked at each other then picked up the sparkling glass ball together

Once they picked it up a Death Eater appeared and started walking towards them

Harry took the glass ball from Brenda, he figured he'd have a better handle on it

" Where's Sirius" Harry and Brenda asked

" You know, you two better start telling the difference between dreams... and reality" Lucius Malfoy said taking off his mask

Everybody took a step back

" You two saw only what the Dark Lord wanted you to see" Lucius said, " Now hand me the Prophecy"

" You do anything to us we'll break it" Harry and Brenda threatened

All of a sudden there was a high pitched laugh, " They know how to play" A voice said and she came out of the shadows and it was Bellatrix Lestrange, " Itty bitty baby Potters"

Neville gasped, " Bellatrix Lestrange"

" Neville Longbottom is it?" Bellatrix asked, " How are your parents doing?" She grinned

" Better now that they're about to be avenged" Neville spat and rose his wand to say a spell and only didn't because the rest of the teens stopped him

" Let's calm down shall we?" Lucius asked softly, " All we want is that prophecy"

" Why does Voldemort need us to come and get this" Brenda and Harry asked

" They said you know who's name" Luna gasped

" They do that a lot" Ron whispered back

" YOU FILTHY HALF BLOODS" Bellatrix yelled, " HOW DARE YOU SAY HIS NAME"

Brenda smirked, " Didn't you know that Voldemort is half blooded also?"

Bellatrix started going towards Brenda to rip her to shreds but Lucius stopped her

" Curious Potters aren't you? But don't you know that curiosity killed the cat?" Lucius asked

" You do realize that's a muggle term right?" Brenda asked with a smirk

Lucius glared, " Prophecies can only be retrieved by the ones they are made for, which is lucky for you really... haven't you always wondered what was the connection between you two and the Dark Lord? He asked

All of a sudden the teens were surrounded on all sides by Death Eaters

" Why he actually took the time to try to kill you while you were babies" Lucius asked, " Don't you want to know the secret to your scars?"

" All the answers are there in your hand Potter" Lucius said

Lucius started walking towards the Potters

" All you have to do is give me that prophecy" Lucius said, " I can show you two... everything"

" Careful Harry, He's Slytherin and a follower of Voldemort, this is starting to sound like what happened during our first year" Brenda thought

Harry looked at Brenda who looked back and they both slightly nodded

" We waited fourteen years" Harry said

" I know" Lucius said thinking he was winning

" We guess we can wait a little longer" Brenda said, " NOW"

The teens all yelled Stupify at the Death Eaters and split up into twos and threes, Harry and Brenda, Hermione and Ron, Neville Ginny and Luna

The Death Eaters black smoked in front of the teens trying to hex them but the teens all got the better of them, Neville petrified a death eater and was very stunned that he could and happy, Ginny shot a REDUCTO at a death eater, Luna shot a Levicorpus at a Death eater. When the teens all met up with one another and started running in the same direction Hermione started making the rest of the glass balls fall to mess up the death eaters coming after them, when the death eaters black smoked along side Harry, Harry cast Stupify and Brenda shot Stupify Duplico at another two Death eaters close to them

" Now that is handy" Brenda thought to herself

Ginny shot a REDUCTO at another death eater which got another death eater and made more of the glass balls fall, Luna was awed by the sight

" GET BACK TO THE DOOR" Harry and Brenda yelled over the noise

Everybody started running towards the door and Neville had to pull Luna along who was still awed, she got out of her awed state a moment later and they all started running their fastest. They made it through the door with the veil and everybody caught their breath

All of a sudden the Death eaters apperated in the room the teens were in and grabbed the Potter's friends, Brenda grabbed Harry and they both got down, both holding onto the prophecy while the Death Eaters were apperating into the room. When they got up the Potters were facing Lucius again

" Give me the prophecy or see your friends die" Lucius said

Harry and Brenda looked around and their friends were being held hostage by the death eaters and their wands were on them

" Like earlier today but worse" Brenda thought

" DON'T GIVE IT TO HIM" Neville yelled

" We have to" Brenda thought

Harry agreed, " We can't risk our friends' lives"

Together Harry and Brenda put the prophecy in Lucius' hands and looked defeated while Lucius looked triumphant

All of a sudden somebody apperated behind Lucius and Harry and Brenda smiled with relief

Lucius looked at the Potters then turned around and faced an angry Sirius Black

" Get away from my Godchildren" Sirius said and then punched Lucius in the face which made him drop the prophecy

There was more apperating and they chased the death eaters that held the other teens hostage and then appeared

Tonks was there along with Moody, Lupin, and Kingsley

The death eaters came back and the battle started, Harry and Brenda stayed with Sirius, the trio was almost hit but they hid behind a big rock

" Listen to me you two, you get the others and get out of here, leave the battle to the order" Sirius said seriously, sorry about the pun

" What? no, we're staying with you" Harry and Brenda protested

" No... you two have done beautifully" Sirius said, " Let me take it from here"

Before more could be said Lucius, Bellatrix, and the guy who was going to be Buckbeaks executioner in third year shot spells at the trio, the trio started shooting spells back at the other trio. If there was an audience it would be a very bright and colorful scene but since there was no audience since everybody was either fighting or dodging it didn't matter

Sirius got Bellatrix down with a stunner and Harry got Lucius' wand away, Brenda got the other guy with an Impedimenta

" Nice one James and Lily" Sirius said battling Lucius

Harry and Brenda were confused but before they could correct Sirius the worst two words were heard and it hit Sirius

AVADA KADAVERA" Bellatrix spelled at Sirius

The green spell hit Sirius. At first the smile was still on Sirius face but then the shock hit him for a second and the last thing he saw was the shocked look on his godchildrens' faces before he died and fell into the veil

" NOOOOOOO" Brenda yelled

" SIRIUS, SIRIUS" Harry yelled

The Potters were about to go inside the veil to get Sirius out of there but Lupin ran up to them right before they were going to enter the veil and pulled them back

" LET US GO LET US GO" Harry and Brenda yelled

" No, there's nothing we can do... he's dead, he's dead" Lupin cried, he had tears running down his eyes

" NO" Harry and Brenda screamed

" It's too late" Lupin cried

" No we can get him out of there and give him a proper funeral" Brenda cried

" No we can't... he's gone" Lupin said with tears in his eyes

Harry and Brenda let Lupin's words sink in, their godfather was gone, another part of their family was gone

" WE'RE GOING TO KILL BELLATRIX LESTRANGE" Harry and Brenda yelled with furry

" NO" Lupin yelled still holding on to them, " It's too dangerous, she's too dangerous"

" SHE TORTURED NEVILLE'S PARENTS AND JUST KILLED OUR GODFATHER, NOW WE'RE GOING TO TORTURE AND KILL HER" Brenda screamed with furry

The Potters saw Bellatrix trying to escape out of the room and they yanked themselves free from Lupin's grasp

" BRENDA HARRY STO" People were shouting but the Potters didn't listen to them, only one thing was on their minds and that was stopping Bellatrix Lestrange

Bellatrix knew the Potters were chasing her and she shot some hexes at the Potters but they were easily dodged

Finally Bellatrix got tired of running away from the Potters and decided it was more fun taunting the little brats

" Awe did the wittle baby Potters Wuv their Dog father?" Bellatrix cued

" What do you think two cruciatus curses would do?" Brenda thought

" Double curses double pain" Harry thought back

Brenda and Harry both rasied their wands and pointed them at Bellatrix and yelled, " CRUCIO"

Bellatrix pretended to writhe in pain but then she stopped and glared with a smirk, " You have to mean it for it to actually work, you have to want to cause pain" Bellatrix stopped glaring and just smiled, " Shall I demonstrate for you?"

Bellatrix pointed her wand at the Potters and yelled, " CRUCIO DUPLICO"

The Potters just dodged it and shot their own spells, " STUPIFY"

Bellatrix protected herself with Protego and they had to dodge their own attacks. All of a sudden the Potters' scars began to burn

" It is my turn to duel the famous twin Potters" Voldemort said coming into the room

Bellatrix smiled evilly

The Potters faced Voldemort ready to hex him, but using wandless magic Voldemort made the Potters drop their wands

" You two are so weak" Voldemort said with a smirk, " It's almost not worth my time killing you, but since you two have been thorns in my side all your life, I think I will... AVADA KADAVERA DUPLICO"

The green lights would have hit the Potters but they dodged it by a gold statue that was hexed to take the blow for the Potters. The twins gasped and looked around the room to see who saved them, to their relief it was Dumbledore

Seeing Dumbledore Bellatrix apparated out of the Department of Mysteries

" I think we should hide somewhere, this might get bad" Brenda whispered

Harry agreed

Silent but quickly Harry and Brenda ran for cover and only then did Brenda accio their wands

" It was foolish for you to come here tonight Tom" Dumbledore said, " The aurors are on their way"

" And at that time I will be gone and you three will be dead" Voldemort spat, " AVADA KADAVERA"

The spell was aimed at Dumbledore but Dumbledore dodged it by apperating, instead the spell hit a desk that burst into flame

Dumbledore popped back into the spot he left and drew out his own wand and flicking it without saying a spell of any sort

Voldemort blocked the spell and sent one of his own that Dumbledore blocked also

" You do not wish to kill me?" Voldemort asked

" There are worse things then death Tom" Dumbledore said

" There is nothing worse than death" Voldemort said trying the killing curse again to prove his point

Dumbledore dodged that and sent a rope of fire at Voldemort but when it came near Voldemort; he transfigured it into a giant flaming snake that was heading towards Dumbledore at a fast pace

Dumbledore conjured a bunch of water to sizzle the flaming snake and it also trapped Voldemort within the water, Dumbledore held on to the water conjure as long as he dared and then let it go

When Voldemort got up he cast a spell that made all of the glass in the room shatter and head straight towards Dumbledore and the twins, Voldemort knew they wouldn't be safe from it

" OH NO" Brenda screamed

Dumbledore heard Brenda but didn't look her way, instead Dumbledore sent a shield that turned the glass all into water because that is what glass is made out of anyway and all that happened was that the three of them got a little wet

" I'm getting nowhere" Voldemort thought and apperated away

Harry and Brenda got out of their hiding places

" Professor" Harry started but didn't finish because he gasped

" Harry... Harry what's wrong?" Brenda asked worried

Harry looked at Brenda and to Brenda's horror that wasn't Harry

" NO, GET OUT OF MY BROTHER'S HEAD YOU BASTARD" Brenda yelled

The possessed Harry smirked and turned to Dumbledore, " Kill me now Dumbledore, if death is nothing then kill the boy"

Dumbledore looked very confused, he didn't know what to do

" You've lost old man" The Possessed Harry said

Harry was struggling

Brenda read Harry's thoughts and to her horror all of his bad memories were being laid out in front of him

" So weak" Voldemort said, " So vulnerable"

" Dumbledore how do we stop him?" Brenda asked panicked

" It isn't how you two are like him, it's how you two are different from him" Dumbledore said

Brenda thought for a moment and understood, " Hold on Harry"

Brenda let her shields down some and went inside Harry's mind, she also became possessed by Voldemort and gasped as he took over and began revealing the bad memories

" Ooh now I have both of you" Voldemort said triumphantly

Brenda found Harry in his mind

" Brenda you shouldn't have done that" Harry said

Brenda didn't say anything, she just grabbed her brothers hand

" We can beat him, we need to think of all of our happy memories, all of our loved ones, our friends, family, all the times we laughed, come on Harry we can do it, together" Brenda said

Harry nodded and they both thought of all of their happy memories; the first time they met, seeing their parents for the first time with the mirror of erised, winning the Quidditch match against Slytherin, winning the house cup, laughing with their friends, meeting Sirius and loving him like a second father. For Brenda having the love of a father but she made sure she didn't think of Snape's face but of Mr. Williamson's face like where the wizarding world thinks she lives

" You're the weak one, you know no love, or friendship, or family, we have all of that, we are not weak, you are" Harry and Brenda said

All of the bad memories that they were forced to think about started to vanish and were replaced by the happy ones and Voldemort was unpossessing the Potters, it was quite painful for the Potters and it left them gasping for air after they were in full control again

Voldemort reapeared and stood over the gasping Potters, " You are fools Potters, and you will lose everything"

All of a sudden there were more pops from aurors apparating into the room including Minister Fudge and everybody saw the Death Eaters and Voldemort

Without a moments hesitation Voldemort apperated out of the Department of Mysteries along with the death eaters

The members of the Order and the teens looked at Fudge

" He's back" Fudge said amazed

" Finally" Brenda sighed with relief

" Merlin's beard, it doesn't seem possible, how- how can this be?" Fudge asked and then saw Dumbledore, " You"

" Cornelius, I am willing to fight your men and win again, you have proof that he has returned, you just saw him with your very eyes and I have been telling you the truth for a year, It's now time you listen to some sense" Dumbledore said

" Fine then, then tell me everything you know Dumbledore" Fudge demanded

" I will, once I get the students back to school" Dumbledore said

Fudge just noticed Harry and Brenda and his eyes were wide and then he turned around and saw five other students

" What are students doing here when Voldemort was here Dumbledore?" Fudge asked accusingly

" I shall explain everything, once they get back to school" Dumbledore replied, " Now will you lot come here please? I will portkey you all back to my office"

The rest of the students went up to Dumbledore and the Potters and waited until Dumbledore picked up a piece of metal that broke off during the battle and turned it into a portkey, " Portus"

" Now everybody has used a portkey before correct?" Dumbledore asked

Everybody nodded

" Now see here Dumbledore, you don't have the authorization to use that portkey, especially in front of the Minister of magic" Fudge said

Dumbledore glared at Fudge, " You will remove Delores Umbridge from Hogwarts, she is not suitable to be a teacher there, no one is aloud to use the cruciatus curse, or use blood quills, or Veritisirum on students, if you don't believe me I have witnesses, secondly you will tell your aurors to stop looking for my Care of Magical Creatures teacher so he can return back to work, now then I have to see my students off"

Dumbledore handed the portkey to Hermione and everybody touched it and the next thing they knew they were all standing in Dumbledore's office

The teens looked around, a couple of them have never been in Dumbledore's office and the others haven't been in here since Dumbledore left, everything looked the same, there were sleeping portraits all around them, Fawkes' perch was in it's usuall spot, the tin of lemon drops was still on Dumbledore's desk, it was like Dumbledore never left

Nobody was speaking and the Potters were glad because they were the ones who put their friends in danger and were the ones who put themselves in danger to save Sirius when he didn't even need saving and he died because of them. It was silent until the portraits began to stirr and wake up but they didn't say anything because they felt that something was wrong. Nobody said anything until Dumbledore flooed into the office from the fireplace and looked at the students

" Harry, Brenda, we have much to discuss, Ms. Granger, Ms. Lovegood, Ms. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Longbottom if you would head up to the Hospital Wing so Madame Pomfrey could take a look at you it would be very wise" Dumbledore said

" Yes sir" The students said and listened to their headmaster

Harry and Brenda watched their friends head out the door before they turned back to the headmaster who conjured up two chairs

" Sit" Dumbledore said firmly but not harshly

The Potters sat not looking at the headmaster but at the floor

Dumbledore took his seat at his desk and began, " I know how you two are feeling"

" No you don't" Harry said angry

" There is no shame in what you two are feeling, the fact that you can feel pain is one of your many great strengths" Dumbledore said

" Yah another great strength we possess, idioticy" Brenda snapped, " If it wasn't for us then Sirius would still be alive"

" That wasn't your fault... it was mine" Dumbledore said

Harry and Brenda glared at Dumbledore

" If I had been open with you two like I should have been, then this probably wouldn't have happened because you would have known a long time ago that Voldemort would try to lure you two to the Department of Mysteries and you wouldn't have been tricked into going with your friends to try to save Sirius who didn't even need saving and Sirius wouldn't have come after you to save you. I am the only one to blame" Dumbledore explained, " I owe you two an explanation, of an old man's mistakes"

Harry and Brenda sat there still glaring but now they were curious

" About fourteen years ago when I saw the scars on your foreheads I guessed it might be a sign of a connection forged between you two and Voldemort... this ability you two share to detect Voldemort's presence even when he is disguised and to know what he is feeling has been heightened since his return" Dumbledore said

Harry and Brenda nodded

" I became concerned that Voldemort would find out about the connection and unfortunately he did the night you saw Arthur Weasley being attacked, he felt your presence" Dumbledore said

" Yah, dad told us about that" Brenda said

" That's true he did, but did you not wonder why I asked him to tell you instead of myself telling you? Why I did not teach you Occlumency, why I have been avoiding you two for months?" Dumbledore asked

" Yah we wondered" Harry said

Dumbledore sighed, " I believed it wouldn't be long before Voldemort tried to force his way into your minds to manipulate your thoughts and I was not eager to give him any thoughts about possessing you two"

" Why would he even think about it? What does that have to do with you not looking at us?" Brenda asked

" If he knew that we had a closer relationship besides Headmaster and students I was afraid that he would try to possess you two and make you do his bidding" Dumbledore said

" So did he find out about our closer relationship tonight? Is that why he possessed us?" Harry asked

" No, that was supposed to end you two by possessing you two, he figured that I would sacrifice you both to end him, even if he only possessed one of you he would have still won, or so he thought because he knows that you two do everything together and he thought that one would be weak without the other" Dumbledore explained

Harry and Brenda gasped

" Is that true? Will we be weak if we didn't have each other?" Brenda asked

" No, you both are very strong, together or apart, it's just the sibling love you share that makes you want to do things together no matter how dangerous it is, I think Brenda that is why you put your shields down to have Voldemort possess you too, that and you knew that two heads are better than one... or in this case two minds put together is better than one" Dumbledore said with a smile

" So is that why you had us learn Occlumency, because you were afraid that Voldemort would possess us?" Brenda asked

" Yes" Dumbledore said

" But I didn't" Harry blurted, " I couldn't master Occlumency and because I couldn't Voldemort planted that vision in my head and I am the reason Sirius is dead"

" You're not the only one" Brenda said, " I didn't know I had to shield my mind all the time, I didn't know we could get visions when we're awake, I've only been using Occlumency at night"

" We tried looking for Sirius, we went in Umbridge's office and floo called him but only Kreacher was there and said that Sirius wasn't there" Harry said

" Kreacher lied to you" Dumbledore said, " He can lie to anybody except for his master or he would punish himself, Kreacher wanted you to go to the Ministry of Magic"

Brenda stood up abruptly and yelled, " HE SENT US THERE ON PURPOSE?"

" Oh yes, he has been serving more than one master for months" Dumbledore said gloomy

" How? He hasn't been out of Grimmuald Place for years" Harry said

" Kreacher bended the rules, during Christmas Sirius yelled get out and interpreted it as getting out of the house" Dumbledore explained

" So where did he go?" Brenda asked

" To Bellatrix Lestrange" Dumbledore answered

" How do you know all of this?" Harry asked

" He told me by use of Veritaserum" Dumbledore said

" How did you know that he needed to tell the truth?" Brenda asked

" By the message you gave Professor Snape... last night" Dumbledore said looking out side, it was morning, " When you said that He's got Padfoot in the place where it's hidden, Professor Snape knew that you two had a vision and contacted Sirius at once" Dumbledore explained

The twins had confused looks on their faces

" The order of other means of contacting besides the floo" Dumbledore explained, " Professor Snape found Sirius safe in Grimmuald Place and he was awaiting your return from the forest with Umbridge, he grew very worried when you two didn't return back to the castle and that you two still believed Voldemort had Sirius so he contacted the other order members at once, the ones who came to your rescue last night were the ones at Grimmuald, Professor Snape insisted Sirius to stay but Sirius didn't listen"

" Why didn't he listen" Brenda said she was still standing

" Because the two most important people in Sirius's life are the two of you, he would do anything to protect you two" Dumbledore said

" Snape should have tried harder" Harry said with a glare, " He's probably glad Sirius is dead, he just glared at us when we told him about Sirius in Umbridge's office"

" Harry you know Professor Snape had no choice but to pretend he didn't know what you were talking about, he used the glare he uses when he's telling students do not do anything dangerous" Dumbledore said

" There different?" Harry asked

Brenda gasped and whispered, " I didn't even realize" and sat back down in her seat

" You know the difference?" Harry asked

" Yes, you have to really know him to tell, but I was so worried about Sirius that... I didn't even pay attention" Brenda was close to tears

" It's still Snape's fault, he stopped giving us Occlumency lessons" Harry said

" I'm aware of that but it's not Professor Snape's fault, so stop blaming him" Dumbledore sighed, " I think it's time for me to tell you what I should have told you two five years ago... the reason why you Harry had to live with the Dursley's and why you Brenda had to live with the Williamsons and then Professor Snape"

This got the twins curious

" When your parents sacrificed their lives to save yours, I already explained to you that a mark was left, love... well that wasn't the only thing that was left, but a lingering protection that flows through your veins, it's your parents' blood, and that's why I delivered you Harry to her one and only living relative" Dumbledore said

" She doesn't love me, she doesn't even give a damn" Harry said

" She still took you in and sealed the protection shield and raised you all these years" Dumbledore said

" Ok, what does this protection shield and blood have anything to do with the Williamsons and Professor Snape?" Brenda asked

" Well Brenda, your mother and Mrs. Williamson were best friends when they were young, they decided to be sisters and did a blood ritual where they cut their palms and mixed each other's blood with the other, so by doing that, Mrs. Williamson shared a blood link with Lily meaning that the protection shield would work with her too"

" Why did Voldemort try to kill us in the first place? What makes us so special from everybody else?" Harry asked

" Voldemort tried to kill you when you were babies because of a prophecy made shortly before your births. He knew about the prophecy but he didn't know what all it said, he thought that with killing you two when you were babies would fulfill the prophecy but he was mistaken and the plan to kill you two backfired and now he is determined to hear the rest of the prohecy, that is the weapon that the order has been talking about that he has been seeking, the knowledge of how to destroy you two" Dumbledore explained

" Well... the prophecy is smashed, Lucius Malfoy accidently dropped it when he was punched by Sirius" Brenda smiled at the memory

" That was only a record of the prophecy kept in the Department of Mysteries. The Prophecy was made to somebody, and that person has the means of reciting it perfectly" Dumbledore said with a twinkle

" Who heard it" Harry asked but he thought he already knew the answer

" Me" Dumbledore said, " sixteen years ago I was giving an interview for the post of a Divination teacher, the woman who I was interviewing was the great great granddaughter of a famous seer, at first I was disappointed because she didn't show a trace of the gift and I was getting ready to leave but when I stood up she started to speak, and it wasn't her usual voice"

" What was the prophecy?" Harry and Brenda asked standing up

" I think it will be more believable if I showed you" Dumbledore answered going towards a closet and opening it where a pensieve sat

The Potters looked at the pensieve worried

" I give you permission to watch my memory" Dumbledore said as he put the silver memory in the pensive

The Potters headed over to the pensive and plunged into the memory and the next thing they knew they were in Dumbledore's office but so was a younger looking Professor Trelawny

" The ones with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... they are born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark them as his equals, but they will have the power the dark lord knows not... and either side must die at the hand(s) of the other side for neither side can live while the other side survives... the ones with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies"

Harry and Brenda came out of the pensieve

" Professor what in the world did that mean?" Harry asked

" It meant, that the two people who have the only chance at conquering Lord Voldemort for good was born at the end of July, nearly sixteen years ago. They will be born to parents who have already defied Voldemort three times" Dumbledore said

" And it means us?" Brenda asked

" Actually, it may not have meant you at all" Dumbledore said, " It could have applied to two sets of twins, both sets born at the end of July that year, both sets whom had parents in the order of the Phoenix and defied Voldemort three times. One set was you two and the other was Neville Longbottom and"

" Wait, Neville doesn't have a twin" Brenda interrupted

" As a matter of fact Neville is a twin" Dumbledore said, " The Prophecy was made before you four were born, nobody would know if somebody miscarried or not, sadly Neville had a twin sister by the name of Abigail, she died during childbirth, Neville doesn't know about her and I think it's wise if you don't say anything, the prophecy could have been meant for Neville and Abigail with one twin alive or not"

" So it could be Neville and Abigail then, and it might not have anything to do with us" Harry said

" You forgot about the other part of the prophecy" Dumbledore said, " And the Dark Lord shall mark them as his equals"

" Our scars" Brenda said touching hers

Dumbledore nodded

" But what if he chose wrong?" Harry asked

" He chose the two that he thought would be more of a threat to him" Dumbledore explained

" I don't get it, how did he even find out about the prophecy?" Brenda asked

" There was an eavesdropper but he didn't get the whole prophecy, he only heard the part about the twins who were born at the end of July by parents who thrice defied Voldemort" Dumbledore explained

" Ok now about the end of the prophecy, we either have to kill Voldemort or he's going to kill us?" Brenda asked

" Yes" Dumbledore said

Harry and Brenda went back to their seats and sat, this was a lot of information to take in

" Neither side can live while the other survives" Brenda whispered

The three were quiet for a very long time just thinking about their own things

" Ok, I understand you bringing me to the Williamsons, but why Snape?" Brenda asked

" I was wondering when you were going to ask me that" Dumbledore said, " Professor Snape and your father are distant cousins, close enough cousins where the blood line is strong enough to work"

" Eww we're related to Snape" Harry whispered

" Wow that's ironic, you'd think family would get along growing up if they were family" Brenda said

" Sadly they didn't, well we can't dwell on the past" Dumbledore said, " Only look towards the future"

Harry and Brenda were quiet again, they don't like the past and they weren't looking forward to the future

Dumbledore looked at the twin Potters and then at the time, " I think you two should head off to bed, you've had a very trying night

" Not tired" Harry mumbled

" Of course you are, you just don't want to go to slee" Dumbledore said, " Come on, lets go down to the dungeons and ask Professor Snape for a dreamless sleeping draught"

" Their addictive" Brenda said

" Only if you drink them every night" Dumbledore said, " You have permission for today and maybe tomorrow"

Harry and Brenda sighed but listened to Dumbledore, they headed down to the Potions classroom where Severus was pacing. Dumbledore knocked on the door

" Come in" Severus said, he had worry in his voice

The three entered the classroom and Severus sighed with relief when he saw his daughter

" Oh thank Merlin" Severus thought

" Professor I was just wondering if you have any dreamless sleeping draught for the Potters, they had a very trying night and it would be good if they didn't have any nightmares" Dumbledore said

" Yes of course headmaster" Severus said and went to his storage room and retrieved two vials of dreamless sleeping draught, " Mr Potter this potion is addictive, Brenda has already been warned and now I'm warning you, be careful with this potion and do not drink it every night"

" Yes sir" Harry said taking the potion from Snape, " Thank you sir"

" Take it right before you go to bed because it will work instantly" Severus added

" Yes sir" Harry said again

Severus didn't give Brenda the vial instead he turned and faced Dumbledore, " I will be keeping Brenda down here for a while"

" Not too long I hope Severus, Harry and Brenda need each other right now" Dumbledore said

" I understand that but right now they both need a lot of rest and I think it will be wise if they spent a few days away from each other, you know, alone time, you might want to tell their friends to leave them alone for a while as well" Severus said

Dumbledore thought about it for a minute then agreed with Severus, " Very well, but if Brenda and Harry want to be with each other, you better let Brenda come back up to Gryffindor Tower"

Severus nodded

" Come along Harry, back to Gryffindor Tower" Dumbledore said turning around

The two men left Severus and Brenda in the classroom alone

The first thing that Brenda did was hug her dad and was trying to hold back tears

" It's not good to hold back tears Brenda, just let it all out" Severus whispered rubbing soothing circles on Brenda's back

Brenda was still holding back the tears and Severus didn't know why

" You'll feel better if you cry, let your emotions out" Severus whispered

" Can we go in the apartment?" Brenda whispered

Severus now understood, she couldn't cry in the classroom, it's not homey enough and theres a good chance that a student could come in

" Of course" Severus said and he led Brenda to the storage room and said the password and they went inside the apartment and sat together on the couch cuddling

" Oh so she came back where was she?" Grandfather Severus asked

" Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic" Severus said

Grandfather Severus whistled, " What were you doing there Brenda?"

" Saving Sirius when he didn't even need saving, endangering my friends, retrieving a prophecy meant for both Harry and me that just broke, watched Sirius die, tried torturing Bellatrix, got possessed by Voldemort and the only good thing that came out of that was that Fudge saw Voldemort and finally believes us" Brenda spat and got up from the couch and ran to her room and cried in her pillows

" Wow... What prophecy is she talking about?" Grandfather Severus asked

Severus sighed, " One that involves the twins and the Dark Lord, I don't know all of it so don't even ask"

" Ok I won't" Grandfather Severus said, " So what are you going to do with Brenda now?"

" What do you mean?" Severus asked

" Well she went to the Ministry of Magic, she endangered her life, usually you punish her, I'm just asking what are you going to do now?"

" Well, now I'm going to wait until she's done crying and then I'm going to give her a dreamless sleep potion, after that... I don't know but I'm not punishing her" Severus said

" Why?" Grandfather Severus asked, " Not that I want her to be punished but"

" She's been punished enough" Severus said

Brenda was crying for an hour before Severus came in and sat down on her bed with the potion in his hand

" No matter what Dumbledore says it's my fault that he's dead" Brenda said

" How is it only your fault?" Severus asked, " You and Harry do everything together"

" If I paid attention to the glare you gave us in Umbridge's office, then we wouldn't have left" Brenda explained

" I was hoping you would have gotten that, but I knew there was a very good chance you wouldn't have caught it so I contacted Black right away using the Order way, he was all right" Severus said

" But he didn't listen to you when you told him to stay at headquarters, dad why didn't he listen?" Brenda asked

Severus sighed, " I believe he was getting a bad case of cabin fever and... you and Harry are the most important people to him, he'd sacrifice himself to save you two, you two shouldn't feel bad, this is how he would have wanted to go out"

" He was too young, he should have stayed" Brenda said

Severus sighed, " I know, he always had that Gryffindor curse of putting himself in danger, Pot... James had it too, and unfortunately it's passed on to you and Harry"

Brenda looked down in shame

" Please don't feel bad, do you actually think Black would want to see you and Harry crying over his death? He wouldn't want to be mourned, he'd want you and Harry to be happy... Bla... Sirius is with James and I bet their causing all kinds of mischief wherever they're at" Severus said

" Nothing bad I hope" Brenda whispered remembering the pensieve

" No... they grew out of that a while ago, now they're just regular pranks, kind of like what the Weasley twins pull" Severus explained

" I'm going to miss him" Brenda said

" I know, but remember along with your parents... Sirius is right here" Severus said pointing to Brenda's heart

Brenda smiled which made Severus smile

Brenda gave her dad a hug and he returned it

" It's now time for you to get some sleep" Severus said handing her the potion

Brenda looked at it worriedly

" It's all right, it's been a while since you had it last" Severus said

Brenda nodded and drank it then laid down on her bed and Severus helped her under the covers and tucked her in. After he kissed her on the forehead he turned on her nightlight

" Good night" Severus said

" Good... morning" Brenda joked

Severus smirked, " Get some sleep"

Brenda nodded and fell fast asleep in a dreamless sleep

The potion that Severus gave the Potters were strong enough that made them sleep for two days

Brenda stayed down in the apartment another two days for alone time, (no matter what Severus told her the other night she was still mourning Sirius) before Severus allowed her to go up to Harry

" Hi" Brenda said in the boys doorway

" Hi" Harry said

Brenda went up to Harry and hugged him, he hugged her back and they just sat on his bed not saying or thinking anything

" You know... I was seriously thinking about living with him in Grimmuald Place... any place is better than the Dursley's" Harry said

Brenda just nodded

Harry smiled a sad smile, " Look on the bright side... at least Sirius is with dad... he and dad are probably pulling pranks on everybody wherever you go after you pass on"

Brenda smiled at that

" You know, nobody is actually gone if they are loved" Brenda said, " We still have Sirius, Mum and dad... right here" Brenda said pointing to her heart and then Harry's heart

" Where did you?" Harry began

" That's what Snape said" Brenda answered

" He talked about Sirius?" Harry asked shocked

Brenda nodded, " It was almost like Sirius, dad, and Snape were friends by the way he was talking about them"

Harry didn't say anything

" Well... like what Dumbledore said, we can't dwell on the past, we must look toward the future... even with that prophecy" Brenda said

" Everything's going to change now isn't it?" Harry asked

Brenda smirked, " That's what Hermione asked last year" Brenda looked serious "Yes Harry, things are going to change, because now we aren't just the twins who lived... we are now... the chosen ones"

For a few weeks following Sirius's death in the papers was the return of Voldemort, Umbridge being suspended from Hogwarts, the Minister of Magic resigned, The Potters and Dumbledore telling the truth, Dumbledore reinstated as headmaster, but most of the talk was about Voldemort

" So what happened to Umbridge anyway?" Harry asked

" She was in the Hospital Wing for a week and a half, Dumbledore had to retrieve her" Ron said, " He got her while you two were sleeping"

Harry nodded

" She has been in shock for all that time" Hermione added

" The only time she actually moved is when you make hoove galloping noises" Ron said with a smirk

Brenda smiled at the thought, " That's mean"

Ron smiled, " You're smiling"

" Because it sounds funny" Brenda said

" Hey has anybody seen Hagrid since he came back?" Harry asked

" No... but we should go and ask how... his little friend is doing" Ron said

" Yah lets go do that" Hermione agreed

They headed towards the Great Hall corridor to go outside but the group ran into Malfoy and his goons

" POTTERS" Malfoy yelled

" You two go on ahead" Harry said

" But" Hermione started

" We can take care of these three" Brenda

" Ok" Ron said not convinced, " See you at Hagrid's then"

The two others left and the Potters looked at Malfoy

" No need to shout, we can year you just fine" Brenda said coolly

" You are going to pay for what you did to my father" Malfoy spat

" Wow we're terrified now, I guess Lord Voldemort was just a warm up compared to you three" Harry said sarcastically

Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle flinched

" What's wrong? I thought your dad and him are friends, don't tell us you're afraid of him" Brenda teased

" You think you two are so great, just you wait, you can't land my father in prison and get away with it" Malfoy spat

" We just did" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

" The Dementors left Azkaban, he and the others will be out in no time" Malfoy said with a smile

" Yes but now everybody knows that your father is evil" Brenda said

All of a sudden Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle took out their wands and Harry and Brenda took theirs out as well

" You know, you don't want to mess with us, we know a new spell that... kills two birds with one stone sort of speak" Brenda said

Before anybody could cast a spell Snape came and stopped them

" What's going on here?" Snape asked

" They took their wands out first sir, we were only defending ourselves" Brenda said

" Hmm, well since you five are even fighting, then that would be ten points a person from each house" Snape said

Thirty points went away from Slytherin but none from Gryffindor

" Oops I forgot, you Gryffindors don't have any points" Snape said, " Well then I guess I just have to give you two a detention"

Both Harry and Brenda were shocked

" Actually all we have to do is add some more points" McGonagall said

" Add some more points? What for?" Snape asked

" Why for alerting the world of You know who's return of course" McGonagall said with a smile, " Lets see... fifty points each for the Potters and their friends that helped, so that is fifty points to Mr. Potter, fifty to Ms. Potter, fifty to Ms. Granger, fifty to Mr. Weasley, fifty to Ms. Weasley, fifty to Mr. Longbottom and fifty to Ms. Lovegood... There, now you docked ten points each from the Potters, there perfect" McGonagall smiled, " Now then, I think students should be outside on this wonderful day"

" Yes professor" Harry and Brenda said together and left

They ran to Hagrid's hut and Hagrid was happy to see them

Hagrid was asking if the Potters were all right then Hagrid talked about Gwarp the whole time

Nothing happened for the rest of the year and it was finally time for the end of the year feast

" I don't really feel like going to the feast" Harry said in the common room

" Yah me either" Brenda said

They were still grieving over the death of their godfather even though they were happy that he's in a better place with his best friend

They watched as the others left to go to the feast

" Are you two coming?" Hermione asked

Harry and Brenda shook their heads no

" You go on ahead, we're not hungry" Harry said

Hermione nodded and both she and Ron left for the feast

The Potters found themselves wandering the halls during the feast and ran into Luna Lovegood

" Luna how come you're not at the feast?" Brenda asked

" I'm setting up posters to get my missing things back" Luna said

" You're missing your things?" Harry asked shocked

" People take them, it's all great fun actually, but I kind of need them back now" Luna said

" Why do they take your things anyway?" Brenda asked

" Well people think I'm a bit odd at times, they call me Luney Lovegood" Luna said

" That's still not a very good reason... so you want some help looking for your things?" Harry asked

" No that's ok, they all come back at the end... so why are you two at the feast?" Luna asked

" Not hungry" Harry said

Luna smiled sadly, " You miss him don't you? The man who died"

Harry and Brenda nodded

" Yes, I miss my mum as well, but at least I know she's in a better place, watching over me, she probably knows where all the nargles are at"

The Potters shared a look

" At least I have my dad, and it's not like I'll never see my mum again, and its not like you'll never see that man again or your parents" Luna said

Harry and Brenda smiled at her words, she was right someday they will see their family again

" Are you sure you don't want help finding your things?" Harry asked

" No, they'll turn up... I think I'll go down to the feast and have some pudding" Luna said and left

The next day everybody was searching for last items to put in their trunks, Brenda got everything from the apartment the night before

" Ron, are Fred and George going to be at home or do they have their own place?" Brenda asked

" They live at home" Ron said with a smirk

Brenda smiled

Finally it was time to go on the train

" Another year gone by, just two more to go" Hermione said with a sigh

" Two more and we can finally do magic outside school without getting into trouble" Brenda joked nudging Harry

Harry smiled

The ride back to Kings Cross was peaceful, except when Malfoy and his posse tried to ambush Harry when he was walking back from the bathroom, but to his surprise members of the DA saved the day by hexing Malfoy and his posse. Harry was so proud

When they got to Kings Cross the group was met by the order members and Fred and George. Everybody hugged Mrs. Weasley and then Brenda ran over to her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

" Miss me?" Fred joked

" A little" Brenda said with a grin then looked down at what he was wearing, " Cool jacket"

" Where did you get those jackets?" Ron asked finally noticing them

" They're Dragon hide jackets, we decided to treat ourselves after we made a bunch of money with Weasley's Wizard Weases"

" So what's the whole order doing here?" Harry asked Lupin

" We're going to talk to your aunt and uncle about the way they've been treating you" Lupin said

" I don't think that's a good idea" Harry said worriedly

" Nonsense, they need to treat you better and by golly they will" Mr. Weasley said

" Well Mr. Weasley, the Dursley's are over there" Brenda said pointing

Harry groaned

" Perfect, lets get this over with" Moody growled and he limped towards the muggles

" Who are you?" Vernon asked

" Alastar Moody, and I'm here to warn you to not mistreat Harry in any way, he is in your care for a reason, and now it is crucial he stays with you for some of the summer, we will retrieve him later in the summer if it's safe, but mark my words if one hair is harmed on Harry's head, you will be answering to me" Moody said

" Do I look like a guy who can be threatened?" Vernon spat

Moody revealed his magical eye which scared Vernon to the point where he jumped back, " Yes you do" Moody answered

" Very well, we won't mistreat the Fre... boy" Vernon said

Moody nodded and turned to Harry, " So Potter, write to us every day, if we don't hear from you every three days then we're sending somebody after you

" Yes sir" Potter said

" Well then come on boy, we don't want to stand out here all day" Vernon said

Harry hugged Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Hermione and Brenda and shook hands with the rest of the group

" I'll write to you every chance I get" Brenda thought to Harry

" Forget about writing, lets just think back and forth" Harry joked

" Oh yah" Brenda smiled

The large group watched as Harry followed the Dursley's to the car

" I don't see why the other two have to ride with Vernon to pick Harry up every year" Brenda said aloud

" Well I think it's time we get going too" Mrs. Weasley said

The students nodded

" Fred, George what time are you going to be home tonight?" Mrs. Weasley asked

" 5:30" Fred and George said at the same time

Brenda smiled at that, she and Fred had a lot of catching up to do

During Brenda's time at the Weasley's everybody was dancing around the subject of Sirius, the prophecy, Voldemort, death eaters, Dumbledore and Ministry of Magic when they were around Brenda, instead the time was used by playing Quidditch, but they had to share the brooms because Brenda didn't get her broom back which is still in Umbridge's office, it turned out that the broom was spelled on the wall and it would take a lot of magic to undo the spell and Brenda didn't know what spell to cast. If the teens weren't playing Quidditch, then they were either degnoming the garden, playing chess, checkers, exploding snap or everybody would find Fred and Brenda making out on the couch. Brenda knew that the adults kept talking about Harry and her behind her back because the order members would come by a lot and whenever one of the teens entered a room they were in it would get very quiet and everybody would look at Brenda like she grew another head or something, this was one summer that she couldn't wait to go back home to Snape Manor, just so she could get away from the awkwardness for a while and work more on her potions in her secret lab

That day finally came at 1:00 in the afternoon when Severus stepped through the floo

" Hi dad" Brenda said giving her dad a hug

" Hi, are you ready?" Severus asked impatiently

" Yah she is" Fred said hovering down Brenda's trunk

" Show off" Brenda said amused, " But I thank you" Brenda kissed Fred as a reward

Severus rolled his eyes, " Come Brenda, I have a lot to do today" Severus was really impatient

" She's not leaving without hugs" Mrs. Weasley said coming in the room with the rest of the present Weasley's and giving Brenda a hug, " Now I want you to have a good summer and try not to... dwell on... things"

" Yes Mrs. Weasley" Brenda said

" Don't forget to write" Ron said

" I never forget" Brenda said with a smile

Everybody else hugged Brenda and Fred kissed her

Severus rolled his eyes and checked the time

" Well now since you hugged everybody, are you now ready to leave?" Severus asked impatiently

" Yah" Brenda said

Severus nodded and shrunk Brenda's trunk and Angel's birdcage and put them in his pocket, " Where's Angel at?"

" Delivering a letter to Hermione" Brenda answered

Severus nodded

Brenda stepped into the floo and yelled, "Snape Manor" and was gone in a green flame

" Who's going to catch her on the other side?" George joked

" Brenda knows how to use the floo by now Mr. Weasley" Severus said and stepped into the floo and yelled, " Snape manor" and he too was gone in a green flame

Brenda still fell after she landed in Snape Manor

" I really need to work on that" She told herself and smiled, " It's good to be home" She got out of the path of the fireplace because a minute later Severus entered and like always he landed on his feet

Master, Ms. Brenda you're home you're home, Minnie is so happy" Minnie said jumping with joy

" Hi Minnie" Brenda said with a smile

" Hello Minnie, I'm sure everything is in tip top shape?" Severus asked

" Of course Master Snape, Minnie is a good house elf" Minnie said

Severus nodded and then took out Brenda's trunk, enlarged it and levitated it to her room, " I suggest you go unpack"

" Yes sir" Brenda said happy, she couldn't wait until she got down into her lab

" Oh another thing" Severus said and he took out a miniature sized replica of Brenda's broom out of his pocket and resized it, " I got this off of Umbridge's wall, it was on pretty good"

Brenda smiled and was very happy her dad got her broom, " Thanks dad, after I'm done unpacking can I go outside and fly?"

Severus nodded yes

Brenda smiled even wider

" I'll leave your broom by the door" Severus said

Brenda nodded and hurried upstairs without running and started to unpack

Minnie popped in Brenda's room, " Does Ms. Brenda need any help?"

" No thank you Minnie, hey did you get the potion bottled up?" Brenda asked worriedly

Minnie smiled and nodded yes

Brenda smiled with relief, she hoped soon her dad didn't have to spy on Voldemort and she could give him the potion that hopefully if she was correct took away the dark mark

Brenda finished unpacking her things and went down into her lab just to look at the dark mark remover and to put her notes on the snake venom antidote on the table, she figured she'd start that one later tonight

After Brenda looked at all of her potions that were bottled and stacked, she left her lab and went down and to the backyard to fly on her broom, she loved the feeling of the wind in her hair and the speed of her broom, up in the air she feels like a regular girl, not the girl who lived or the chosen one, just Brenda Lilian Potter. But all good things come to an end eventually, it was getting dark and Minnie was sent outside to bring Brenda back inside

" Already?" Brenda asked while in the air

" Master Snape is going to a meeting" Minnie said worriedly

That made Brenda nervous and she landed and put her broom away in the shed

" Which meeting?" Brenda asked worried

" He who must not be named meeting" Minnie said scared

Brenda sighed and followed Minnie inside the house, watched Minnie pop back into the kitchen and saw her dad in his death eater costume that still makes her shiver

" You know the rules, don't even think about leaving the house or it'll be like last year" Severus warned

" Don't worry, I'll be good, just come back safely" Brenda said giving her dad a hug

" I will, just be good and stay out of trouble... and occlude your mind you never know when he's going to invade it" Severus said and apparated out of the house before Brenda could say yes sir

" Well Brenda I guess it's just you, me and Minnie" Grandfather Severus said amused

Brenda was startled and looked up at the portrait that is usually always empty in the living room, " What are you doing here? You usually stay at Hogwarts"

" Severus told me to keep an eye on you, so I had to come" Grandfather Severus said

" So how many portraits do you have in this place?" Brenda asked

" Um... five, this one, one in a hallway, one in your room but you can't see it because it's invisible" Grandfather Severus said with a smirk, "An invisible one in Severus's room, and one in Severus's office"

Brenda's eyes got wide when he said that there is one in her room and it's invisible

" Yes I know about the hidden potions lab" Grandfather Severus said and smirked

" What about dad?" Brenda asked

" No he doesn't know about it, it'll be our little secret" Grandfather Severus said

Brenda sighed with relief

" Just as long as you don't hurt yourself making potions" Grandfather Severus warned

" Yes sir" Brenda said

" So what are you making this time?" Grandfather Severus asked

" I'm making the antidote to snake venom, I figured it will be useful in the future" Brenda explained

" Indeed, it will be very useful in the future, so what else have you made?" Grandfather Severus asked

" Well, I made Blood Replenishing potion, Forgetfulness Potion, Babbling Beverage just for fun, and Burn Salve... There are five cauldrons down there but I only use two at a time, I don't think I'm ready to make five potions at once, but once I have more training I'll be like dad and be able to do more than two at once" Brenda said happily, she wasn't going to tell Grandfather Severus about the dark mark remover

" I'm just surprised you can do two at once, not many students can, just ones who practice all the time at potions and have a knack for it... you fit both categories"

Brenda grinned

" So did you start the snake venom antidote yet?" Grandfather Severus asked

" Yes, just today, it takes a week to make" Brenda replied

Grandfather Severus nodded

" Well I better work on my homework, I don't want to make dad angry when he comes back" Brenda said worriedly

" No that's never good" Grandfather Severus agreed

Brenda headed up to her room and got to work on her homework


	7. Chapter 7

A week passed since Brenda and Severus have been home, the snake venom antidote was finished and Severus was grumpier than usual because Voldemort was angrier than usual because everybody knows about him now and he didn't like that many of his Death Eaters were in Azkaban prison. He would take his anger out on his death eaters that weren't in Azkaban with crucio. Severus was snapping at Brenda and Minnie for every little thing that annoyed him, and wasn't even appologizing afterwards, Severus was snappy even if he didn't have a meeting the next night or had one the previous night. Brenda got to the point where she just tried to avoid her dad all day by going to her room when she could, the only time she had to be with Severus was during meals but she never talked unless she was spoken to and Severus was fine with that

" Being at home is no better than being at the Weasley's" Brenda thought, " At least at the Weasley's, people actually talk without snapping, even if they dance on the subject of Sirius"

Brenda was in her room reading a book, she seriously had nothing better to do, she wrote to her friends and Harry, finished all the potions she needed and wanted to make, and it was raining out so she couldn't go flying and talking to her dad was out of the question, one because he was snappy, two because he was down in his potions lab making potions for either Voldemort or Pomfrey and Brenda knew that she wasn't allowed in the potions lab

An hour later it was still raining and Severus came into Brenda's room

" I have another DE meeting, you know the rules" Severus said holding his left arm where the mark is at

Brenda nodded and sighed, " Why does he summon you when it's raining? I thought the meetings were always outside"

" They are" Severus said annoyed, " I have to go, you better be in bed when I get back"

Brenda nodded. Severus always told her that whenever he had a meeting, that was the only time he wasn't snapping at her. Personally she thought he was just reminding her of what happened last year. 

" Yes sir" Brenda said knowing her dad wanted to hear an answer

Severus nodded once and apparated out of the manor

" I really despise Voldemort" Brenda whispered, " He's making dad almost... mean"

Brenda followed the schedule and was in bed by the time Severus got home that night, but this night was different, Severus wasn't grumpy, no not this time, he was actually afraid for Brenda

When Severus got home he went straight towards the fireplace and floo called the Weasley's

" Severus what's wrong?" Mrs. Weasley asked tightening her night robe

" Can you take Brenda?" Severus asked worriedly

" Yes of course, but what's the matter? You usally don't send her until much later in the summer" Mrs. Weasley said

" The Dark Lord suspects me and he is sending Peter Pettigrew to stay with me, I need Brenda out of here by tomorrow morning, I bought a little time saying that I would make a spare bedroom for Pettigrew" Severus said

" Yes, yes send her through" Mrs. Weasley said worriedly

" We'll be there in less than an hour" Severus said and ended the call

Severus ran up the stairs and barged into Brenda's room, turned on the light and went to Brenda's bed

" Brenda wake up" Severus said shaking her shoulder

Brenda groggily opened her eyes and closed them again, " Turn off the light"

" No, let your eyes get used to the brightness, come on hurry and get up" Severus said

" What time is it?" Brenda asked still with her eyes closed

" 1:00 in the morning" Severus said taking his wand out and started shrinking Brenda's things and putting them in the trunk

Brenda finally opened her eyes because she was now adjusted to the light and she saw her dad packing her things

" It's too early to go to the Weasley's" Brenda reminded Severus

" Wormtail is coming here tomorrow morning, I need to get you and all traces of you out of here" Severus explained

" WHAT? You said that the Death Eater meetings don't take place at people's houses" Brenda said

" The Dark Lord ordered Wormtail to stay here and I cannot defy him" Severus said, " So you're going back to the Weasley's, now hurry and get dressed"

Brenda hurried and got out of bed and grabbed some clothes and went in the bathroom to change, when she came back out Severus had everything that she ever owned in the trunk and accioed Brenda's pajamas she had in her hand and put those also in the trunk, he also turned the bedroom back into the Slytherin colors it was before Brenda moved in, Brenda didn’t know what she felt at that moment. Her bedroom was no longer her bedroom. There wasn’t a trace of anything she owned in that room

" We got to go now" Severus said, shrinking the trunk and putting it in his pocket " And don't worry about Angel, owls know where there masters are at at all times"

Brenda nodded and grabbed the bird cage but Severus shrunk that too and took it away from her and put it in his pocket

They headed down into the living room where the fireplace was

" Brenda's leaving already?" Grandfather Severus asked waking up

" Emergency, Wormtails coming" Severus explained, " Need to get Brenda out of here"

" Oh" Grandfather Severus said and he now was worried

" Oh wait, I forgot my broom" Brenda said

Severus took out his wand and yelled, " ACCIO FIREBOLT"

Brenda's firebolt flew towards Severus's hand and he shrunk that as well

Brenda stepped into the fire place and grabbed some floo powder, " THE BURROW" Brenda yelled and was engulfed in green flames and the next thing she knew she was at the Weasley's and Mrs. Weasley was at the kitchen table in her night robe

Brenda stepped aside and waited for her dad to come through

A minute later he came through and he still looked worried and Mrs. Weasley knew it

" Everything is going to be fine Severus" Mrs. Weasley assured him

Severus nodded and took out Brenda's trunk and broom and Angel's owl cage out of his pocket and enlarged them

" Thank you Molly for taking her so early" Severus said, " I wish it didn't come to this"

" It's no problem Severus, we love having her over" Mrs. Weasley assured him

Severus nodded and turned to Brenda, " Ok, you have everything in the trunk, now... you must not call for Minnie or floo back home for any reason is that clear?"

" Yes sir" Brenda said seriously

Severus sighed and hugged Brenda who hugged him back, " I'm sorry I've been so grumpy"

" It's ok, I understand" Brenda assured him

" I won't see you until school, so I want you to be on your best behavior for the Weasley's you hear me?" Severus asked

" Yes sir" Brenda said

" And I want you to keep to your schedule, I will be notified if you haven't from the Order meetings" Severus said and then looked at Mrs. Weasley as if saying "You better notify me"

Mrs. Weasley nodded

Severus turned back to Brenda, " Now I know it hasn't been the best week and I know you feel like I kicked you out but you need to know the seriousness of the situation"

" Dad I get it, you didn't kick me out, I just have to leave because of Wormtail, though now that I think about it, he should be nicknamed rattail since he's a rat and not a worm" Brenda joked

Severus smirked, " Even at 1:30 in the morning you're as cheeky as ever"

" Yes but you still love me" Brenda grinned

" That I do, now be good" Severus said

" Severus, Brenda is always good here, don't worry" Mrs. Weasley said before Brenda could say yes sir again

Severus nodded and hugged his daughter again who hugged him back

" I'll miss you" Brenda said

" I'll miss you too... I'll tell Mrs. Weasley what you got on your final when I finish grading them when I go to another Order meeting" Severus said with a smirk

" Ok" Brenda said happily

" You do realize you most likely got an O on the final don't you?" Severus asked

" Yah I know, I just like to be 100 percent sure" Brenda said

Severus nodded, " Well I better go, I still have to make up a spare bedroom for the rat, I promise he will not sleep in your bedroom, he will not even set foot in there. I'll see you at school and please don't call Minnie or floo back"

" I won't, I promise" Brenda said

Severus nodded again and they hugged again, " Good bye Brenda"

" Bye dad" Brenda said

" Thanks again Molly" Severus said stepping inside the fireplace

" You're welcome Severus, but really it's no problem" Mrs. Weasley said

Severus nodded and took some floo powder and yelled, " SNAPE MANOR"

Brenda waved bye as Severus was engulfed in the green fire

" Well then Brenda, I'll levitate your trunk up to Ginny's room for you, she's going to be surprised when she sees you here so early into the summer" Mrs. Weasley said and smiled, " Somebody else is going to be happy to see you too”

Brenda nodded and smiled

Mrs. Weasley led Brenda to Ginny's room and set her trunk by the bed that Brenda always uses

" You can unpack tomorrow" Mrs. Weasley whispered

Brenda nodded, " Thank you Mrs. Weasley" She whispered

" You're most welcome" Mrs. Weasley said and gave Brenda a hug and then left the room

Brenda dug through her trunk and found her pajamas and quietly put them on and then got in bed

" Good luck dad" Brenda thought before she fell asleep

When Ginny woke up the next morning and saw the other bed occupied she was startled but she calmed down a minute later when she saw that it was Brenda but she was curious why Brenda was back so early. She didn't want to wake Brenda up thinking that she has had a long night so she quietly got dressed and headed downstairs to the kitchen where her mum was cooking breakfast

" Morning mum" Ginny said

" Morning Ginny" Mrs. Weasley said

" What's Brenda doing back so early?" Ginny asked

" Professor Snape had to bring Brenda here so early because you know who is ordering him to house Peter Pettigrew" Mrs. Weasley explained

" Does anybody else know she's here?" Ginny asked

Mrs. Weasley smiled, " No nobody else knows she's here"

" Fred's going to be surprised" Ginny said with a smile

" I'm going to be surprised about what?" Fred asked as Fred and George came down for breakfast

Ginny smiled evily, " You'll see"

" No what? I'm going to be surprised about what?" Fred asked again very curious

" You'll just have to wait and see" Mrs. Weasley said with a smile

" You're killing me here, George do you know what they're talking about?" Fred asked

" I'm as clueless as you are" George said confused.

" While you're waiting and being clueless, how about some breakfast?" Mrs. Weasley asked

Fred and George sighed and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny smirked

Brenda woke up fifteen minutes later and saw that Ginny was already gone

" I probably startled her" Brenda thought with a smile

Brenda hurriedly got dressed and silently headed downstairs, she didn't know if Mrs. Weasley and Ginny told Fred that she was here yet and she wanted to surprise him

Brenda tiptoed down and looked over the side to make sure Fred and George weren't looking and then silently went down the rest of the way and hid by the wall and peeked out to make sure the twins weren't looking and when she found that Fred was distracted by Ron talking to him and wasn't facing her way she tiptoed to him and covered his eyes with her hands

" Wow" Fred said startled

" Guess who" Brenda said with a smile

Fred smiled and turned around in his seat and gave Brenda a kiss

" You didn't guess" Brenda pouted when they broke the kiss

" I didn't have to" Fred said with a smile, " When did you get here?"

" This morning" Mrs. Weasley said, " Professor Snape had to drop her off because Peter Pettigrew has been ordered to stay with him"

" You here for the rest of the summer?" Ron asked

" Yah I think so" Brenda said

Fred smiled and gave his girlfriend another kiss

" Ok you two enough, Brenda come and have breakfast" Mrs. Weasley said

" Yes Mrs. Weasley" Brenda said with a smile and sat down at the table

After breakfast Brenda asked Mrs. Weasley a question that was bugging her ever since she arrived lastnight

" Mrs. Weasley I don't understand, I thought I had to stay with dad because of the blood wards... dad's my dad's cousin" Brenda said and then thought of what she said and shook her head, " You know what I mean right?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded

" And don't I have to stay with him like Harry stays at the Dursleys because of the blood wards?" Brenda finished

" There are very powerful wards put up around here for everybody's safety, they are very difficult to put up because it needs a lot of magic" Mrs. Weasley explained and saw Brenda open her mouth and she knew what Brenda was about to ask, " Why we can't bring Harry here is because the wards at your aunt’s house need to be set up for your relatives’ protection and if Harry came here now, there would need to be stronger wards up because there are two of you... do you understand?"

" Kind of, but we always come here before the summer, are there wards put up then?" Brenda asked

" At that time the wards are set for another year and everybody's safe here" Mrs. Weasley explained

Brenda nodded in understanding

The summer went on like how it goes on every year Brenda comes to the Burrow, except this time Fred and George left to go to work leaving the three Hogwarts students at home, there wasn't much to do with three people. The most fun things they did outside was racing on brooms, they couldn't play Quidditch with three people and denoming the garden got very boring very fast, at night when Fred and George came back from work they played wizards chess, they would make up tournaments and it always ended up Ron and Brenda against each other and that game took forever because they were both really good. Sometimes Ron would beat Brenda, other times Brenda would beat Ron, they were mostly tied. When they weren't playing wizards chess at night, Fred and Brenda would go into Fred and George's bedroom and snog. Brenda knew that everybody was trying to keep her busy so she wouldn't be reminded of Sirius or being a chosen one as the Daily Prophet is calling the Potter twins

One day during breakfast Brenda got a letter and it was from Hogwarts

" It's too early for the letters or OWLs to come in" Mrs. Weasley said

" Well open it Brenda" Ron urged

Brenda opened the letter and read it silently first and then aloud

" Dear Brenda, I will be picking up your brother from your aunt's house this coming Friday at 11:00 p.m. I'm sure you're excited. If you are agreeable, I would like to pick you up at the Burrow before I pick Harry up, at 10:00 p.m. you must be thinking why, I would be glad of your assistance in a matter which I hope to attend after we pick Harry up and on the way back to the Burrow, I shall explain this more when I see you. Kindly return your answer by this owl. Hope to see you on Friday. Sincerly Albus Dumbledore" Brenda read aloud

" Wonder what Dumbledore wants to do with you and Harry now" Fred said

" I don't know, but at least we get to be involved in something this year" Brenda said then looked at the letter again

" So what's your answer?" Ginny asked

" I'll go, if it's ok with you Mrs. Weasley" Brenda turned to Mrs. Weasley

" Of course it is dear" Mrs. Weasley said with a smile and handed Brenda a piece of parchment, a quill, ink and an envelope

Brenda smiled her thanks and written her reply on the parchment and put it in the envelope

On Friday night Dumbledore came to the Burrow at exactly at the stroke of 10:00

" Wow he's good" Ron whispered looking at the clock

" Thank you Mr. Weasley, I like to be truthful and when I set a time I keep it" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye, " So Brenda are you ready?"

" Yes sir" Brenda said standing up from Fred's lap

Dumbledore smiled with a twinkle in his eye, " Young love" He thought, " I suggest you bring a jacket, it's a cool night... and your invisibility cloak... just in case" he said

" Yes sir" Brenda said and quickly went up to Ginny's bedroom to retrieve her jacket and invisibility cloak, when Brenda looked at her invisibility cloak she smiled at the thought of what all she and Fred can do under it, of course they'd have to get very close to eachother for it to cover both of them but she was fine with that. Brenda returned with a grin on her face that she tried to control on the way down

" What are you grinning at?" Fred asked curious

" Oh nothing" Brenda said with a smirk

Dumbledore used wandless legimency on Brenda and his twinkle got bigger in his eyes and he blushed a bit, " um... Brenda I think we should leave now, we need to meet Harry at your relatives at 11:00"

" Yes sir" Brenda said and gave her boyfriend a goodbye kiss before the two left

" How's my dad doing?" Brenda asked once they apparated to Little Whinging

" Now is not the time to ask... later" Dumbledore said

Brenda nodded

They walked to Number Four Privet Drive and walked up to the door and Dumbledore rang the door bell

" WHO THE BLAZES IS RINGING THE DOORBELL AT THIS TIME OF NIGHT?" Vernon shouted and he opened the door

" Good evening, you must be Mr. Dursley, I dare say Harry has told you I would be coming for him?" Dumbledore asked

Before anything else could be said Harry was running down the stairs but stopped out of arms reach from his uncle

" clever move" Brenda thought to her brother

Harry nodded

" But judging by the stunned look on your face, I assume he did not" Dumbledore said, " Well, let us assume that you invited both Brenda and I into your lovely home. It is unwise to linger for a long time on doorsteps in these troubled times"

Before Vernon could say anything Brenda was pushed inside and Dumbledore followed and shut the door

" Ah... Good evening Harry" Dumbledore said

" Professor" Harry said with a smile but he was still out of arms reach from Vernon who still wasn't talking

Brenda smiled at her brother and walked up to him and gave him a hug

" Why didn't you tell me you were coming with him?" Harry thought

" Surprise" Brenda thought with a grin

Vernon looked at Brenda and Harry then at Dumbledore then glared and said, " I don't mean to be rude"

He never got to finish what he was going to say when the kitchen door opened and Petunia walked out wearing yellow dish gloves

" Albus Dumbledore" Dumbledore introduced himself to Petunia, " We have had contact before" Dumbledore then saw Dudley, " And this must be your son Dudley"

" Looks better then the last time I saw him" Brenda thought with a smirk

" Yah, he's still trying to diet... not working too well though" Harry thought back

They were now in the living room where Dudley was watching the old wizard fearfully

" Shall I assume you invited us into your living room?" Dumbledore asked and he walked past where Dudley was sitting and took Vernon's chair

Dudley was scared and walked quickly and hid behind his mother

" I thought we were leaving" Harry thought

" Yah me too" Brenda said

They both walked into the living room

" We thought we were leaving sir" Harry said

" You thought right, but I have a few matters that need to be discussed" Dumbledore said and he took out his wand and flicked it and all three Dursleys ended up stuck on the couch

Harry and Brenda saw Dumbledore's wand hand and it was blackened

" Sir what happened to your hand?" Brenda gasped

" Later" Dumbledore said, " Please both of you sit down"

The twins took their seats next to Dumbledore and Dumbledore flicked his wand again and six wine glasses appeared and a wine bottle appeared

" This is Madame Rosemarta's finest oak matured mead" Explained Dumbledore as the mead was poured into the glasses and passed around

When Harry and Brenda got theres they took a drink and were very happy, they never tasted anything so good before. They looked at the Dursleys who were trying to ignore there drinks and the Potters were trying to hide there grins because it was funny how the wine glasses were nudging the Dursleys on the heads because they wouldn't drink their drinks

Dumbledore turned to the twins, " Sirius' will has been discovered a week ago and he left you two everything he owned, he wanted you two to divide it up how you see fit" Dumbledore explained

Harry and Brenda nodded in understanding

" Which means that there is a resonable amount of gold that will be added equaly to your accounts at Gringotts, and you two also inherit Sirius's personal possessions which is a bit problematic" Dumbledore started

" THEIR GODFATHER IS DEAD" Vernon yelled

Brenda jumped at his yelling not because she was scared but startled, she forgot how scary her uncle's yelling was

" Yes" Dumbledore said, " Our problem is that Sirius also left you two Number twelve Grimmuald Place"

" Harry's been left a house?" Vernon asked greedily, if this was a cartoon Vernon would have dollar signs in his eyes

Harry and Brenda looked at eachother and nodded, " You can keep it as headquarters" They both said, " We don't really want it"

" That is very kind of you, but however we have vacated the building temporarily" Dumbledore said

" Why" Harry and Brenda asked

" The spells the Blacks put on the house that mean only a pureblood can own it, since Sirius was the last living relative of the Blacks he passed it down to you, but with the spells the wards might not hold against the other Black relative, Bellatrix Lestrange" Dumbledore said

" WHAT!" Harry and Brenda yelled, " SIRIUS MURDERER MIGHT OWN THE HOUSE?"

" Unfortunetly yes, unless you two pass the test" Dumbledore said

" What test" Brenda asked worridly, she was sick of tests, the triwizard tournament was a test, and Umbridge tested their limits

Before Dumbledore could go on Vernon shouted, " WILL YOU GET THESE RUDDY THINGS OFF US?"

" Oh I'm sorry, it would have been easier if you just drank them" Dumbledore said and with a flick of his wand the glasses stopped hitting the Dursleys and vanished then he turned back to the Potters, " You see if you two both inherited the house... you also inherited"

Dumbledore flicked his wand and a house elf appeared in the living room and Petunia yelled because the filthy creature was on her carpet

" Kreacher" Brenda said gloomy

" What the bloody hell is that?" Vernon bellowed

" That would be Kreacher, a house elf" Dumbledore explained

" Kreacher won't Kreacher wont!" Kreacher screeched

" As you two can see, Kreacher does not want you two to be his new owners" Dumbledore said

" Good, because we don't want to be his owners" Harry said and Brenda nodded in agreement

Kreacher was still chanting wont wont wont wont wont and stomping around

" So you would like him to be passed down to Bellatrix Lestrange when Kreacher knows so much about the Order of the Phoenix?" Dumbledore asked

The Potters knew what they had to do, they had no choice, they had to own the foul creature or the Order will be ruined

" You two give him an order one at a time, see if he obeys, if not, well then we'll think of something else" Dumbledore said

" WONT WONT WONT WONT WONT" Kreacher kept yelling

Harry was getting irritated with Kreachers rant, " KREACHER SHUT UP"

Kreacher stopped yelling wont wont wont but he was mouthing it and it made him mad that he obeyed the order and he threw himself on the carpet and started a silent but violent tantrum

Dumbledore smiled, " Well that simplifies matters, Brenda now you try"

Brenda looked at Petunia and saw that she was pale, she didn't like that ugly dirty thing throwing a tantrum on her clean carpet

" Kreacher stop your tantrum and stand up" Brenda commanded

Kreacher automatically stopped his tantrum and stood up, he was glaring daggers at the Potters though

" Well it seems like Sirius knew what he was doing, you two are the rightfull owners of Grimmuald Place and Kreacher" Dumbledore said

" Sir, do we have to keep him with us?" Harry asked discusted

" Not if you don't want to, you can send him to Hogwarts to work in the kitchens" Dumbledore suggested

" Yah lets do that" Brenda said

Harry nodded, and looked at Kreacher " Kreacher we want you to go to Hogwarts to work in the kitchens with the other house elves"

" If you need any help in the kitchens, ask Dobby" Brenda commanded

Kreacher glared daggers at the Potters again and then with a pop he was gone

" Good, now that's taken care of there's the matter of the Hippogriff, he belongs to you two you know, right now he's with Hagrid" Dumbledore said

" He can stay with Hagrid" Harry said

" He belonged with him anyway" Brenda said, " Buckbeak would prefer that then living in a dusty house"

" Yes Hagrid would like that, but Buckbeak's name is changed to Witherwings, so the Ministry doesn't guess that this would be the same Hippogrif that was sentenced to death... now all of that is taken care of... Harry is your trunk packed?" Dumbledore asked

Harry was silent

" I understand, Brenda why don't you go help him while I talk to your aunt and uncle" Dumbledore suggested

Brenda nodded and Harry led the way to his room

" No offence but is there enough locks on the door?" Brenda asked

" Vernon's doing" Harry said

Brenda nodded

Harry opened the door and showed his sister his room

" Hi Hedwig" Brenda said

Hedwig gave a hoot in greeting

" Don't worry Hedwig, pretty soon you can play with Angel" Brenda said

Hedwig gave another hoot in excitement

Brenda then looked at the room " This is... nice" Brenda tried being respectful

Harry rolled his eyes" It's better then the cupboard under the stairs" Harry said while they were packing his things

It took them ten minutes to pack all of Harry's belongings and everybody was quiet when they headed downstairs

" Harry are you all packed?" Dumbledore asked

" Yes sir" Harry said

" Well then I guess it's time to leave" Dumbledore said and he flicked his wand and had the trunk and Headwig and the cage levitate

The Dursley's turned pale

The three walked outside into the night

" Harry I suggest you get your invisibility cloak out... just in case" Dumbledore said

" Yes sir" Harry said and dug through his trunk for it

" I'll send the rest of your belongings to the Burrow" Dumbledore said and with a flick of his wand the trunk, cage and Headwig were gone

" You two need to remember to keep your wands at the ready" Dumbledore said

" But sir, we're not aloud to use magic outside of school, and we really don't want another hearing" Brenda said

" You are with the Headmaster of your school and I give you permission if there is danger" Dumbledore said

" Where are we going and how do we get there?" Harry asked

" Apparation of course, since you two are not seventeen yet, you need to sidealong apparate with me whether you know how to apparate or not" Dumbledore looked at Brenda who blushed, "Please hold on to my left arm because my wand arm is... well you know" Dumbledore said

The Potters grabbed on to Dumbledore's right arm and Dumbledore apparated with the Potters

When they landed Harry didn't feel or look so good

" Are you all right?" Dumbledore asked

" I'll be fine, I never done that before" Harry said

" You'll get used to it in time" Brenda said

" I still prefer brooms" Harry said

" Yah me too" Brenda said

Dumbledore smiled and tightened his traveling cloak

" It's a good thing it's dark, if he came during the day with that purple cloak on people would stare" Harry thought

Brenda grinned

" So has either of your scars been hurting lately" Dumbledore asked

" No" Harry and Brenda said

" I thought as much, now that everybody knows Voldemort is alive he's been using Occlumency to keep you two out so you two don't find out where he is" Dumbledore said

" Good, we hate getting visions from him" Brenda said

Harry nodded and the two Potters looked around

" Professor where are we?" Harry asked

" This is the charming village of Budleigh Babberton" Dumbledore explained

" And we're here why?" Brenda asked

" Oh yes, I forgot I haven't told you, well as you know once again we are one staff member short, we are here to persuade him to return to Hogwarts" Dumbledore said

" And how can we help sir?" Harry asked

" You'll see" Dumbledore said with a smile

The Potters followed Dumbledore and it seemed they were blocks away from the house

" Why couldn't we just apparated onto the property?" Brenda asked

" That would be rude" Dumbledore said

They walked a little farther

" Professor, what happened to your hand?" Harry asked

" Now is not the time, I will tell the tale but not here, it is quite thrilling though" Dumbledore said

" Oh... ok... another question, what are inferi?" Harry asked, " They were mentions in the papers"

" Corpes... dead bodies that are bewitched to do Voldemort's bidding" Dumbledore said

" Hmm kind of like zombies" Brenda said

Dumbledore nodded, " Ah we're here, now keep your wands out and follow me"

They were looking at a stone house with a guarden and a picket fence

They followed Dumbledore to the picket fence and up the garden path and Dumbledore silently pushed the front door open

" Lumos" Dumbledore said to his wand and it ignighted

They walked inside and what they saw made Brenda gasp silently, it was a scene of devistation, there was a broken grandfather clock, a piano with it's keys all out and looked like they were thrown across the room, there was a shattered chandelier, there were ripped cushions with feathers flying everywhere, there was broken china from a broken china closet and when Dumbledore raised his wand to the wall there was blood everywhere

" Oh Merlin" Brenda gasped

" Not a pretty sight is it? Something horrible has happened here" Dumbledore said

" Um maybe it was just a fight and he was dragged off professor" Harry suggested

" I don't think so" Dumbledore said looking at an overstuffed chair that was turned on his side

" You mean he's..." Brenda gasped but didn't finish her sentence

" Still here? Yes he is" Dumbledore said knowing that wasn't what Brenda was going to say and he poked his wand into the overstuffed armchair that yelled, " OUCH"

That made both Potters jump but Dumbledore just smiled

" Good evening Horace" Dumbledore said

Before there eyes the armchair turned into a fat, bald old man

" You didn't need to poke me that hard Albus" Horace said with a glare, " So what gave it away?"

" Well if you were really attacked there would have been a dark mark over your house" Dumbledore explained

" I knew I forgot something" Horace said, " Oh well, so do you want to help me clean up?"

" It would be my pleasure" Dumbledore said and the two old wizards used their wands to clean up the mess

The man named Horace then looked at the Potter twins and saw there scars

" Oh" Horace said

" This Horace is Harry Potter and Brenda Potter" Dumbledore said introducing the teens

" So this is how you thought you could persuade me, letting me meet the Potter twins" Horace said

" Harry, Brenda this is Horace Slughorn" Dumbledore said

" And the answer is still no" Slughorn said and then looked at Brenda and there was a hint of a smile

" Well, we came such a long way, how about a drink then? For old times sake" Dumbledore asked

Slughorn rolled his eyes but nodded reluctantly

Dumbledore sat down on the couch without invitation and waited for Slughorn to pour his uninvited guests drinks

" So how have you been keeping up Horace?" Albus asked

" Not too well, I have a weak chest you know, and I can't move as fast, I guess it's from old age" Slughorn said

" But you seemed to move very fast to get your house looking like you were attacked" Dumbledore said

" It took me two minutes, but that's not the point, the point is that I'm a retired old man who earned the right to a quiet life" Slughorn said

" You're not as old as I am" Dumbledore reminded him

" You should have retired a centry ago" Slughorn said

" I admit I am not as fast as I used to be" Dumbledore said stretching his hands out

Harry and Brenda saw a ring on Dumbledore's left hand, it was gold with a black stone that was cracked down the middle

Slughorn saw the ring and it looked like he knew what it was

" So Horace, are these precautions for Death Eater intruders or for friends such as myself?" Dumbledore asked

Slughorn glared, " I've been on the move from place to place for a year, every week I'm at a different place, the owners of this house are on holiday"

" That's ingenous, but it sounds very tireing for being retired and living the quiet life, now if you were to return to Hogwarts" Dumbledore started

" If you're going to tell me that I will have a quiet life at Hogwarts then you can save your breath, I worked there before or don't you remember?" Slughorn asked, " Plus I've heard funny rumors on how you treat your teachers since Delores Umbridge left"

" Delores Umbridge ran into a centaur herd and started calling them filthy half breeds" Dumbledore said

" Idiotic woman, I never liked her" Slughorn said and it made the Potters chuckle

Dumbledore and Slughorn looked at the Potters

" Sorry" Harry said with a smile

" We don't like her either" Brenda said

Dumbledore smiled and stood up

" Are we leaving" Brenda asked

" No, Horace may I use your bathroom?" Dumbledore asked

" Yes, down the hall second door on the left" Slughorn said

Dumbledore smiled his thanks and left

It was quiet for a few minutes and then Slughorn glared at the Potters

" Don't think I don't know why he brought you two here" Slughorn said then looked at their scars

" You Mr. Potter look like your father except for your eyes... and you Ms. Potter... look like your mother except for your eyes... I know teachers are not supposed to play favorites but... I have to admit, your mother was one of my favorite students"

Harry and Brenda smiled, they know a lot about James, but not much about Lily

" Lily Evans was one of the brightest students I have ever taught, she was a charming girl and I used to tell her she should have been in my house" Slughorn said

" Which house was that sir?" Brenda asked

" Slytherin" Slughorn said

Brenda and Harry gave each other worried looks

" Don't hold that against me now" Slughorn said

" We're not, it's just that we were almost put in Slytherin" Harry said

" Really now? Why weren't you?" Slughorn asked

" I kind of told the hat not to put me in there, because of Vold... you know who" Harry said

" The hat wanted to put me with my brother, so we're both Gryffindors" Brenda said

Slughorn nodded, " It usually works out like that with families, except for the Blacks, all Slytherin except for Sirius Black who was a Gryffindor... shame, he died some weeks ago, I remember that he and your father were best friends"

Slughorn was silent for a few minutes

" When I found out your mother was Muggle born I was shocked" Slughorn said

" One of our friends is Muggle born and she has Os in all her classes" Harry said

" I think she's the best in our year" Brenda said

" Funny how that happens isn't it" Slughorn said

" Not really" Harry and Brenda said coldly

" Please don't think I'm being prejudiced, I just said your mother was one of my favorite students, she wasn't my only muggle born favorite student, I have many, can't name all of them though, the list is too long, but I kept in touch with all of them until about a year ago" Slughorn said

"Ok... so what is your reason for not teaching at Hogwarts?" Brenda asked

" I want to keep my head down and I don't want to be in the Order of the Phoenix" Slughorn said

" You don't have to be part of the Order, most of the teachers are not part of it" Harry said

" And none of the teachers have ever died" Brenda said

" Well except for Quirrel" Harry said

" Yah that's true, but he deserved it, he was working with Voldemort" Brenda said

" Brenda" Harry scolded, he was afraid Slughorn was going to get angry by Brenda saying Voldemort and he was right

" Oh get over it, it's not even his real name" Brenda said

" Ok enough about that" Slughorn said, " Just don't say his name"

" Ok sorry" Brenda said

" I think that the staff is even safer with Dumbledore the headmaster, Dumbledore is the only person who you know who is afraid of" Harry said

" That's true, He who must not be named never sought a fight with Dumbledore, and since I have not joined the death eaters you know who cannot count me as a friend or a traitor, I might be safer with Dumbledore" Slughorn said

" Well I guess it's time we leave Brenda, Harry, I fear we have trespassed on Horace long enough" Dumbledore said

" You're leaving?" Slughorn asked

" Yes, I know a lost cause when I see one" Dumbledore said

" Lost?" Slughorn asked and started to fidget

" I'm sorry you don't want the job Horace, even with our added security, you of course are always welcome to visit if you want to... well good bye then" Dumbledore said

" Bye Mr. Slughorn" Harry and Brenda said

" Ok, ok I'll do it, I'll do it" Slughorn said before the three can leave and apparate

" Wonderful, then we'll see you on the first of September" Dumbledore said with a grin and a twinkle in his eye

Slughorn nodded

Dumbledore smiled and the three walked to the apparation point and the Potters grabbed Dumbledore's left arm and they apparated close to the Burrow

" I need to talk with you two in private" Dumbledore said, " I hope you forgive me for mentioning it, but I'm proud of you two for coping after what has happened at the Ministry"

Harry and Brenda's faces paled

" It was cruel that you three were only together for a short time which should have been a very long and happy relationship" Dumbledore said sadly

The twins nodded

" It's hard to know that he won't write to us anymore" Harry said

Brenda agreed

" But we couldn't shut ourselves away and be distant to everybody" Harry said

" Sirius wouldn't have wanted that" Brenda said

" Ok now for a different subject, I want you two to take lessons with me" Dumbledore said

Harry and Brenda looked shocked

" Lessons sir?" Brenda asked

" Yes private ones" Dumbledore said, " I will be teaching you a little bit of everything"

" So will that mean we don't have any more lessons with Snape?" Harry asked

" Professor Snape and yes that is what that means" Dumbledore said

" Good because those lessons were..." Harry couldn't think of a word

" A fiasco would be appropriate" Dumbledore said with a twinkle, " I still want you two to practice Occlumency though"

" I can't figure it out" Harry said

" I can help you, with Occlumency, I can't really do Legimency yet" Brenda said

" Good, yes Brenda help Harry out" Dumbledore said

" This is good, now I rarely have to see Snape in school because I know I didn't get a high enough grade on my OWL exam for Potions" Harry said with a smile

" Don't count your owls until they're delivered" Dumbledore said with a twinkle

" Or don't count your chickens before they hatch" Brenda translated

Dumbledore nodded

" When are those going to be delivered anyway?" Brenda asked

" Later today" Dumbledore answered

Brenda was excited and it showed on her face

" Ok I now have two more things to say to you, keep your invisibility cloaks with you at all times, here and at Hogwarts just in case, and the Weasleys have the highest wards that could be put up for your safety, which means that all letters are read before delivered, do not get into any trouble because the Weasley's are sacrificing their privacy for you two, they are happy to do it but if you get into any trouble then it is a poor repayment if you risk your lives... ok that is it... now lets go to the Burrow so Molly can say how thin you look Harry" Dumbledore said

They entered the Burrow and everybody was in bed all except Mrs. Weasley

" Oh you're back already? I didn't expect you three to arrive until this morning" Mrs. Weasley said

" Yes well it was easier than I thought it would be" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye

" Yes, well would you like some tea before you go?" Mrs. Weasley asked

" No thank you Molly, I have much to do at school, Harry, Brenda, I'll see you two on September first" Dumbledore said and then left

Mrs. Weasley turned to Harry and Brenda, " Well you two had a long night, Brenda why don't you go up to bed, Harry sit down and I'll fix you something to eat, you're skin and bones"

" Yes Mrs. Weasley" Harry and Brenda said and did as they were told

" Oh Brenda before you go, Hermione is here she's also sharing Ginny's room" Mrs. Weasley said

Brenda nodded and asked, " What time did she get here?"

" She showed up a half hour after you left, along with my son Bill and his... fiancee Fleur Delacour" Mrs. Weasley said

" Your son is getting married to Fleur Delacour?" Brenda asked shocked

" Yes... and... I'm... very excited" Mrs. Weasley said with a smile but Harry and Brenda knew the smile was forced

" This will be interesting" Brenda thought to Harry

Harry agreed

" Well night" Brenda said

" Night" Mrs. Weasley and Harry said

Brenda quietly went upstairs and headed towards Ginny's room and she could make out another bed in the room

Brenda was excited and couldn't wait until she told Ginny and Hermione where she and Harry were last night but she decided to tell tomorrow, she was tired and talking old guys into things was a lot of hard work

The next day before the girls went down for breakfast Brenda told Ginny and Hermione where they went last night

" So Ginny I hear you're going to get a sister in law" Brenda said with a smile

Ginny rolled her eyes

" I take it you don't like her" Brenda said

" She and Bill came about a half hour after you left along with Hermione, by the way that was cool timing... anyway... she began talking to me like some sort of baby... it was like Umbridge talking to us again" Ginny said

Brenda and Hermione gave Ginny a sympathising look

" So who wants to go wake up my brothers?" Ginny asked with a sly grin

Brenda smiled and lifted up her eyebrow like the way Severus does all the time

" I don't even want to know what you're thinking Brenda" Ginny teased

" No you don't" Harry said coming in the room with Ron

" You heard that?" Brenda asked shocked, " I swear I was occluding my mind, oh I'm so sorry" Brenda's face turned as red as her hair and she went back to her bed and hid under the covers

" Please try to occlude harder" Harry said with a smirk

" Do I want to know what she was thinking?" Ron asked

" No" Harry and Brenda said at the same time, Harry still smirking and Brenda still under the covers

" You coming out any time soon?" Hermione asked

" No" Brenda said

" Oh relax Brenda, I'm only kidding, I didn't read your thoughts, but by the looks of things it's a good thing you were occluding" Harry said with a smile

Brenda took the blanket off her head and with her hair messed up gave her older brother a Snape glare and then smirked, " Oh now you're going to get it"

Brenda got off her bed and started chasing Harry around the room

" Um... should we help him?" Ron asked

" No, this is amusing" Ginny said with a grin

Harry was laughing while dodging his younger sister around the three beds

" How in the world can there be three beds in here and still enough room to move?" Harry asked

" Magic" Ginny said and rolled her eyes

" Gee Harry, five years and you still didn't know that" Brenda asked finally catching Harry and started attacking him with tickles, " If we were at Hogwarts, I'd be using the tickle charm right about now"

Not known to anybody but Harry and Brenda and now everybody in the room Harry was very ticklish and Harry couldn't help but laugh and giggle

" They're acting like children" Hermione said rolling her eyes

" Oh give them a break, after all that's happened to them" Ron said

" What's going on here?" Fred said coming in the room followed by George

" Doesn't anybody knock anymore?" Ginny asked

" Not when it seems like a party's going on in the room" George said amused

" Again, what's going on here?" Fred asked amused

" Looks like your girlfriend and her brother are having a tickling fight" George said

George was right, when Fred and George came in Brenda was distracted and Harry took his chance and started tickling his sister who was as ticklish as he was

" Should we help them?" George asked

Fred smirked, " I think a tickle charm on both of them will do the trick"

George smirked too and they both took out their wands and levitated the Potters off each other and laid them down on separate beds and cast the tickling charm on both of them

Both Harry and Brenda protested and begged to stop the tickling, it was beginning to be too much

Fred and George stopped two minutes later and the two gasping Potters were still laughing, oh it was so fun to laugh

" That was fun" Brenda said with a smile

" Yah, we needed that" Harry said, " Thanks guys"

Fred and George mock bowed

" So what started the tickle fight anyway?" Fred asked

Brenda's face turned red again

Harry smirked, " Just a bunch of teasing"

Brenda nodded

" You guys should tease each other more often, that was amusing" George said

Hermione rolled her eyes, " It was very childish"

" It was fun" Brenda said, " But it messed up my hair"

" No that was by you hiding your head under the covers when you thought I knew what you were thinking about doing to or with Fred to wake him up" Harry said

Brenda's face turned red again and she went back to the bed and hid under the covers again, " Oh I wish there was a memory erasing potion or somebody was good at Obliviate" Brenda whispered but everybody heard it

Fred chuckled and went to the bed and went under the covers as well, " We can still do whatever you were thinking of doing"

Brenda shook her head no, " I'm not in the mood anymore"

" I can put you back into the mood" Fred said with a smirk

Brenda smiled, " Hmm, maybe later"

" Sounds good to me" Fred said with a smile and they kissed before getting out from being under the covers

The group all headed down to the kitchen for breakfast after Brenda fixed her hair

" Well it's about time you lot came down here, I heard all of that noise upstairs I thought a heard of hippogriffs was running around" Mrs. Weasley said

" Sorry, we were in a middle of a tickle fight" Fred said with a grin

" Yah, Fred and George won" Ron said with a smirk

" Well I hope you lot worked yourselves an appetite because now it's breakfast" Mrs. Weasly said

Ten minutes into breakfast the group was interrupted by a squeal of joy

Harry, Brenda, it has been way too long" Fleur said and came rushing at them and gave them hugs

Brenda saw the disgusted look on Ginny's face when she hugged Harry

" I've been longing to see you two again, it's been so so long, you remember my sister Gabrielle don't you? Well she can't stop talking about how you two saved her life, she can't wait until she gets to see you two again at the wedding" Fleur said

" Um... congratulations" Harry said uneasy

" So... how long are you staying here?" Brenda asked

" A few days, Bill wants me to get to know his wonderful family" Fleur said, " But from what I can tell all there is to do around here is clean, cook and degnome the garden... well I better go, enjoy your breakfasts" Fleur left

Ron looked like he was in love, Ginny was mad looking and so was Mrs. Weasley

" I still love how they walk" Ron said

" Mum hates her" Ginny said

" I do not, I just think they're rushing into things, they only known each other for..." Mrs. Weasley started

" A year" Ron said

" Yes a year and now they're getting married? That is not enough time" Mrs. Weasley said then sighed, " I guess it's the same as the last time You know who was around, everybody getting married very early and settling down because they never knew if they were going to live to see the next day"

" You were like that too Mum, you and dad" Ginny reminded her

" Yes but we were meant for each other, Bill and Fleur have nothing in common, Bill is down to earth where Fleur is..." Mrs. Weasley started

" A cow?" Ginny helped with a grin but then frowned, " Bills not down to earth, he breaks curses for a living and likes the glamour, that's probably why he went with her"

" You know she is part Veela" Brenda said

" They are not meant for each other, and I'm going to do something about it, I don't know what, but something must be done, now everybody finish your breakfasts before they get cold" Mrs. Weasley said and then left

It was quiet for a while while everybody was finishing up breakfast and then went to Ron's bedroom to talk some more

" So... is Percy talking to you yet?" Harry asked

" Nope" Ron said

" But he knows that Voldemort is back and that everybody here was right" Harry said

" True, but Dumbledore says that it's far easier to forgive others for being wrong then for being right" Hermione said

" Brenda and I are going to be taking lessons from Dumbledore this year" Harry announced

Everybody was quiet after that announcement

" Why didn't you tell us?" Ron asked

" We were just told last night" Harry said

" Why are you getting lessons?" Hermione asked

Harry and Brenda looked at each other

" We don't know, but we think it has something to do with the... prophecy" Brenda said

Everybody was still quiet

" You know the one... the one that they were trying to steal at the Ministry last year" Harry said looking down at his plate

" But nobody knows what it said because it was smashed" Hermione said

" And the Prophet says" Ron began

" Well for once the Prophet was right" Brenda said

The Weasley's and Hermione gasped

" Yah shocking huh" Harry said with a sad smile

" How do you know about the prophecy?" George asked

" That was only a copy... a record, we heard the whole thing in Dumbledore's office, he was told it by the seer who foresaw it" Brenda said, " Harry and I are the ones who have to finish off Voldemort" Brenda looked at Harry

" Neither side can live while the other survives" Harry said

" Well that can mean anybody, we're on the side of good and the Death eaters are on the side of evil" Ron said

" No that's not what it means, Good is Harry and I, evil is Voldemort" Brenda said and watched as the Weasley's shivered

" Are... aren't you two afraid?" Ginny asked

Harry and Brenda looked at each other

" We were at first but then we realized we already knew we had to face him in the end" Harry explained

" But that's a lot to put on two fifteen or sixteen year old shoulders" Hermione said

" Well that's the life of being a Potter" Harry and Brenda joked

" That's probably the reason for the extra lessons with Dumbledore, he knows that you will defeat him" Ron said excitedly

" I wonder what he'll be teaching you" Hermione said

" Some really advanced stuff that they never taught us in school" George said excitedly

" Speaking of school, I wonder when our OWL results are going to come in, I mean it's been about a month" Hermione said

Brenda smiled, " They're coming in today, well that's what Dumbledore said anyway"

" TODAY! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US SOONER?" Hermoine yelled in excitement, " I wonder if they're here now, come on lets go down and see"

Brenda smiled and was right behind Hermione

" Leave it to Hermione and Brenda to be down and into the kitchen before we even get up from our seats just to see some grades" Ron said

" Face it Ron, those two care about their grades a lot, and they're not going to change" Harry said walking down the stairs slowly with Ron behind him, when they got down they saw the girls just looking out the window waiting

" No such luck huh?" Ron asked with a grin

The girls glared at Ron

" Don't worry, it's only 10:00, there is plenty of time" Ron said.

Almost if by magic four black dots were flying towards the Burrow

" I think that's them" Brenda said excitedly

" Oh no, oh no, I know I messed up on Ancient Runes, oh this is so frustrating I want them to come but then again I don't want them to come... oh I'm not making any sense" Hermione said and put her hands on her head and began pacing back and forth waiting for the black dots to get closer

" Don't worry, I know what you're saying and I'm saying you need to relax, you're great in school, you're going to pass everything with flying colors" Brenda said trying to reassure her friend

Hermione smiled

Finally the owls came to the window and held out their legs and waited patiently for the students to take their letters, when the owls were off again the students opened them up

Harry got an A in Astronomy, an E in Care of Magical Creatures, an E in Charms, an O in Defense Against the Dark Arts, a P in Divination, an E in Herbology, a D in History of Magic, an E in potions and an E in Transfiguration

Brenda got an E in Astronomy, an O in Care of Magical Creatures, an O in Charms, an O in Defense Against the Dark Arts, an A in Divination, an O in Herbology an O in History of Magic, an O in Potions and an O in Transfiguration

Ron got an A in Astronomy, an E in Care of Magical Creatures, an A in Charms, an E in Defense Against the Dark Arts, a P in Divination, an E in Herbology, a P in History of Magic a A in Potions and an E in Transfiguration

Hermione got an O in Astronomy, an O in Care of Magical Creatures, an O in Charms, an E in Defense Against the Dark Arts, an O in Ancient Runes, an O in Herbology, an O in History of Magic an O in Potions and an O in Transfiguration

" YES AN O IN DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS Ha beat that Umbridge" Brenda cheered

Harry smiled but it didn't reach his eyes

" Harry what's wrong?" Brenda asked

" I got an E in potions and Snape only lets people with Os get into his NEWT class, there goes my Auror plan" Harry said with a sigh

" I'm sorry, we should have studied harder" Brenda said a little down

" No, we studied enough, thanks to you I got an E, I could have gotten an A or a P if it wasn't for you, you helped me a lot" Harry said with a genuine smile

Brenda smiled

" So Hermione what did you get?" Ron asked

" Oh... I did alright" Hermione said with a grin

Ron looked at Hermione's scores and smirked, "You got nine Os and one E and you're disappointed aren't you?"

Hermione blushed

" RON I CAN'T BELIEVE IT YOU GOT NINE OWLS, THAT'S MORE THEN FRED AND GEORGE GOT PUT TOGETHER" Mrs. Weasley cheered and wrapped her youngest son in a strong bear hug, " Oh you all did so well, this calls for a celebration dinner, I'm going to make everybody's favorite dinner as a celebration, now what does everybody like?"

Everybody told Mrs. Weasley what sounded good to them and that night Mrs. Weasly went overboard on dinner and there were leftovers for weeks

The summer flew by with not much to do, the students found themselves playing Quidditch mostly Potters vs. Weasleys with Hermione as the referee because she didn't like flying on brooms. There were only five of them because Fred and George had to go to their shop everyday, which is in Diagon Alley. During the weeks the Daily Prophet reported deaths and disappearances, and even sometimes Mr. Weasley would come home with news that haven't hit the Prophet yet.

It was finally July 31 AKA Harry and Brenda's birthday, Mrs. Weasley was trying to make it as good as it can get but it was hard because during the party Remus Lupin came in looking warn out and told everybody about the dementor attacks and how Igor Karkaroff was found dead in a shack in the North with the Dark Mark above the shack

" I'm surprised Karkaroff lasted a year, Sirius's brother Regulus only lasted a few months" Lupin said

" Can we please talk about something different?" Mrs. Weasley asked but was ignored

" Did you hear about Florean Fortescue?" Bill asked

" The guy who runs the ice cream place in Diagon Alley?" Brenda asked

" He gave me free icecreams a few years ago" Harry said, " What happened to him?"

" Well by the looks of things he was dragged off" Bill said, " Shame, he was a good man"

" Why would they drag him off?" Ron asked

" Don't know, he must have upset them somehow" Bill said

" They took Olivander too" Lupin said

" The wandmaker?" Ginny gasped

Lupin nodded

" How will first years get their wands now?" Ginny asked

" There are other wandmakers, he was just the best" Lupin said

The Potters birthday was not a happy one

The next day everybody got their book lists and to Harry's surprise he was made Quidditch Captain

" Wow, Quidditch Captain, that means you have the same privilages as Prefects" Hermione said excitedly

" I remember when Charlie wore one of these" Ron said holding it to get a better look

" Just another thing to worry about" Harry thought miserably but he looked happy on the outside

" Well I guess we can't put off going to Diagon Alley any longer" Mrs. Weasley said with a sigh, " We'll go on Saturday as long as your father doesn't have to work, I am not going without him and neither are any of you"

" Yes mam" The students said at the same time

" I can't wait until we go, I want to see Fred and George's shop" Ron said

Later that day George floo called Mrs. Weasley and told her that he and Fred are going to stay at the shop and get it ready for the school shopping to start, Mrs. Weasley was very nervous and worried and only agreed to it when Fred and George promised to put up wards around the shop and promised to floo call every hour

Finally Saturday came and Mrs. Weasley was still very nervous about going to Diagon Alley

" Mum I got everybody's money from Gringgotts, the lines are huge in Diagon Alley" Bill said

" Thank you Bill" Mrs. Weasley said, " That's one less stop we need to make then"

" So are we flooing there?" Ron asked

" No, your father got us cars to take us" Mrs. Weasley said, " We are going to be very secure, we're going to have top security with us as well"

" Oh yah, Aurors with us while we shop" Brenda thought sarcastically

Harry agreed

" Mrs. Weasley the cars are here" Hermione said

" Oh good, well everybody grab your cloaks and head out" Mrs. Weasley said

Everybody who was going to Diagon Alley listened to Mrs. Weasley and headed out to the cars

When they got to the Leaky Cauldron the driver asked, " How long will you be?"

" A few hours why?" Mrs. Weasley asked

" I'm supposed to wait here for you lot to return" The driver said

Mrs. Weasley nodded her thanks and everybody got out of the car

" Oh look here" Mr. Weasley said

Instead of Aurors like the Potters thought it was Hagrid

The students gave Hagrid a hug

" Buckbeak... I mean Witherwings is happy to be back in the fresh air" Hagrid announced

" That's great Hagrid, we didn't know security meant you" Harry said

" I know, just like old times isn't it?" Hagrid asked

Brenda smiled and agreed with Harry who nodded yes

" The Ministry wanted to send a bunch of Aurors but Dumbledore said that I'd do" Hagrid said

" Dumbledore is right" Brenda said

" I think we should get going" Mrs. Weasley said

" After you, after all Ladies are first" Hagrid said

Mrs. Weasley smiled and led the group to Diagon Alley

When they got to Diagon Alley, the students noticed that it changed a lot, when there were many windows with many colorful items were now Ministry posters of escaped criminals and posters of the missing, and security advice. There were shops that were boarded up as well like the ice cream Parlor, and Olivanders, there were also shabby looking shops or stands selling worthless junk

" So where should we go first?" Mrs. Weasley asked

" I need some new robes" Hermione said

" Ok we'll go to Madame Malkins first and everybody but Ginny needs new robes" Mrs. Weasly said

" Molly it doesn't make sense if we all go to Madame Malkins, kids give me your school lists and we'll get your books for you" Mr. Weasley said

" I don't know? Hagrid what do you think?" Mrs. Weasley asked, she was afraid of splitting up the group

" They'll be fine with me Molly, go get the books" Hagrid said

Mrs. Weasley nodded and the Potters and Hermione gave her their money to pay for the books, they kept enough to pay for the robes

Ginny went with her parents while the four others went into the robe shop and the first thing they noticed was a familiar voice, one of a blond Slytherin that is sometimes mistaken for a ferret, he was complaining about not being a child and that he can do his shopping alone

" If you're wondering what that smell is mother, A mudblood just entered the shop" Malfoy said

All of a sudden there were three wands pointed at Malfoy's face

" You three he's not worth it" Hermione said

" There is no need for that kind of language Mr. Malfoy and I do not want wands drawn in my shop" Malkin chastised

" Yah you don't want to use magic outside of school Potters" Malfoy said

" Put your wands away" Mrs. Malfoy said, " If you ever attack my son again, I assure you it will be the last thing you will ever do"

" Really?" Brenda asked mock surprised, " What are you going to do? Send Death Eaters after us?”

" Already had that happen" Harry said

" Twice" Brenda said, " And both times we faced Voldemort"

" Please don't say his name" Malkin said, " And put your wands away"

They didn't listen

" I see that being Dumbledore's favorites has given you two a sense of false security Potters, you must learn that Dumbledore may not always be there to protect you" Mrs. Malfoy said

" Hmm, look at that, he's not here" Harry said, " Why not have a go right now?

" I'm sure they can place you in the cell that your husband is in in Azkaban" Brenda said

" DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER LIKE THAT POTTER" Malfoy yelled and tripped over his long robe to get down

" It's alright Draco, I suspect that the Potter Twins will be reuinited with their Godfather before I am reunited with Lucius" Mrs. Malfoy said

Both Harry and Brenda raised their wands up higher to the point of Mrs. Malfoy's nose

" You guys don't, you'll be in so much trouble" Hermione said

" Um... I think a little more shall do the trick" Malkin said and poked Malfoy again

" OW Mother I don't think I want these anymore, now that I know what kind of scum shop here" Malfoy said taking off the robes

" That's right, we'll take our business somewhere else" Mrs. Malfoy said

" Good because Madame Malkin doesn't want Death Eater scum in her store" Brenda said with a smirk before the Malfoys headed out the door

The Malfoys stopped and stood there for a minute and then kept on walking

" Honestly so immature" Hermione said

" Well they deserved that" Brenda said

It took Madame Malkin an hour to do all of the robes and she was quite glad to get rid of the four

" So did you get your robes?" Hagrid asked

The four nodded

Before anything else was said Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley and Ginny came back with packages

" Are you all done?" Mrs. Weasley asked

The four nodded

" Good now we just need to go to the Apothecary then we can go to Fred and George's joke shop" Mrs. Weasley said

Hermione, Brenda and Ginny got their items for Potions, Harry and Ron didn't because they don't have Potions anymore, their next stop was Weasley's Wizard Weezes

" We don't have a long time, just a quick look around and then it's back to the car" Mrs. Weasley said

The students nodded

Brenda was excited to see her boyfriend again, it's been days since she saw him last

They walked to Weasley's Wizard Weezes and the first thing that caught everybodies eyes was the sign on the window that said, " WHY ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT YOU KNOW WHO? YOU SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT YOU NO POO. THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION THATS GRIPPING THE NATION!

The students were laughing including Hermione but Mrs. Weasley just gasped

" They'll be murdered in their beds" Mrs. Weasley gasped

" No they won't this is brilliant" Ron said still laughing

" Come on lets go in already" Brenda said just getting her breathing back

" I'll stay out here, it looks very crowded” Hagrid said

The group went inside the very crowded shop, they couldn't get to the shelves but they could tell that the items were brilliant if they were this popular

Finally Fred and George saw the Weasley hair and the other three who were family in all but blood

" Hi you lot" George said

Fred didn't say anything, he was in the middle of a kiss from Brenda. When they broke apart the Weasley's, Hermione and Harry were looking at them

" What?" Brenda asked

" It's been days" Fred said with a grin

" Anyway, now that Romeo and Juliet are done, let us give you the grand tour" George said

It took about 15 minutes for the grand tour

" How about you lot have a look around" Fred suggested

" I don't know" Mrs. Weasly said

" Mum, we're inside a secure building, everybody is fine" George said

" Oh All right, only for a bit though" Mrs. Weasley said

The students broke off in each direction

" Brenda, Harry a word please" Fred said and led them in the back

" We want to show you two our serious items" George said

" Serious items in a joke shop" Harry joked

Fred and George nodded

" At first it was just funny, hats that has the wearer protected by a jinx or hex, kind of like the protection charm you two taught us in DA, but the aurors haven't had the training that you taught us so we made these" George said

" It won't protect them from unforgivables though but aurors have been ordering these things left and right and we decided to expand with other articles of clothing" Fred said

" And then we decided to go all Defense Against The Dark Arts" George said excitedly, " Instant Darkness Powder, Decoy Detenators, drop them and they make noise in the other direction"

" Wow handy" Harry said

" Here" Fred said tossing a few Darkness powders and Decoy Detenators to both Harry and Brenda

Harry and Brenda dug in their pockets for their money but Fred and George shook their heads

" You're not paying here" Fred explained

" Why?" Brenda asked

" You guys taught us how to defend ourselves, it's the least we can do" George said

" Are you sure?" Harry asked

" Positive" Fred said, " Plus, you two could use these things while facing..." Fred didn't finish

They exited the back and headed towards the front where Hermione and Ginny were

" Have we shown you the Pygmy puffs yet?" Fred asked

" No" Ginny said excitedly

" Follow us" George said and the group was led over to the Pygmy puffs

" Oh there really cute" Ginny cooed

" They're miniture puffskeins" George said

" And we can't breed them faster" Fred said

" Mum can I have a Pygmy puff?" Ginny asked

" A what?" Mrs. Weasley asked trying to get to her daughter who was at the front of the group of people, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Brenda got out of Mrs. Weasley's way and went to the window where it was less crowded and looked out of it, they saw Draco Malfoy sneaking off

" Gee I wonder where his mummy's at" Brenda said

" Probably gave her the slip, from the looks of it" Ron said

" I wonder why" Hermione said

Harry looked around and saw that everybody was busy and wouldn't notice them for a while

" You thinking what I'm thinking?" Brenda thought

Harry nodded and both Potters got out their invisibility cloaks

" Get under here quick" Harry said to Ron and Brenda said to Hermione

" I don't know" Hermione said

" Oh come on" Brenda said impatiently

Hermione sighed and then went under Brenda's cloak and the four of them vanished

They quietly followed Malfoy down into Knockturn Alley which looked deserted and followed him into Borgin and Burkes

" This is the only place I have been into down here" Harry whispered and thought to Brenda to tell to Hermione

" What was he doing down here?" Hermione whispered

" When he flooed for the first time in Second year" Brenda whispered back

They stood to the right side of the building where a window was at and saw that Malfoy was talking to Mr. Borgin

" I wish we could hear what they're saying" Hermione said

" We can" Ron said excitedly and took from his pocket Extendable ears and slid them inside the door

They heard Malfoy saying, " Do you know how to fix it?"

" Possibly, if you bring it to the shop because I'll need to see it" Borgin said

" I can't, just tell me how to fix it" Malfoy said

" Well without actually seeing it it would be difficult possibly impossible" Borgin said

" Well maybe this will make it easier?" Malfoy asked and gave Borgin something

" Must be money" Ron said

" Tell anybody and people will be notified" Malfoy said, " Oh and a family friend Fenir Greyback will be dropping by from time to time to make sure you're fixing the problem"

" There's no need for" Borgin was interrupted

" I will be the judge of that" Malfoy said, " Oh and keep that one safe... I'll need it"

" Perhaps you'd like it now?" Borgin asked

" NO OF COURSE NOT YOU STUPID MAN" Malfoy yelled, " How would I look carrying that down the street? Just don't sell it"

" Of... of course not sir" Borgin said

" Not a word to anyone, not even my mother you understand?" Malfoy asked

" Yes sir" Borgin said again

Malfoy left the building

" Wonder what that was about" Harry said

" Well lets worry about that later, we need to go back to Fred and George's before we are missed" Hermione said and they headed back towards Weasly's Wizard Weezes

During the last few weeks of summer, all that Harry thought about was what Malfoy was doing in Knockturn Alley, personally it was getting on Brenda's nerves because Harry would keep thinking questions to her

" Harry if you have any other questions, ask Hermione or Ron, I gave you all of my ideas" Brenda said annoyed and she was trying to get back to her potions book

" What do you think that one is though?" Harry asked

" I don't know, it could be anything" Brenda said and then smiled, " Maybe it's another possessed diary" She joked

Harry glared at her

" What? You never know, just please stop obsessing about it" Brenda said

Harry sighed and went over to Ron and Hermione and asked them questions but they also were getting annoyed

" What if he replaced his father as a Death Eater" Harry asked

" Harry, Malfoy's sixteen, he's not old enough" Brenda said

" How do you know?" Harry asked

" Hello, my dad's a spy" Brenda said

" You know I still can't believe you actually replaced our real dad with Snape" Harry said

" Oh no not this argument again" Brenda said rolling her eyes, " I never replaced our real dad with Snape, I was just adopted by him"

" Yet you call him dad" Harry put in

" Because he is, legally anyway" Brenda said, " I can't believe we're arguing about this now, it's been three years since I've been adopted"

" I just like bringing it up sometimes" Harry explained, " So back on the reason why Malfoy can't be a Death Eater"

" He's too young" Hermione said

" Can we please get off the Malfoy topic?" Brenda asked, " Lets finish packing so we're ready to leave tomorrow, it seems like we always just make it on the train"

Ron and Hermione agreed and it was three against one so Harry dropped the Malfoy topic... for now

The next day they were actually ready for once and they were escorted to the cars that Mr. Weasley rented by aurors and escorted to the train also by aurors

Fred and George were also at Kings Cross station

Brenda smiled and ran to Fred giving him a kiss

" You didn't think I'd let you leave without having a proper goodbye now did you?" Fred asked with a smirk

Brenda shook her head no with a smile

" Now do you have those firecrackers that I gave you?" Fred asked

Brenda smirked and nodded yes

" Make sure our legacy lives on" George said

" Fred, George, what firecrackers?" Mrs. Weasley asked with a glare, " Brenda you better not do what these two did last year"

" That was so wicked" Ron said to Harry

" Yah" Harry agreed

" I'm not going to do that" Brenda promised Mrs. Weasley

Mrs. Weasly nodded and began talking to Ginny

" That took to much planning" Brenda whispered, " And my dad works there"

" Yah theres that little glitch, I hope you don't get into too much trouble with him" Fred said

" I won't, I'm going to use the fireworks very wisely" Brenda said with a smirk

Fred and George smirked and then Fred gave Brenda another kiss

" I love you" Fred said

" I love you too" Brenda said

The warning whistle blew

" You lot it's time to get on the train" Mrs. Weasley ushered the underaged students on

" Now you lot are all coming home to us for Christmas, it is all worked out with Dumbledore" Mrs. Weasley said to the Potters and Hermione, " Now make sure you're looking after yourselves and be good and stay safe"

The train whistle blew and started to move

The group waved bye to the Weasleys until they were just a speck in the distance

The four of them looked for a compartment and when they were looking there were people staring at Harry and Brenda

" Great we were gawked at for "Lying, and now we're being gawked at for actually telling the truth" Brenda thought to Harry

Harry sighed

The group managed to sit next to Neville and Luna

" Hi you guys" Neville said

" Hi Neville, Luna" The other four said and took their seats

Luna was reading the Quibbler

" So is the Quibbler still going strong?" Brenda asked

" Very" Luna said

" So is this what it feels like to be you two?" Neville asked

" What?" Harry asked

" Being stared at all the time" Neville said, " Everybody keeps staring at us

" That's because you were also at the Ministry" Brenda said

" I thought my gran would be mad about all of the publicity but she's not, she's proud, she says I'm finally living up to my parent's expectations" Neville said

" So are we going to still have the DA meetings?" Luna asked

" Um" Brenda said looking at Harry

" There's no point now that Umbridge is gone" Harry said

" Oh" Luna said sadly, " The DA was actually fun, I felt like I actually had friends"

The group looked really uncomfortable and there was also an uncomfortable silence

" So... What did everybody get on their OWLs?" Hermione asked breaking the tension

That's what everybody talked about for a long while until they were interrupted by a third year girl who had three letters

" I'm supposed to give these two Harry Potter, Brenda Potter and Neville Longbottom" The girl said

The said sixth years took their letters and opened them, they were invitations to lunch from Slughorn

" Who's professor Slughorn?" Neville asked

" New teacher" Harry said, " Well I guess we have to go"

Brenda really didn't want to go out of the compartment, she didn't like being gawked at

" Hey do you think we can go under the invisiblility cloaks?" Brenda asked

" Why?" Harry asked, " To see what Malfoy is up to?"

" No, so we are not gawked at" Brenda said

" Yah that sounds like a good idea" Harry agreed

The three got under the two invisibility cloaks and headed towards Slughorns compartment

They took the cloaks off when they were outside the compartment and then knocked on the door

Slughorn opened and greeted them and then introduced them to the rest of the group he invited, Blaise Zabini, Cormac McLaggan, Marcus Belby and Ginny

The group all had cold pheasant for lunch and Slughorn was talking about the people he knew that others knew who were well known or influential, Marcus Belby and Cormac McLaggan had uncles that Slughorn liked, Blaise Zabini had a famous mother, Slughorn talked about how wonderful Neville's parents were as aurors and then Slughorn turned to Harry and Brenda

" Harry and Brenda Potter... where to begin with you two... from the Twins that Lived too... the Chosen Ones" Slughorn said

Harry and Brenda didn't say anything but they could feel their faces heating

" Of course there were rumors" Slughorn said, " I remember that night... James and Lily, well after that night people been saying that you two have powers beyond the ordinary"

Harry saw Zabini roll his eyes and scoffed

" I don't see you doing anything heroic" Ginny said to Zabini

Zabini glared at Ginny

" I'd be careful around this one, I just caught her casting a great bat bogey hex" Slughorn warned

The rest of the time was talking about the chosen ones and talking about the prophet, Harry and Brenda mostly tuned out of everything and only answered when they heard somebody say their names, finally after the topic was finally not on the Chosen ones Slughorn talked about his group called the Slug Club that he runs at Hogwarts

" You want to get out of here?" Harry thought to Brenda

" I wanted to get out of here once he started talking about us" Brenda thought back

They couldn't figure out how to politely leave but finally Slughorn got out of his musing and looked outside

" Oh look at the time, it's dark already, time flies when you're having fun, well I think it's time for you lot to get your robes on, I expect we're going to be arriving soon" Slughorn said

The students all got out of the compartment and went to their own compartments to get their robes

" I'm glad that's over" Neville said, " Strange man isn't he?"

" Yes, I can't believe he saw me hex Zacharias Smith" Ginny said with a smile, " And I didn't get in trouble for it, I was sure I was going to get a detention"

" Why did you hex Smith?" Brenda asked

" He kept asking me what went on in the Ministry and he wouldn't stop pestering me about it" Ginny said, " So I hexed him and instead of detention, he invited me to lunch"

" Well that's a better reason then having a famous mother or uncle" Harry said glaring at the back of Zabini's head, " Hey I'll catch up later with you, I have an idea"

" Harry don't do anything stupid" Brenda said

" I won't" Harry reasured her and he took his invisibility cloak out

" Ok now I know you're doing something stupid, Harry" Brenda started

" Shh, I'll meet up with you later" Harry said

" Harry" Brenda started

" Shh, I'll keep you updated as well" Harry said

Brenda sighed, there was no point, once Harry had an idea, he stuck with it... of course so did she but she wasn't the one who was being reckless

Brenda, Ginny and Neville went one way and Harry followed Zabini into the compartment where the sixth year Slytherins were at

 

Harry kept Brenda updated on everything that Harry heard went on in the compartment. She got worried when Harry stopped thinking to her

She was about to go investigate when the train stopped and people were getting off, she couldn't get to the compartment

" This is not good" Brenda thought to herself and then looked relieved when she spotted the shocking pink hair

Brenda went over to Tonks

" Why hello Brenda" Tonks said with a smile then saw the worried look on Brenda's face, " What's wrong?"

" Harry, He's in a compartment and he won't answer my thinking link" Brenda said

" Which compartment?" Tonks asked

Brenda discribed to Tonks where the compartment is at and that he has his invisibility cloak with him

" I'll get him out, you just head up to the castle" Tonks said

Brenda nodded her thanks and ran to catch up with her friends

Harry didn't come into the Great Hall until before pudding, he was escorted by Snape who looked like he wasn't happy that his meal was interrupted by a brat that lived

Harry sat down and before he could grab a chicken leg the food disappeared and was replaced by desserts

" Harry what happened to you?" Hermione asked

" Not now" Harry said grumpily

" No it's your face" Ron said

" What's wrong with it?" Harry asked

Brenda sighed and took out her wand, " Tergeo" The blood went away and she ended up glaring at Harry

" Thanks" Harry said sheepishly, " So how's my nose looking?"

" Normal" Hermione said, " Why shouldn't it? Harry what happened? We've been worried sick"

" And what happened that you couldn't think to me anymore?" Brenda asked

" I'll tell you later" Harry said, " So what did I miss?"

" Sorting" Brenda said taking a cookie

" Hat say anything interesting?" Harry asked taking a piece of treacle tart

" Same old stuff" Ron said

" Dumbledore say anything interesting?" Harry asked

" Surprisingly he hasn't said the important things yet, he hasn't introduced the new professor yet if that's what you're wondering" Hermione said

" What about Voldemort?" Harry asked

Brenda shook her head no

Before Harry could ask anything else Dumbledore got up to make his speech and everybody gasped because everybody saw his blackened hand

" What happened to his hand?" Hermione gasped

Dumbledore looked at his blackened hand and smiled, " Nothing to worry about. Now to our new students, welcome! To our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you all"

" His hand was like that when he talked to us over the summer" Harry said

" You'd think it would have been cured by now" Brenda said

" Mr. Filch our caretaker has asked me to say that everything from Weasley's Wizard Weezes is banned, those of you wishing to play for Quidditch should sign up and give their names to their heads of houses... we are pleased to welcome our new member of the staff this year Professor Slughorn" Dumbledore said

Professor Slughorn stood up

" Professor Slughorn is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post as Potions master" Dumbledore said

All of a sudden the room was filled with surprised shocks and whispers of potions

Brenda gasped in shock and her mouth was dropped in shock and surprise and her eyes were wide

" What in Merlin's name?" Brenda began

" Professor Snape, meanwhile" Dumbledore said loudly so he could be heard over the whispers, " Will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher"

Brenda and Harry both gasped

" But I thought Slughorn was going to be the DADA teacher" Ron said

" I thought he was" Harry said

" Dad got his job, he's been wanting it for years" Brenda whispered with a smile, but then she frowned, " He'll be gone by next year somehow"

" What do you mean?" Ron asked

" The job is jinxed, nobody has lasted more than a year" Brenda said

" Eh, he'll probably just go back to teaching Potions next year" Ron said

" I hope you're right" Brenda said

Dumbledore waited until the Hall quieted down, the four Gryffindors weren't the only ones talking, when everybody did quiet down, Dumbledore started talking about Voldemort

" Now everybody in this school knows that Voldemort is back" Dumbledore said, " I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous our present situation is and how much care Hogwarts must take to make sure each and every one of you is safe this year. The castles magical wards have been strengthened during the summer and we are now protected in new and better ways, but we still must be on our guard at all times and if you see anything suspicious please tell a staff member. Remember the rules are set for your own safety please follow them. Now it is time for bed because lessons start tomorrow"

Everybody in the Great Hall got up and headed towards their houses, the first years like always followed the Prefects

" So what happened to your nose?" Ron asked

Harry sighed and told him the story

" I thought I saw Malfoy miming something that had to do with a nose" Ron said

" What does that have to do with you not thinking to me?" Brenda asked

" That I did on purpose" Harry said sheepishly

" I told you not to" Brenda said with a sigh

" That's why I wasn't thinking to you" Harry said

" And look where it got you, I was worried sick, it's a good thing Tonks was there or you could have been in more trouble then just points being docked off" Brenda said

" Yah yah, ok never mind the seventy points docked, listen to what I have to say" Harry said

Harry told the group that Malfoy was talking about not going to be at school next year

" Come on Harry, he was only showing off for Parkinson, you know he likes her" Ron said, " But I don't know why"

" Besides what kind of mission do you think Voldemort would have for him?" Brenda asked

" Well how do you know Voldemort doesn't need somebody at Hogwarts? It wouldn't be the first, lets see theirs Quirrell, Pettigrew, and Crouch" Harry said

" You know who didn't know about Pettigrew, he was only a rat" Ron said

" True, but he was still a follower" Harry said

" Not to mention a betrayer" Brenda said with a glare

" Ok lets get on a new topic" Hermione said

" I agree with Hermione" Hagrid said coming up from behind them, " Harry how come you were late? I was worried"

" I was held up on the train" Harry said

" I was a little late myself, I was with Gwarp" Hagrid said happily, "He has a new home now in the mountains in a big cave"

Everybody smiled at the news

" Well anyway got Care of Magical Creatures first thing tomorrow, come early then you can say hi to Buck... um Witherwings" Hagrid said with a smile and then left

The four students looked guilty

" You're not taking Care of Magical Creatures either?" Harry asked

The other three shook their heads no feeling guilty

" I hope he'll forgive us over time" Hermione said

" Knowing Hagrid he will, he is a big softy most of the time" Brenda said

The four headed up towards Gryffindor Tower

 

The next morning before they were due down into the Great Hall for breakfast, the four were in the Common room discussing Malfoy again, well Harry was and the others were just listening, getting really annoyed at Harry's obsession. Harry finally started talking about something else when he saw that others were looking at him and first years started pointing

" You know it's really rude to point" Ron said to a first year who was close by

The first year got scared and ran away from the group

" It's so great being a sixth year, we have free periods where we can just relax or do whatever we want" Ron said with a satisfied sigh

" We need that time to study Ron" Hermione said

" Not on the first day" Ron pointed

" We haven't even had class yet, we might have homework to do" Brenda said

Ron rolled his eyes

" You know we should get to the Great Hall for breakfast, McGonagall might hand out the schedules early" Brenda said

The other three nodded and they headed down towards breakfast

When they first got to the Great Hall the saw Hagrid waving happily at them and they waved back guilty

" He can't honestly think we'd take his class again does he?" Ron asked

" Well we were the only ones who showed enthusiasm in it" Brenda pointed out

" That was because Hagrid was the professor, he doesn't honestly think we liked the class?" Ron asked

Brenda shrugged

" Lets just sit down and eat" Harry said, " We'll worry about Hagrid's feelings later, when our stomachs are full and we're fully awake"

The other three nodded

When McGonagall did hand out the schedules it was different, because McGonagall had to make sure the students had the grade they needed to take the NEWT level classes. Harry was shocked when McGongall told him that he could take Potions

" But I didn't get an O" Harry said

" That is only Professor Snape's rule, not Professor Slughorn's" McGongall said

" I don't have my book or any supplies" Harry said

" I'm sure Professor Slughorn has an extra book and supplies you can borrow until you get some of your own" McGongall said with a smile

Harry smiled back and nodded

McGongall went on to the next student

" This is so great Harry, now you can become an Auror when you graduate" Brenda said excitedly

Harry smiled

The group heard McGongall tell Neville that he couldn't get into NEWT Transfiguration with an Acceptable and they could hear the disappointment in Neville's voice, McGongall suggested Charms but Neville said that his gran thought that was a pathetic class. McGongall told Neville that it isn't, just because his gran didn't get a good grade in that class, that cheered Neville up and he was smiling when he left the Great Hall

On the Sixth years schedules, they had first period free and during that period Brenda read as much as she could in her D.A.D.A. book because their first class was Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Snape

" So is this going to be your favorite class then?" Ron asked

" I don't know, so far Potions is still my favorite class and Defense Against the Dark Arts is my second, it's not the teacher Ronald, it's the class... except for last year, then… it was the teacher" Brenda said

" You never call me Ronald" Ron gasped

Brenda shrugged and smirked

" Tell you one thing, I am excited for Defense Against the Dark Arts, I haven't seen dad for about three months" Brenda said

" You actually missed the G...” Ron started then saw the look on Brenda's face. “guy?" Ron finished lamely

" Yes I do" Brenda said and that was all she said on that topic

" He's her dad, of course she'd miss him" Hermione said

" I just don't see it that's all" Ron said, " What's there to like about him?"

" We'll never see it Ronald, but obviously she does" Hermione said

They finally got to the D.A.D.A. class room and took their seats, none of the students were talking knowing what to expect with this Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher since they had him every year for Potions

Snape came billowing in the classroom in his black robes

Automatically everybody was getting out their D.A.D.A. books

" I have not asked you to take out your books" Snape said

Everybody ceased in taking out their books and their full attention was on the professor

" I wish to speak to you and I want your fullest attention" Snape said

He really didn't need to say fullest attention because he was getting everybody's fullest attention

" You lot have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe" Snape began but nobody spoke, " Naturally, these teachers will all have had their own methods and priorties. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L. in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T. work, which will be much more advanced"

Still nobody said anything knowing for a fact Snape wasn't done speaking

" The Dark Arts" Snape began, " Are many, varied, ever changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible"

" Sounds like something from the Hercules cartoon" Seamus whispered to himself

" Five points from Gryffindor for talking Mr. Finnigin" Snape said

Brenda looked at Seamus and rolled her eyes, " He knows better than to whisper to himself, dad has ears like a deer, he can hear everything" She thought to herself

Harry was staring at Snape with wide eyes, it was one thing to think of the dark arts as a dangerous enemy, but Snape was speaking of them with a loving caress in his voice

" Now as I was saying before I was interrupted, your defenses must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo" Snape said, " You are, I believe, complete novices in the use of nonverbal spells, what is the advantage of a nonverbal spell?"

Both Hermione's and Brenda's hands shot straight up

Snape looked at both girls and rolled his eyes, " Very well... Ms. Granger?"

" Your opponent has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform" Hermione said with a smile

Snape nodded, " Anything else?"

Brenda raised her hand

" Ms. Potter?" Snape said

" It gives you about a split second advantage but one second could mean life or death" Brenda said, "But it is very hard, not everybody can do this, it's mostly a combination of concentration and mind power"

" You both are correct, yes, some witches and wizards... lack the concentration and mind power" Snape said and Harry scowled when Snape's attention went to him when he said lack

" Ok you now will all divide into pairs, one partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking, the other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence... you may begin" Snape said and he returned to his desk

Everybody divided up into partners and began trying to say the jinxes silently

Much to Brenda's disappointment she ended up with Malfoy since he and she were the only ones who didn't get a partner right away because they both looked like they wanted to talk to Snape so they lagged behind a bit

" Well this will be fun" Brenda thought sarcastically

Ten to fifteen minutes into it Hermione was the first one to cast a silent jinx at Neville

Another five minutes later Brenda and Malfoy were yelling jinxes at each other and had to be broken up by Snape

" What's going on here?" Snape asked in a no nonsense tone

" He started talking bad about my godfather" Brenda said

" She started talking bad about my aunt Bellatrix" Malfoy said

" Yah well your insane aunt was the one who killed my godfather" Brenda spat and glared

" Your godfather was that stupid Sirius Black" Malfoy said

" Yah and your aunt is an insane old hag who needs to rot in Azkaban like her husband" Brenda spat

Malfoy raised his wand and was just about to hex Brenda when both wands flew out of their hands and landed in Snape's hands

" Enough both of you... Class dissmissed, Ms. Potter, Mr. Malfoy you two stay" Snape said

" Merlin first day back and I'm already in trouble with him" Brenda thought bitterly

Snape sat behind his desk and with his wand dragged to chairs up to his desk, " Take a seat"

They both sat after hesitating for a minute

" Now I want you two to calmly tell me what happened" Snape said

They both began talking at once

" ONE AT A TIME" Snape yelled to be heard

They stopped talking and looked at each other and began talking again

Snape rolled his eyes and cast two silencios and waited five seconds until the two teens realized what was done to them

" Now then calmly tell me what happened" Snape said trying to get his anger under control then released Brenda from the silencio curse first

Malfoy's eyes went wide with surprise

" Relax Mr. Malfoy, haven't you heard the term ladies first?" Snape asked

Malfoy scowled but then Snape released Malfoy from the curse

" It looks like I can't get an answer from you two without you two fighting, so this is what we're going to do, you both will have separate detentions with me tonight, Malfoy yours will be at 7:00, Potter yours will be at 8:00, you do not need to bring anything, got it?" Snape asked

" Yes sir" Malfoy and Brenda said at the same time

" Now get out of here" Snape dismissed them

 

To Brenda's relief Harry, Ron and Hermione waited for her after class

" What was that about?" Ron asked

" Malfoy was talking bad about Sirius and I started talking bad about Bellatrix and now we both have detention with Snape" Brenda explained

" Are you sure it's just going to be a detention?" Hermione asked carefully

Brenda winced, " I have no idea"

" You shouldn't let Malfoy get to you like that" Hermione said

" Yes, well, Sirius is a bit of a sore topic right now" Brenda said

" Yes and now Malfoy knows how to push your buttons, I think you need to start occluding again" Hermione said

" What do you know about occluding?" Brenda asked

" How do you think Snape can always keep his cool around students?" Hermione asked

" He can't, he waits until he's alone before he blows up" Brenda said

" He still occludes his mind of emotions" Hermione said, " You're not the only one who read the book you know"

Brenda sighed, " Fine, I'll occlude harder then"

" Ok new topic" Ron said, " Hey Harry when are you holding try outs?"

" Haven't decided yet, I don't know how I'm going to be captain on top of everything else" Harry said

" Speaking of Quidditch" Brenda said looking at Jack Sloper who was a beater last year after the twins left

" Harry, Brenda, I'm glad I caught you, Dumbledore sent me to give you this note" Jack said

" Er... thanks Jack" Harry said

" So when are you holding try outs?" Jack asked

" I haven't decided yet, I'll let you know" Harry said with a smile

" Sounds good" Jack said and left

" What's the note say?" Brenda asked

Harry opened the note and it said, " Dear Harry and Brenda, I would like to start our private lessons this Saturday. Kindly come along to my office at 8:00 p.m. I hope you are enjoying your first day back at school. Yours sincerely, Albus Dumbledore... P.S. I enjoy Acid Pops”

" He enjoys acid pops?" Ron asked

" Password" Brenda whispered

" Oh, I wonder what he's going to teach you" Ron said imagining

Their next class was Potions, only a handful made it, four Ravenclaws, four Slytherins, one Hufflepuff, and the four Gryffindors

" This will be interesting" Brenda said with a smirk

The potions classroom looked like just the way Snape left it

Everybody took their seats, the Slytherins grouped together, the Ravenclaws grouped together and the Gryffindors grouped together leaving the Hufflepuff by himself

" Macmillan come over here with us" Hermione said making room for him

" Thank you Granger" Ernie Macmillan said

A minute later Slughorn came in the classroom

" Everybody take out your scales, potion kits and your copies of Advanced Potion Making" Slughorn said

" Sir?" Harry said raising his hand

" Yes Harry my boy?" Slughorn asked

" I... I haven't got a book or scales or anything... nor does Ron... we didn't realize we'd be able to do the N.E.W.T." Harry said a little afraid he was going to get yelled at

" Oh yes... Professor McGonagall mentioned that... don't worry my dear boy, you can use the ingredients from the store cupboard today, and I'm sure we can lend you some scales, and we've got a small stock of old books here, they'll do until you write Flourish and Blotts" Slughorn said with a smile and then went over to the cupboard and grabbed two battered looking copies of Advanced Potion Making by Libatius Borage, he gave one to Harry and one to Ron along with the scales

" Now that that's settled" Slughorn said going back to the front of the class, I have prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know these are the kind of things you ought to be able to make after competing your N.E.W.T.s. You should have heard of them even though you never made them yet. Can anybody tell me what this one is?"

He indicated to the cauldron nearest the Slytherin table. Brenda took one look at it and raised her hand instantly, she knew what the water lookalike potion was

" Yes Ms. Potter" Slughorn said

" It's Veritaserum, it's a colorless, odorless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth" Brenda said with a smile

" Very good Ms. Potter" Slughorn said, " Five points to Gryffindor, now can anybody tell me what this one is?"

Hermione looked at the muddy looking potion and raised her hand before anybody else could

" Yes Ms. Granger?" Slughorn said again

" Polyjuice Potion sir" Hermione said with a smile, " It lets you turn into another person for an hour at a time"

" Correct Ms. Granger, another five points to Gryffindor" Slughorn said

" Now can anybody tell me what this one is?" Slughorn asked

Again Brenda and Hermione were the fastest with there hands raised

" Yes Ms. Potter?" Slughorn said

" That is Amortentia, it's the most powerful love potion in the world, most commonly recognized by its mother of pearl sheen and the steam rising in characteristic spirals" Brenda said excitedly, " It's supposed to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us"

" Very good Ms. Potter, you and Ms. Granger have gotten everyone right so far, take another ten points. I take it you take after your mother?" Slughorn asked

" I'm told that, was she good in potions?" Brenda asked

" She was" Slughorn said

Brenda smiled

The Gryffindors looked at the Slytherins who all looked annoyed, Malfoy looked like he did the time Hermione punched him in the face in their third year

" Amortentia doesn't really create love, of course. It mostly imitates love. It will simply cause a powerful obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room" Slughorn said

" Sir what about that one" Ernie said pointing to a small black cauldron on Slughorn's desk

Brenda went up to the desk and saw a potion of the molten gold color

" Oh Merlin" Brenda gasped, " F...F... Felix Felicis"

" I take it you know what Felix Felicis does?" Slughorn asked

" It's liquid luck" Brenda said excitedly, " It's very tricky to make and is disastrous to get wrong. If it's brewed correctly then what ever we do we tend to succeed. It can also be dangerous, if it's taken all the time it causes giddiness, recklessness and overconfidence, it's highly toxic in large amounts"

Everybody was awed about how much information Brenda knew about this potion

" How do you know so much about this potion Ms. Potter?" Slughorn asked

" I love potions and I read about this potion in a book at home, I was quite eager to make it until I knew that it would be disastrous if I got it wrong and I didn't have enough time to make it" Brenda said

Slughorn nodded, " You young lady might have the skills to be a Potions mistress when you're older"

" That is my dream sir" Brenda said with a smile

" Then you better get back to your group so we can start the lesson on why this potion is on my desk" Slughorn said with a smirk

Brenda blushed and her face was the color of her hair, " Sorry sir"

" Its quite alright, you were excited, I understand, I know of two others just like you, one was your mother, the other was Severus Snape" Slughorn said

Brenda smiled at that and took her seat

" Sir have you ever taken that potion?" Michale Corner asked

" Yes I have, twice and my two days have been perfect, and that is what I shall be offering as a prize in this lesson" Slughorn said

Everybody got excited at that

" One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis" Slughorn said, " Enough for twelve hours of luck, from dawn to dusk. You will be lucky in everything you attempt. But I must warn you that this potion is banned in organized competitions, sporting events, examinations, elections and so on. The winner is to use it on an ordinary day only... to see how the ordinary day becomes extraordinary" Slughorn smiled

Slughorn took out a small vial and filled it up with the potion and corked it

" So, how are you to win my fabulous prize?" Slughron asked then answered his own question, " Turn to page ten of Advanced Potion Making. We have an hour and a half which should be enough time to make a decent attempt at the Draught of Living Death. This potion is none that you have made before and could be a little advanced since you just started the school year, I don't expect perfection but whoever is the closest, gets this little bottle of luck... Off you go"

Brenda smiled, her dad showed her how to make this potion last year

Everybody hurried to get their ingredients and supplies and it was quiet when everybody started

Brenda opened her book and looked at the directions, her dad showed her some tips last year when they were having father daughter time that would make this potion work faster, she took notes and already crossed things out and put her notes in them, so she used her notes while making the potion

After a while she glanced at Harry who looked really frusterated

" What's wrong?" Brenda asked through thought

" The last person who had this book wrote in it and I can't read anything" Harry thought back

" Want any help?" Brenda thought

" No, I'll figure it out on my own, just work on your own, this is a race remember" Harry thought

" If you're sure" Brenda thought

" I am" Harry thought

Brenda had her potion a light lilac color when every body else's was either blue or a dark purple as Hermione's was

Brenda's dad taught her that with the sopophorous bean it was easier to release the juice better with the flat side of the silver dagger then it is with cutting

Brenda looked over at Harry's cauldron and he looked a lot calmer now that his potion was now the lilac like hers was

Brenda went back to her potion and read her notes, it was time for the stirring, the book says stir it counterclockwise, her dad says add a clockwise stir after every seventh counterclockwise stir. After Brenda was finished stirring and her potion was a pale pink she looked over at the others and saw that Harry's was pink too

" How are you two doing that?" Hermione asked

" Add a clockwise stir" Brenda and Harry said together

" No no no the book says counterclockwise" Hermione snapped

Brenda shrugged, "Do what you want"

Brenda went back to stirring the way she was taught and Harry followed the book with the scribbles

" And... times... up" Slughorn said, " Stop stirring, please"

Everybody stopped stirring and waited while Slughorn looked over each and every ones cauldrons, he gave nods at some and slight frowns at others, he gasped when he saw both Potters' cauldrons

" Well it looks like you both got your mother's genes, both potions look equal, I guess the twin thing is with everything eh?" Slughorn asked

" Er" Harry began

" Well it looks like a tie, I'll get another small vial so both of you get the prize, congratulations" Slughron said with a smile and went back to the supplies cupboard and got out another small vial and filled it up with the Filix Felicis and handed the vials to the winners

Everybody looked shocked that Harry tied with his sister, with Snape as the Potions professor Harry could barely pull an A, but now he actually tied with his O student in potions sister, the sight in the classroom was funny

" Class dismissed everybody" Slughorn said after everybody cleaned up their stations

" Harry how did you do that?" Ron asked, " Brenda yes, but you?"

" Gee thanks Ron" Harry said sarcastically

" I'm serious" Ron said

" I got lucky I guess" Harry said with a smirk and saw Malfoy pass them

" Seriously Harry" Hermione said

" I'll tell you in the common room" Harry said and the topic was dropped until they got to the common room

" Spill it" Ron said

" It's this book, somebody crossed out the directions and put their own tips in and it was faster and easier" Harry said showing them the book

" Let me see that" Brenda said and she took the book from Harry and looked it over, " Looks like somebody else figured out the easy way with Draught of Living Death, or they were friends with Snape, this is what my dad taught me, I’ve written in mine also"

" Are you done looking at it? Can I have it back now?" Harry asked

" Yah sure" Brenda said and handed it back

Before Harry closed it all the way he saw on the front of the book This Book is the Property of the Half Blood Prince

"Who would call themselves the Half Blood Prince?" Ron asked

" Ron it's mostly just a nickname" Hermione said, " It's not their real name"

" I wonder who it is though" Ron said

" Don't know, whoever it is I'd like to thank them" Harry said

" I think you should turn in that book, it's cheating" Hermione said

" Oh lighten up Hermione, it's not cheating just following another set of directions" Ron said

" I don't want any of the teachers to find out about this book" Harry said

Nothing else happened that day, but that night Brenda had to go to her detention with her dad, she brought her backpack with her classes for the next day and her potions book and notebook just in case she was grounded and didn't have time to return to the Gryffindor Tower the next morning

" Maybe he'll be happy that I won the prize and it will soften his anger" Brenda thought to herself as she was going to Snape's office AKA D.A.D.A.s office

Brenda walked towards the door and knocked

" Come in" Snape said

Brenda opened the door and walked inside and shut the door behind her

" Malfoy gone?" Brenda asked

" Yes he is, about five minutes ago" Snape said

Brenda nodded, she was afraid she was in big trouble, but she also really wanted to give her dad a hug, she hasn't seen him in three months but she stood where she was

After a minute of silence, where Brenda was looking at the floor and Snape was staring at her. Brenda finally looked up, walked over to her dad and gave him a big hug

" Well it's about time" Severus said with a smirk

They stayed like that for about two minutes

" Sorry I fought with Malfoy" Brenda said

" Draco's a brat, everybody knows it except for Draco himself" Severus said, " But that still doesn't mean you should fight with him"

" It was the Sirius comment that got to me, he said the world is better off without Sirius and then I said that Bellatrix should rot in Azkaban with her husband" Brenda said

" Oh, Draco didn't say anything about him saying something about Black" Severus said, " He just said you started saying bad things about Bellatrix"

" I usually don't start things sir" Brenda said

" Yes, I noticed that... so how were your other classes?" Severus asked

Brenda smiled, " Professor Slughorn had us identify different potions and define them, I answered all but one… Hermione answered one, he said I am a lot like you and my mum"

Snape nodded with a smirk, " Ha take that Potter, your daughter is like me" he thought

" I identified Felix Felicis and he was stunned about my knowledge about it" Brenda said excitedly, " And then we had to make the Draught of Living Death, it was a race whoever came the closest into finishing it wins a tiny bottle of Felix Felicis, just enough for one day, I did the directions you showed me and I got my potion to the pale pink color and won"

Severus smiled at that, " Congratulations"

Brenda smiled, " Actually I tied with Harry, his was also a pale pink when we finished, he did his like mine, he was frustrated at first and I asked to help him out, he said no but he also somehow won and got a bottle of the potion"

" Well you're still the true winner" Severus said

Brenda smiled and then frowned, " What's my detention?"

Severus sighed, " It was like detention at home. And I am sorry about that. You're not getting a detention tonight"

Brenda smiled again

" Just don't make the fighting a habit" Severus said

" Don't worry, I won't" Brenda said, " So what's the apartment password and is it still down in the dungeons?"

" Yes it's still down in the dungeons and it's Lily pad" Severus said and he indicated for her to follow him, he was leading her to his office where there is a secret passage that goes down into the apartment

" What kind of potion involves a lily pad?" Brenda asked

" For one thing, the potion you took your fourth year that turned you into a mermaid" Severus said

" Oh... I like it" Brenda said with a smile

Severus smirked and said the password to the wall and it opened up

" Cool" Brenda said, " It leads to the apartment?”

Severus nodded

" So when did Dumbledore tell you you were going to be the D.A.D.A. teacher?" Brenda asked

" Two weeks before term, I would have Owled you and told you before, but I really wanted to see the look on your face... and I wasn't disappointed" Severus smirked

When they got down to the apartment they went into Severus's potion lab

" I'm now going to teach you the better way to make the other potions in the Advanced Potion Making book, I found out that there were a lot of errors in the book and the book is never updated" Severus said

" Well it worked today and I thank you for teaching me" Brenda said with a smile

" Of course I'd teach you, you're my daughter and you want to be a potions mistress in the future" Severus said

Brenda smiled, " This is the best detention ever" She thought

They spent the rest of the night in the potions lab, and time flies when you're having fun, Brenda just spent the night down in the apartment

The next day Brenda's friends were worried that she was grounded again

" No I'm not grounded" Brenda said rolling her eyes

" Well you didn't come back up to Gryffindor Tower, what was your punishment?" Ron asked

" I didn't get punished, we mostly just talked and he showed me easier ways to make the potions for this year, my book now kind of looks like the Half Blood Prince's book, I think the Half Blood Prince and Dad both had the same ideas, or they were friends or something" Brenda explained

" How come your dad showed you a different way that's not in the book?" Hermione asked

" Because it's faster, like twice as fast and he knows I really want to be a potions mistress so he's teaching me all of his secrets... I guess it pays off having him around here" Brenda said with a smile

" Well I still think it's cheating, I'm going to copy what the book tells me to do" Hermione said

" Suit yourself" Harry said, " I'm going by the Half Blood Prince"

" And I'm going by what my dad tells me to go by" Brenda said

That is exactly what they did throughout the week. It was making Hermione angry that the two Potters were not doing the potions by the books standards yet they were beating her, she knew Brenda could do that but Harry, he wasn't good at potions, yet there he was at the top of the class along with her and Brenda. It wasn't just making Hermione angry, it was also making the Ravenclaws and the Slytherins angry that Harry was getting better grades, not the grades per-se but that Slughorn kept praising them every single time they finished before everybody else which was every single time they had class

" Do you want to use our directions now?" Brenda asked Hermione and Ron

" I do" Ron said

" No, I still think it's cheating" Hermione said

" How is it cheating if the Potions Master was the one who taught me it?" Brenda asked

" I don't know, it just doesn't feel right" Hermione said

The next time they had potions Brenda and Harry tried helping Ron out but in the end Ron just followed the directions in the book because it would be suspicious if he now ended up at the top of the class and it was kind of hard reading him the directions from their books and if he looked at either one of their books then that would also be suspicious

It was finally Saturday the day of the first lesson with Dumbledore

" I can't wait, I wonder what kinds of things we're going to learn" Brenda said with an excited smile

" I wonder if he's going to teach us some of those spells he cast at Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic last year" Harry said

" That would be useful" Brenda said

All day that day they kept thinking of what they were going to be taught and finally it was 8:00

 

Brenda looked at the time and it was time to go to Dumbledore's office

" Harry" Brenda said

Harry looked up from his Potions book

Brenda indicated to the clock and Harry looked then nodded

" We better go" Harry said to his friends

" Good luck you two" Hermione said excitedly

" Hope it goes ok" Ron said

" Thanks" Harry and Brenda said

The two left the Tower and headed up towards the Headmaster's office

" Acid Pops" Harry said once they reached the spiral staircase

The twins stepped up on the staircase and waited until it reached the top and then Brenda knocked

" Come in" Dumbledore said

The Potters entered the office and it looked the same from the last time they were there when they heard the prophecy

" Good evening sir" Both Potters said

" Ah good evening, sit down" Dumbledore said with a soft smile, " I hope you both had an enjoyable first week back at school"

They both nodded

" Good" Dumbledore said

The Potters looked around the office, they couldn't figure out where they would be dueling, well that's what they figured they would be doing

" Well it looks like you two are wondering what you will be doing during these... lessons" Dumbledore said

The Potters nodded

Dumbledore nodded, " I have decided that it is time, now that you know why Lord Voldemort tried to kill you fifteen years ago, for you two to be given certain information"

Harry and Brenda looked at each other and then back at Dumbledore with a bit of a glare

" You said at the end of last term that you'd tell us everything, what are you hiding from us this time?" Brenda asked

Dumbledore nodded, " I figured you were going to ask something like that, I did tell you everything last term... everything that I knew at that point... This time we are going to go... memory diving"

" Does it have to do with the prophecy?" Harry asked, " And will it help us survive?"

" It has a very great deal to do with the prophecy, and I hope it will help you two survive" Dumbledore said and then got up from his seat and walked towards a closet and got out the pensieve

" Um... Where are we going sir?" Brenda asked

" Down Bob Ogden's memory lane" Dumbledore said pulling a crystal bottle with a swirling silvery substance from his pocket

" Who's Bob Ogden?" Harry asked

" He was employed by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement" Dumbledore said, " He died some time ago but not before I had tracked him down and persuaded him to confide these recolections to me. We are about to accompnay him on a visit he made in the course of his duties" He then began trying to pull the cork off of the bottle

" You want some help?" Brenda asked getting up

" No need Brenda" Dumbledore said and took his wand to get it off

" Sir, what has happened to your hand?" Brenda asked

" Now is not the time for that story, we have an appointment with Bob Ogden" Dumbledore said and then tipped the contents of the bottle into the pensieve, " Ladies first" Dumbledore said to Brenda

Brenda looked down at the pensieve and then plunged in and waited for the other two, Harry came next followed by Dumbledore

The Potters looked at their surroundings, they were in a country lane beneath a bright summer sky, in front of them stood a plump man wearing thick glasses that made his eyes look molelike

" That must be Ogden" Brenda said

Dumbledore nodded

" I think he's trying to pass off as a muggle" Harry said looking at his funny looking clothes

Ogden began to walk and the three followed him and they passed a sign that said GREAT HANGLETON, 5 MILES

They had to walk a short distance until they got to a hill and then they saw a whole valley in front of them

" Wow this is beautiful" Brenda said with a smile

" Look at that, that must be Little Hangleton" Harry said pointing to a village between two steep looking hills

The three kept following Ogden and the twins thought that they were going to go into the village but they were wrong because Ogden turned to the right and walked on a narrow dirt track that was also crooked, rocky and potholed that headed toward a patch of dark trees

" Are we going in there?" Brenda asked

Brenda got her answer from Ogden who took out his wand

" Brenda it's a building" Harry said

" What are you sure? it looks like a forest" Brenda said

" Take a closer look Brenda" Dumbledore said

Brenda did and then she finally saw the building

" Oh" Brenda said and her face turned red

" It's all right Brenda, at a first glance it does look like a forest" Dumledore said

" It is odd that somebody would actually have all of this grow here, Aunt Petunia would faint if she saw the plants untidy" Harry said

They followed Ogden closer to the building and Harry and Brenda jumped with a start along with Ogden when a man in rags dropped from the nearest tree landing on his feet in front of Ogden

" You're not welcome" The man said

The man looked scary, he had thick hair matted with dirt that they couldn't tell what color it's supposed to be, Many of his teeth were missing, His eyes were small and dark and they stared in opposite directions

" Good morning, I'm from the Ministry of Magic and" Ogden started

" You're not welcome" The man said again

" I'm sorry, I don't understand you" Ogden said nervously

" I wonder why he doesn't understand, it was clear to me" Brenda said

" Yah" Harry said confused

" You understand him don't you?" Dumbledore asked

" Of course we do" Harry said, " Why wouldn't we be able to?

" Take another look at the scenery" Dumbledore said

Harry and Brenda looked at the scenery and then saw a dead snake nailed to a tree

" He's speaking Parseltongue isn't he?" Brenda asked

" Very good" Dumbledore said with a smile

The man in the rags now drew out two weapons, a knife and his wand and was coming closer to Ogden

" Now look" Ogden said shakily but he didn't finish, the next thing he knew was that he was on the ground, clutching his nose and yellowish goo squirted from it

" MORFIN" Somebody yelled

An elderly man came hurrying out of the building, he was shorter but chubbier then the other man who was now laughing

" Ministry you said?" The older man said looking down at Ogden

" Yes that is correct" Ogden said, " And you are Mr. Gaunt is that correct?"

" That's right" Gaunt said, " Got you in the face did he?"

" Yes he did" Ogden snapped

" Well you should have made your presence known now shouldn't you?" Gaunt snapped, " This is private property. You can't just walk in here and expect my son to not defend it and himself"

" Defend against what?" Ogden asked

" Muggles and filth" Gaunt said

Ogden pointed his wand at his nose and made the yellowish pussy stuff go away and while he did that Gaunt turned to his son

" Get in the house, don't argue" Gaunt said

The man named Morfin looked like he was going to argue but thought better of it and walked towards the house

" It's your son I am here to see Mr. Gaunt, that was Morfin wasn't it?" Ogden asked

" Yes that was Morfin... are you pureblood?" Gaunt asked threatenly

" My blood status is not the issue Mr. Gaunt" Ogden said coldly and glared

" Then what is?" Gaunt asked

" Perhaps we can continue this discussion inside" Ogden suggested

" No" Gaunt said

Ogden sighed, " I am here following a serious breach of Wizarding law, which occurred here in the early hours of this morning"

Gaunt looked worried, " All right all right all right" Gaunt yelled, " Come in the house then"

When they entered the house, Morfin was sitting in a filthy looking armchair beside a fire, he was petting a live adder and he was speaking softly to it

" Hissy, hissy, little Snakey, Slither on the floor. You be good to Morfin or he'll nail you to the door" Morfin chanted

" Hmm, not a real nice guy is he?" Brenda said

There was a shuffling noise in the corner by an open window

" I think there's somebody else here" Harry said

He was right, there was a girl in a ragged gray dress, she was filthy but didn't look as filthy as her brother, she was fiddling with pots and pans

" My daughter Merope" Gaunt introduced

" Good morning" Odgen said with a smile

Merope didn't say anything, she looked fearfully at her father and then went back to whatever she was doing

Odgen cleared his throat and got back to business, " Mr. Gaunt we have reason to believe that your son, Morfin, performed magic in front of a muggle last night"

" So? Morfin gave a muggle a bit of what was coming to him, what's wrong with that?" Gaunt asked

" He has broken Wizarding law" Ogden said sternly

Gaunt rolled his eyes, " He taught a filthy muggle a lesson, that's illegal now is it?"

" Yes it is" Ogden said and he took a small scroll of parchment out of his pocket and unrolled it

" What's that his sentence?" Gaunt asked getting angry

" It is a summoning to the Ministry for a hearing" Ogden explained

" WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE SUMMONING MY SON ANYWHERE?" Gaunt yelled

" I happen to be the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad" Ogden said

" HOW DARE YOU COME IN HERE AND TALK TO US LIKE WE'RE SCUM YOU FILTHY MUDBLOOD! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?"Gaunt asked

" Well I believe I am speaking to Mr. Gaunt" Ogden said

" That's right... The Gaunts" Gaunt said and then indicated to a ring on his finger, " You see this? You know what this is? This has been passed down for centuries from generation to generation, that's how far back we go, we're pureblood all the way... do you have any idea how much I've been offered for this?"

" I really have no idea" Odgen said, " And that is not what we are discussing Mr. Gaunt, your son"

He didn't get to finish because Gaunt yelled and stormed after his daughter

" OH MY GOSH HE'S GOING TO STRANGLE HER!" Brenda yelled and for a split second forgot this was a memory and stepped forward to help the girl out but Dumbledore held her back

Gaunt grabbed something that was around the girls neck and pulled her to Odgen with it

" You see this?" Gaunt asked and kept tugging on it while it was still around Merope's neck chocking her

" I SEE IT I SEE IT" Ogden said quickly, he didn't want Merope hurt too bad

" SLYTHERINS" Gaunt yelled, " Salazar Slytherins, we're his last living descendants, what do you say to that?"

" Mr. Gaunt, let go of your daughter, you're cutting off her air supply" Ogden said worriedly

Gaunt let go and pushed her back

" Why are you treating her like that?" Ogden asked

" She's a filthy Squib" Gaunt said, " So what do you say to that?" He asked with a smirk

" Mr. Gaunt, I am afraid that neither your ancestors nor mine have anything to do with the matter in hand. I am here because of Morfin and what he did last night that made the muggle erupt in highly painful hives" Ogden

Morfin began to giggle

" BE QUIET BOY" Gaunt yelled

Morfin was quiet

Before anything else was said there was a clopping sound of horses and laughing coming from outside

" My Goodness" A girl said from outside, " Couldn't your father have that cleared away Tom?"

" It's not ours" A young man said, " Everything on the other side of the valley belongs to us, but that cottage belongs to an old guy called Gaunt and his children. The son is quite mad, you should hear some of the stories they tell int he village"

Morfin growled and got up

" Keep your seat Morfin" Gaunt said

" Tom, I might be wrong but is that a snake nailed to that tree?" The girl said

" Good lord you're right" The man said, " That would be the son's doing, I told you he's not right in the head, lets go darling"

Merope watched the two drive away on the horses

" Darling" Morfin whispered to his sister in parseltongue, " He called her Darling. So he wouldn't have you anyway"

Merope looked at her brother and she looked pale and scared and sad

" Oh poor girl, she really needs a hug" Brenda whispered

" What did you say?" Gaunt asked

" She likes looking at that muggle" Morfin said with an evil smile

Merope looked terrified

" Always in the garden when he passes, perring through the hedge at him... and last night" Morfin said

Merope was shaking her head and mouthing no to her brother but he wasn't listening and continued, " Hanging out of the window waiting for him to ride home"

" HANGING OUT OF THE WINDOW TO LOOK AT A MUGGLE?" Gaunt yelled

It was like the three gaunts forgot all about Ogden who looked very confused because all he could hear was a bunch of hissing noises

Gaunt turned to Merope and in a terrifying voice, kind of like Snape's asked," Is it true? My daughter... pureblooded descendant of Salazar Slytherin... desiring after a filthy muggle?"

Merope shook her head frantically and tried getting as far away from her father as she could

" But I got him as he went by and he didn't look so pretty with hives all over him did he Merope?" Morfin said with a smirk

" YOU DISGUSTING LITTLE SQUIB, YOU FILTHY LITTLE BLOOD TRAITOR!" Gaunt roared and lunged for Merope and closed his hands around her neck

" NO" Ogden, Harry and Brenda yelled

Ogden raised his wand and said a spell that made Gaunt be thrown backwards away from his daughter, to add to that embarrassment Gaunt tripped over a chair and fell flat on his back

Morfin got up from his seat and took out his knife and started chasing Ogden, he then took out his wand and began firing hexes at him

Ogden saw that and ran for his life

"It is time to go" Dumbledore said and the two agreed and they ran out of the cottage with Merope's screams ringing in their ears and the next thing they knew, they were back in Dumbledore's office

" What happened to Merope?" Brenda asked

" Oh she survived" Dumbledore said returning to his desk and indicated for Harry and Brenda to sit down, " Ogden apparated back to the Ministry and returned with reinforcements withing fifteen minutes of his departure. Morfin and his father attempted to fight but both were overpowered, removed from the cottage, and convicted by the Wizengamot. Morfin, who already had a record of muggle attacks, was sentenced to three years in Azkaban. Marvalo, who had injured several Ministry employees in addition to Ogden, received six months"

" Marvolo?" Harry and Brenda asked standing up with wide eyes

Dumbledore smiled and nodded

" That old man was?" Harry didn't finish

" Voldemort's grandfather" Dumbledore said, " Marvolo, his son, Morfin, and his daughter, Merope, were the last of the Gaunts, a very ancient Wizarding family noted for a vein of instability and violence that flourished through the generations due to their habit of marrying their own cousins. Lack of sense coupled with a great liking for grandeur meant that the family gold was squandered several generations before Marvolo was born. He was left in squalor and poverty, with a very nasty temper, a fantastic amount of arrogance and pride, and a couple of family heirlooms that he treasured just as much as his son... but more than his daughter since she was a Squib"

" So Merope... Sir does that mean that she was... Voldemort's mother?" Brenda gasped

" It does, and it so happens that we also had a glimpse of Voldemort's father, did you two notice?" Dumbledore asked

" The man on the horse, the one that Morfin attacked" Brenda said

" Very good Brenda, you were paying attention" Dumbledore said, " Yes that was Tom Riddle Senior, the handsome Muggle who used to go riding past the Gaunt cottage and for whome Merope Gaunt cherished a secret, burning passion"

" Hmm, now I know where Voldemort got his good looks from" Brenda thought

" You think Voldemort's cute?" Harry asked aloud

Dumbledore looked at Brenda

Brenda rolled her eyes, " 2nd year when we saw him he was sixteen, yah, now? no, now he looks like a snake"

Dumbledore chuckled

" Harry, don't blurt out my thoughts please" Brenda said a little too sweetly that reminded Harry of Umbridge

" Ok Umbridge" Harry joked

Brenda nudged Harry in the arm, " I am not a pink toad"

Harry smirked, " So did they end up married?"

Dumbledore shook his head

" Then..." Harry began

" Can you not think of any measure Merope could have taken to make Tom Riddle forget his muggle companion and fall in love with her instead?" Dumbledore quizzed

" The Imperius Curse?" Harry suggested

" Or a love potion?" Brenda suggested

Dumbledore nodded, " Yes both the Imperius Curse and a love potion would work... I think she used a love potion. I think it would have seemed more romantic for her... It wouldn't be very difficult either, some hot day, Tom Riddle is riding along and Merope comes out with a pitcher of water and persuades him to drink some... anyway within a few months of the scene we witnessed the little village had something to gossip about when the son of a squire ran off with the village scum's daughter Merope"

" So what happened to Marvolo after his time in Azkaban?" Harry asked

" He expected to find Merope waiting for his return with a hot meal all ready for him and the house nice and clean, what he did find was no daughter and an inch layer of dust on every surface and a note of her farewell explaining what she done" Dumbledore said

" What did he do after that?" Brenda asked, " I'm sure he was very angry"

" From what I have been able to discover, he never mentioned her name or existence from that time forth. The shock of her departure may have contributed to his early death... or he never learned how to cook for himself. He was weakened by Azkaban and he did not live to see Morfin return" Dumbledore said

" And what happened to Merope?" Brenda asked, " She died didn't she? Voldemort was brought up in an orphanage right?"

Dumbledore nodded

" Why didn't Voldemort stay with his dad then?" Brenda asked

" Tom left Merope after a year of marriage while Merope was pregnant with their son" Dumbledore said

" What went wrong?" Harry asked

" I believe that Merope was deeply in love with Tom that she didn't want his love to be forced, so she stopped giving him the potion and hoped that Tom fell in love with her during that year or that he will stay for their baby's sake... she was wrong on both accounts and left her and their unborn son, and he never troubled to discover what has happened to either one of them" Dumbledore said

Harry and Brenda were done asking questions

" Well I think that is enough for tonight, I think it's time for you two to return to Gryffindor Tower" Dumbledore said

The twins nodded and stood up

" Sir... is it important to know all this about Voldemort's past?" Harry asked

" Very important" Dumbledore said

" And it has something to do with the prophecy right?" Brenda asked

" It has everything to do with the prophecy" Dumbledore said

Brenda nodded

" Are we aloud to tell Ron and Hermione of everything you told us?" Harry asked

Dumbledore thought for a moment and then nodded and smiled, " Yes, I think Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger have proved themselves trustworthy... But I am going to ask you to ask them not to repeat any of this to anybody else. It would not be a good idea if word got around how much I know or suspect about Lord Voldemort's secrets"

" No sir, We'll make sure it's just Ron and Hermione" Brenda said, " Good night"

" Good night" Dumbledore said

" Good night sir" Harry said

" Good night" Dumbledore said again

Harry and Brenda turned and started for the door but then something familiar caught their eyes, it was a ring that looked like the one on Marvolo's finger, but this time the black stone on the ring was cracked

" Sir" Harry began

" Yes?" Dumbledore asked

" That ring" Brenda said

" I remember you wearing it when we were visiting Professor Slughorn that night" Harry said

" Yes I was" Dumbledore said

" But isn't it... sir, that's the same ring Marvolo Gaunt showed Ogden" Brenda stated

Dumbledore nodded, " The very same"

" But... Have you always had it?" Harry asked

" No, I acquired it very recently" Dumbledore said, " A few days before we went to visit Professor Slughorn in fact"

" That would be around the time you injured your hand then sir?" Brenda asked

" Around that time yes" Dumbledore said with a smile

" Sir, how exactly did" Harry began

" Too late tonight, you shall hear the story another time... Good night you two" Dumbledore said

" Good night Professor" Harry and Brenda said and then they left the Office and headed towards Gryffindor Tower, they had a lot of information for Ron and Hermione

When they got back to Gryffindor Tower Hermione and Ron were waiting up for them

" So? What did Dumbledore teach you?" Ron asked

" We learned alot" Harry said

" Good, what did you learn?" Ron asked eagerly

Harry turned to Brenda and smirked which made Brenda smirk because they were thinking to each other and agreed

" We'll tell you tomorrow" Harry and Brenda said together

" No, I can't wait that long" Ron protested

" Ronald they are obviously tired, we can wait until tomorrow" Hermione said

" But I don't want to wait that long" Ron whined

Brenda chuckled and rolled her eyes, " Ok we'll tell you"

Harry and Brenda told their two best friends all that they learned

" And you must keep it a secret" They both warned and they were looking mostly at Ron

" Why are you looking at me like that?" Ron asked

Hermione rolled her eyes but didn't say anything

" So Harry have you decided when to hold the Quidditch tryouts?" Ron asked

" Why are you so worried about them? You're on the team" Harry said

" I want to try out again, you never know there could be a better keeper than me" Ron said

" Ginny wants to try out again too" Hermione said

" Oh great, so now I have to find a keeper, a chaser and two beaters?" Harry asked, " That's more than half the team"

" So when are you going to have them?" Ron asked again

" Um... Next Saturday" Harry informed, " And Brenda, you're my co-captain"

" What?" Brenda asked stunned

" You're my co-captain, we do everything together well why not this?" Harry asked

" Um... I don't think two captains are allowed" Brenda said, she really didn't want to be a captain, with all the stress Angelina had last year, she didn't want that

" We can ask McGonagall and Hooch, I'm sure it would be ok" Harry said

" Don't you ever just want to do something by yourself? Like you said we do everything together" Brenda said

" I figured it would be fun if you were a captain as well" Harry said, " If you don't want to then just say so"

Brenda knew her brother was disappointed, " Oh very well, yes if it's allowed I'll be your co-captain"

Harry smiled and gave his sister a hug, " Thank you"

" You're welcome" Brenda said

The first thing in the morning Harry and Brenda went up to McGongall and asked if Brenda could be the co-captain and McGongall thought it was a good idea but they had to ask Madame Hooch

They sought out Madame Hooch and asked her if it was all right for Gryffindor to have two captains

" That has never been done before" Madame Hooch said

" Things can change can't they?" Harry asked

" Yes they can change" Madame Hooch said

" So can I be co-captain?" Brenda asked

" It won't be fair to the other houses" Madame Hooch said, " Two captains for Gryffindor?"

" It won't be very different, It will just be a lighter load for both of us then having all the stress be put on Harry who has enough stress the way it is" Brenda said

" You have the same amount of stress do you not?" Madame Hooch asked

" Of course I do, but with him being captain that is just more stress and if I am co-captain then some of that stress can go to me and then neither one of us will be stressed out" Brenda explained

Madame Hooch thought for a few minutes then agreed, " You do have a point Ms. Potter, all right you can be Gryffindor's co-captain"

" Thank you Madame" Harry and Brend said at the same time with smiles

The next week of classes were hard, the sixth years found out that the first week of school was nothing compared to the rest of the year, all the free periods the sixth years got were for studying their brains out because that is what they had to do because their NEWT level classes were so hard. The sixth years had to cast nonverbal spells in Charms, DADA, and Transfiguration, only a few students have mastered a few spells, Hermione, Brenda, and Draco, all the others are trying there best and some of them are cheating by whispering the spell, Gryffindor was docked points for that from Snape when Seamus did that a few times but Slytherin wasn't when Crabbe and Goyle both did it

When it was time for Herbology Brenda got a shock of her life, they were dealing with Venomous Tentaculas, in second year they just discussed the Venomous Tentaculas, now they were going to be dealing with them, Brenda would never forget her near death experience her first summer at Snape Manor and she was a little nervous when she was around it

" Brenda what's the matter with you? You look like Neville does when he's in DADA class" Ron said

Brenda glared at Ron but he waited for an answer

" Near death experience if you must know, I swear I told you that already" Brenda said

" At least this time you know the spell to stun it if it gets you again" Harry said

" Yah but that thing still gives me nightmares" Brenda said

" Time to bring back the nightlight" Harry thought

" Don't need to bring it back, it hasn't left" Brenda thought back

Harry looked sympathetic at his sister

" How do you cope with the nightmares?" Brenda asked

" Well right now I've been counting backwards from 1000 to fall asleep" Harry said

" Does it work?" Brenda asked

" Sometimes" Harry said

" You know, we should really continue... lessons" Brenda said

" I am not continuing lessons with Snape" Harry said

" I'm not talking about with him, I'll teach you" Brenda offered

" But you needed lessons" Harry reminded her

" And I've been reading the books on it for years and I now can do it and I am offering to teach you, after what happened... well we both need to occlude" Brenda said

" Yah all right, but when do we have the time?" Harry asked

" After Dinner at 7:00... Room of Requirement" Brenda said

" How many times a week?" Harry asked

" I'd say every Tuesday and Thursday... we don't have Quidditch practices on those days" Brenda said

" Yah all right, that'll work" Harry said, " So since it's Thursday, do you want to have a session?"

" If you want to we can" Brenda said

" I think we should" Harry said

Brenda nodded

" Great you two sorted that out, now can we get out of the Green House? Class ended like three minutes ago" Ron said

" Yes Ronald" The other three said at the same time and then laughed

" Don't call me that" Ron protested but that just made the others laugh harder

They walked outside of the Green House and up to the castle, they spotted Hagrid and waved at him but he didn't even acknowedge that he even saw them but he did frown

" That's odd, he usually waves back... with a smile" Brenda said

" Maybe he didn't see us" Ron suggested

" I kind of feel bad about not taking his class" Harry said

" We should go talk to him on Saturday after Quidditch and explain why we couldn't take his class, I'm sure he'll understand that we just got too busy" Brenda suggested

" So how are we going to tell him that we hated his stupid subject?" Ron asked

" We didnt hate it" Hermione said

" Speak for yourself, I for one haven't forgotten the skrewts, not to mention Gwarp" Ron said

" I hate not talking to Hagrid, he's our friend and we haven't talked to him for a long while" Hermione said, " Yes I think it's a good idea to talk to him after Quidditch"

That night at 7:00 the Potters headed up towards the Room of Requirement

The room looked homey, it had a couch and soft carpet with a fireplace

" I always like the room to look comfortable when I practice and clear my mind, I can see why it didn't work for you with Severus" Brenda said

Harry nodded and took out his wand

" You won't be needing that right now, I'm not going to Legimize you tonight" Brenda assured him

" Then what are we going to be doing?" Harry asked

Brenda thought for a moment and smiled, " We are going to try a muggle technique... it's called meditation"

" I've heard of that" Harry said

" Good, then I want you to sit down and get comfortable and cross your legs" Brenda instructed

Harry listened to his "teacher" and got comfortable on the couch and crossed his legs

Brenda swished her wand and turned on soft music

" I always think soft music helps people meditate" Brenda explained

She joined her brother on the couch and crossed her legs

" Ok now I want you to close your eyes and breathe deeply in and out slow breath in slow breath out, keep doing that, concentrate on just your breathing, nothing else, just breathe in and out, in and out" Brenda instructed

Harry did that for about ten minutes and he felt really relaxed

" How do you feel?" Brenda asked

" Relaxed" Harry said in a lazy content voice

" Are you thinking about anything?" Brenda asked

" No" Harry said with a smile

" Good, that's a start" Brenda said with a smile, " I want you to do this every night before you go to sleep, just meditate and turn on soft music and just concentrate on your breathing, it helps you clear your mind"

Harry nodded

" You can open your eyes now you know" Brenda said with a smirk

Harry opened his eyes and smiled his thanks

" Now before next Thursday, I want you to look over these books" Brenda said getting her books out of her bag on Occlumency and Legamency

" I thought these are the library's books" Harry said

Brenda shrugged, " I bought them this year, I was getting sick of always having to go to the library for these books"

Harry nodded

" Ok, on Tuesday we are going to be doing this again, I want to make sure you are making progress with your clearing your mind, and we'll be working on building your shields, and on Thursday I am going to Legimize you and test you on your shields" Brenda said

" Isn't that a little early?" Harry asked

Brenda rolled her eyes " Harry that's what Severus did the first night we had a lesson, I'm giving you a week to prepare yourself and we're spending a session on building up your shields, trust me on this, I know what I'm doing"

" Ok... I trust you" Harry said

" Well duh, if you can't trust your only sister whos been through the same amount of crap as you, then who can you trust?" Brenda asked

Harry thought about that, " Good point"

Brenda smiled, " So you want to meditate again?"

Harry nodded and got comfortable on the couch and waited for the music Brenda put on and he concentrated on his breathing

The next day in Charms class Professor Flitwick taught the class Aguamenti which is the charm that shoots water out of your wand. The students first had to learn how to say it and after they mastered that then they had to learn how to cast it without saying it

" These classes keep getting harder and harder" Ron complained

" Stop complaining Ronald, it's a NEWT class" Hermione said

" What's the point of having water shoot out of your wand?" Ron asked

" Well it'll be handy if there's a fire" Brenda said

" Or for watering plants" Hermione put in

" If you're thirsty and there's no place to get a drink from" Harry said

" There are many reasons why it's a good idea to shoot water from your wand" Brenda said dramatically and with a grin

" Why are you so cheerful?" Ron asked

" Quidditch tryouts tomorrow, you know how long it's been for Harry and I since Quidditch? The ban is finally off" Brenda said with a toothy grin this time

" She's also happy that she got fifteen points from Flitwick for actually getting the spell correct" Harry said with a smile

" And I saw the scowl that Malfoy gave for not being the first one to get it right, but the third one and only got five" Brenda whispered

" It felt good getting those ten points for being the second one to get it" Hermione said

" You were only what… one second behind me?" Brenda asked

" Yes, but all the points go to Gryffindor, so it's fine" Hermione said with a grin

" So Ron have you mastered lighting up your wand without saying Lumos yet?" Brenda asked

Ron glared, " You know I haven't Brenda so why do you ask?"

" I was just wondering if you wanted help, I'm helping Harry tonight" Brenda said

" I'll help you Ron, I already mastered that one too" Hermione said

" Yah just rub it in why don't ya?" Ron said

" We're not rubbing anything in, we just want to help you so you can pass the class" Hermione said

" What's got your wand in a knot?" Brenda asked

" I don't know, I'm sorry, I'm just nervous about tryouts tomorrow" Ron said

" Ron you'll be great and you'll get Keeper again, I'm sure of it" Harry said with a smile

" Ok but I don't want it because I'm your best mate and all, I want to win fair and square" Ron said with a smile

Harry and Brenda nodded

The next day during breakfast Harry and Brenda were looking over the sign up sheet for Quidditch tryouts

" I can't believe how many people signed up for Quidditch" Brenda said looking at the list

" I don't know why the team's so popular all of a sudden" Harry said

" It's not Quidditch that's popular... it's the both of you" Hermione said

" What do you mean?" Harry asked

" Well everyone knows you've been telling the truth now, if fact the whole wizarding world had to admit that you both were right about Voldemort being back and that you two erally fought him twice in the last two years and escaped both times, now you two are called the Chosen Ones" Hermione said, " Not to mention all that you two been through with the persecution from the Ministry when they were trying to say that you two were liars, Umbridge was the worst when she made you two write those lines with a blood quill, but you stuck to the story anyway"

Before anybody else could say anything there was a hoot and the owls arrived

Hermione got her usual copy of the Daily Prophet and Harry got his new copy from Flourish and Blotts of Advanced Potion Making

" That's good Harry, now you can give that old copy back to Professor Slughorn" Hermione said

" I don't think so" Harry said

" What?" Hermione asked shocked

" I'm keeping it, I'm finally getting decent grades in Potions" Harry said

" But Harry that's cheating" Hermione said

" How is it cheating just because I do the potion differently from what you're doing, I'm still following the book and working on the potion" Harry said

Hermione huffed

" How are you going to get away with that?" Ron asked

" Watch" Harry said with a smirk and he took his wand out and muttered, " Diffindo"

The cover of the new book fell off and then he took his old book and did the same thing and switched the covers and then muttered, " Reparo"

" I'm going to give Slughorn the new one" Harry said

" What if he finds out?" Brenda asked

" Well he can't complain, it cost nine Galleons" Harry said

Hermione rolled her eyes and glared at her Daily Prophet

" So is anybody we know dead?" Ron asked casually

" No, just more dementor attacks and an arrest" Hermione said

" Who?" Brenda asked

" Stan Shunpike" Hermione said

Who's that/What" Brenda and Harry asked

" You know Stan Shunpike?" Brenda asked

" Yah, he's the conductor on the Knight Bus" Harry said, " What does it say about him?"

Hermione read aloud, " Stanley Shunpike, conductor on the popular Wizarding conveyance the Knight Bus, has been arrested on suspicion of Death Eater activity. Mr. Shunpike, 21, was taken into custody late last night after a raid on his Clapham home. He was arrested after he was overheard talking about the Death Eaters' secret plans in a pub"

" I don't know what they're playing at, taking Stan seriously" Harry said

" They probably want to look as though they're doing something" Brenda said then took a drink of her pumpkin juice, " People are afraid you know, students are being taken out of school"

" What? But Hogwarts is safer than their homes, bound to be, We have Aurors and those extra wards and... we have Dumbledore" Ron said

" You sure about that?" Brenda asked

" What do you mean?" Ron asked

Brenda indicated to Dumbledore's chair, " Not the first time it's been empty"

" I think he left school to do something with the Order... It's all looking serious" Brenda said

They all nodded and remembered how Hannah Abbot went home because her mother has been found dead and Hannah didn't return

After breakfast the four headed down towards the Quidditch pitch to get ready for the tryouts. The tryouts took most of the morning, it looked to be about half the Gryffindor house that showed up

" We should have them all divide up into groups of" Brenda started and counted, " Ten"

The first group was of first years

" First years are not aloud" Harry said

" Oh just let them, they're not in any danger, plus we were both first years when we made the team" Brenda said

" I think Wood and McGonagall were desperate" Harry said

Brenda rolled her eyes, " We were just good"

" And we're not now?" Harry asked

" Let me refraise that, we were good for first years, and we're even better now" Brenda said, " Now let them try out because you never know, they could be the youngest... whatevers of the century"

Harry chuckled and rolled his eyes, " Yah alright you win"

Brenda grinned, " I always do"

" That's because you're stubborn" Harry said

" Got that from mum" Brenda said, " Well according to McGongall and... Snape"

" Fred's going to have his hands full when you two marry" Harry said

Brenda smiled, " Marrying Fred, Ooh I hope so"

They finally stopped talking about how stubborn Brenda was and started telling the first years what to do. None of the first years could fly around for more than a minute

" Too bad... maybe next year then" Brenda said to the first years

The first years nodded and went to the bleachers to see who did make the team

The next group to Harry and Brenda's astonishment were five girls and five boys the thing was that they were Hufflepuffs

" THIS ISN'T A HUFFLEPUFF TRY OUT" Brenda yelled, " ALL OF YOU LEAVE"

" IF THERE'S ANYONE ELSE HERE WHO'S NOT FROM GRYFFINDOR LEAVE NOW" Harry yelled

Everybody was quiet for a few seconds and then more Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and even a couple second year Slytherins left the pitch

Both Harry and Brenda were shaking their heads in amusement and annoyance

After two hours of tryouts the Gryffindors finally had their team, Chasers: Katie Bell, Ginny Weasley and Brenda Potter, Beaters: Jimmy Peakes, and Ritchie Coote, Keeper: Ron Weasley, Seeker: Harry Potter

" We should go see Hagrid now" Brenda said after she and Harry scheduled a practice for next Wednesday

The other three nodded and they headed towards the hut

The first thing they saw when they got towards the hut was Buck... Witherwings

" He's still scary isn't he?" Hermione asked

Ron rolled his eyes, " You've ridden him haven't you?"

" Yes but that was terrifying" Hermione said

" I thought it was fun" Brenda said with a smile

" Let's go up to him" Harry suggested

Brenda and Ron nodded but Hermione shook her head no

The three went up to Witherwings and bowed down low and waited for Witherwings to bow back

" How are you?" Harry asked walking up to the Hippogriff and petting him

Brenda went up to Witherwings and kissed his neck and petted him

Ron was about to but he was startled by Hagrid's loud voice

" GET AWAY FROM HIM" Hagrid yelled and was running towards the four Gryffindors, " HE'LL HAVE YOUR FINGERS" Hagrid then saw who it was and scowled, " Oh... it's you lot" without another word Hagrid walked back to his hut and slammed the door loudly

" Oh no" Hermione said worriedly

" We really hurt his feelings" Brenda said sadly

" Now what?" Ron asked

" Don't worry" Harry said and he headed up to Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door but there was no answer, " Hagrid open up we want to talk to you"

" Please Hagrid" Brenda said and also began knocking on the door

There was still no answer

Harry took out his wand, " Ok you guys stand back"

" What are you going to do?" Brenda asked

" If you don't open the door, we'll blast it open" Harry warned

" HARRY" Hermione gasped

" Harry you can't" Brenda said

" Watch me" Harry said, " Now stand back" He pushed Brenda out of the way and raised his wand but before he could say the B for Bombarda the door opened and an angry looking Hagrid was glaring at the lot of them

" I'M A TEACHER" Hagrid yelled, " A TEACHER POTTER! HOW DARE YOU THREATEN TO BREAK DOWN MY DOOR! FIFTEEN POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR"

The four students gasped, Hagrid never took away points

" I'm... I'm sorry sir" Harry said with a glare

Hagrid was taken aback, " Since when do you call me sir?

" Well since when do you call me Potter?" Harry asked

" Oh ho very clever" Hagrid growled and glared, " Very amusing, outsmarted by a sixth year, fine whatever... come on then you ungreatful little" Hagrid said the last word very softly which was brats

All four of them slowly walked in Hagrid's hut and sat down in their usual spots

" Well you got my attention now what do you want?" Hagrid snapped and slammed four mugs of tea down that made the girls jump, " Hold on don't tell me, you're feeling sorry for me, you Reckon I'm lonely or something right?"

" No" Harry said

" We wanted to see you" Brenda put in

" We missed you" Hermione put in

" Missed me have you? Yah right" Hagrid said with a glare

" We did... and we really wanted to carry on with Care of Magical Creatures" Hermione said

Hagrid rolled his eyes, " Yah right"

" We did... but we couldn't fit it into our schedules" Brenda explained

All of a sudden there was a squishy noise

" What's that?" Ron asked

" Giant grubs to feed to... to... Aragog" Hagrid said bursting into tears

" Hagrid" Hermione and Brenda said at the same time and went over to him

" Hagrid what's wrong?" Brenda asked

" It's... him" Hagrid managed to get out between tears, " It's... Aragog... I think... I think he's... dying" Hagrid sobbed

" Why do you think that?" Ron asked not so sad that the giant spider was going to die

" He.. he got ill over the summer and he's not getting better... I don't know what I'd do... We've been together for so long" Hagrid said

The girls patted Hagrid's shoulder comfortingly

" Um... is there anything we can do to help?" Hermione asked not knowing what else there was to say

" I don't think there is, but thanks for offering" Hagrid said

It seemed like Hagrid wasn't angry at them anymore

" I kind of knew you'd find it hard to squeeze me into your timetables" Hagrid said, " I've just been worried about Aragog"

" We understand Hagrid" Brenda said

Hagrid smiled and the mood for the rest of their stay was a happy one especially when Hagrid gave back the fifteen points and even added another five which Brenda did the math in her head which equaled to 1.25 points a piece

The next day after classes Brenda went down to the apartment and Severus taught her some more potions and she wrote them down in her notebook

" How come the book doesn't show how to make the potions the way you are showing me how to make the potions?" Brenda asked

" Because the author of that book is a Dunderhead... or the author likes making things difficult" Severus explained and then smiled, " But I think the author is a Dunderhead"

Brenda smiled " It's sure getting on Hermione's nerves that Harry and I are working on the potions differently then her... she gets kind of snappy sometimes"

" Ms. Granger is a bit of a perfectionist isn't she?" Severus asked

" Where she has to do everything from the book? Yes" Brenda said

Severus smirked, " So did you get the stupify spell down today?"

" Silent? No, but I do have Accio down" Brenda said

" Maybe we should work on that then on potions hmm?" Severus said, " After all, I'm no longer your Potions Professor, and you have an O in that class anyway, whether I help you or not... and if you do not get the stupify down... I can easily bring your O down to an E in my class"

Brenda gasped, " You wouldn't"

Severus lifted an eyebrow with a smirk

" You would" Brenda said with a sigh, " Yah ok, fine... yah lets work on Stupify"

The rest of the time Severus taught her how to do a silent stupify and Brenda had to show Severus that she knew how to do the Accio silently. Severus didn't let Brenda leave the apartment until Brenda learned the Stupify... Severus wanted his daughter to excel in his class whether it be Potions or Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lets just say that Brenda spent the night down in the Apartments for a week

" When can I go back up to Gryffindor Tower?" Brenda asked

" When you get the spell down, nobody has gotten that spell down yet, and I've been teaching it for a week, don't you students practice outside of class?" Severus asked

" Some of the students don't even know what Stupify is, and can't even say it loudly, let alone silently" Brenda said

" Yes I've noticed" Severus said, " Well I told you you can go back up to Gryffindor Tower when you have gotten Stupify down with a silent spell, now keep practicing"

Brenda sighed and nodded

" So where has Dumbledore been lately?" Brenda asked a while later

" He has been busy with the Order" Severus said, " Now keep practicing"

" I am" Brenda said, " It's just that he is supposed to be giving Harry and I lessons"

" Do not worry, you and Harry will continue with lessons from the Headmaster, but he will give you the times" Severus said

" You need any help correcting the homework?" Brenda asked

" No, and you should be practicing your homework young lady, not talking nonstop" Severus said

Brenda sighed, " Yes sir, but I've been doing this nonstop as well, for a week even, because you won't let me go back up to Gryffindor Tower, nobody else has to be confined to one area... I feel like I'm grounded"

" Why do you always feel like you're grounded when you come down here?" Severus asked

" Because every time I'm down here I usually am grounded" Brenda explained

" Why don't you ever come down here when you're not grounded?" Severus asked

" Because there's not alot of time in between me being grounded and not being grounded, I think I'm down here more than I am in Gryffindor Tower" Brenda explained, " Dad can I please take a break?"

" The Dark Lord will not let you take a break" Severus reminded her

" Well he's not here is he?" Brenda snapped with a glare

Severus glared, " Don't snap at me young lady or you won't like the consequences"

Brenda stopped glaring, " Sorry Dad"

" Five more minutes and then you can take a break and we'll work on another potion, hows that sound?" Severus asked

" Sounds great" Brenda said excitedly

" Five minutes" Severus reminded her

Brenda nodded and began practicing again, she got a red light but it wasn't that effective

Finally the five minutes were up

" Now can we make a potion?" Brenda asked

" Show me your progress first" Severus ordered, " I saw a bit of red light from your wand and from what I could hear, you weren't whispering the spell like some students I know of"

Brenda showed her dad how far she progressed

" Well so far that's the best I've seen, good job, maybe with more practice, you'll get it right" Severus said

Brenda smiled, " Is it enough where I can spend the night up in Gryffindor Tower?"

Severus looked at Brenda and raised his eyebrow, " You can this weekend but you're coming back and practicing some more"

Brenda sighed but nodded in understanding

" Come on, I'll teach you another way to brew a potion, go get your book and your notebook" Severus said

Brenda smiled and did as she was told

" Hey I have a question about the secret passage" Brenda said when they were coming out of the potions lab a few hours later

" Ask away" Severus said

" How does the secret passage change from going to the potions classroom to going to the DADA classroom?" Brenda asked

" One word... magic" Severus said sarcastically, " You're sixteen you should know that by now"

Brenda rolled her eyes, " Seriously"

" Seriously, it connects to the potions lab when you say the password and potions after you say the password" Severus said

" So... Lilypad Potions?" Brenda asked

" Exactly, I modified it just this year, to where it leads to the Potions classroom, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, the teachers lounge... not that I actually go in there a lot, the Headmaster's office and the Slytherin Common Room... each of them have their own passwords so you wouldn't be able to get in the Slytherin Common room or the teachers lounge, and you'll only be able to get in the Headmaster's office if you have the password... it changes quite a lot" Severus explained

" Does Professor Slughorn know that you can still get in the classroom?" Brenda asked

Severus smirked and shook his head no, " I might be the DADA teacher but I still love my old classroom and it feels like home in there"

Brenda nodded

" For future reference, I'm thinking of leaving the password Lilypad" Severus said and thought, "In honor of my best friend, and the one I loved and still love", And said " I'm getting kind of tired of changing the password every year, you don't tell anybody what the password is and I like this password, I think I'll keep it for a few years"

" Sounds good Dad, I like it too" Brenda said with a smile, she liked it because it had Lily in it

The next day which was Saturday and the first Hogsmeade outing. The four 6th years were at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast

" Brenda what did you do that made Severus ground you?" Ron asked

" I didn't do anything and I'm not grounded... I don't think anyway... He want's me to stay down there until I get the Stupify spell right... silently" Brenda said

" Rotten luck" Ron said

Brenda agreed, "But I get to go back up to Gryffindor Tower until Monday"

" Well that's good news" Hermione said with a smile

" So Harry, find anything interesting in that book yet?" Brenda asked

Harry smiled, " Yah, this morning I found a spell Levicorpus and I cast it at Ron... on accident of course... it's a nonverbal spell and it happens to be the first one I have ever cast on the first try"

" Seriously though, next time use the alarm clock" Ron said

" Wow that would be interesting to see, you mind if I tell Fred about that? I'm going to write him a letter and tell him what has been going on at Hogwarts" Brenda said

" Don't you write to him like every day?" Ron asked

" Every other day" Brenda said, " He has to have time to write me back"

Harry shook his head and rolled his eyes

" So how did you get down Ron?" Brenda asked

" Liberacorpus" Harry said, " That also is silent"

" You'll have to show me that spell, it sounds interesting" Brenda said

" Brenda why are you stooping to his level?" Hermione finally asked

" What's wrong?" Brenda asked

" Harry didn't know what he was doing when he cast that spell, what if that spell was dangerous?" Hermione asked, " Ron could have gotten hurt if that spell did anything different, not to mention it's probably not Ministry of Magic approved"

" Oh please don't turn into Umbridge Jr. the pink toad" Brenda groaned

" I am not turning into the Pink toad" Hermione glared and huffed, " I'm just saying that this Prince character seems like a trouble maker"

" Oh Hermione lighten up, it was just a laugh" Ron said

" Dangling people upside down by the ankle is just a laugh?" Hermione asked, " Who in their right mind would want to say a spell like that?"

" Well I can think of two people" Ron said, " Fred and George"

" And our dad" Harry said

Brenda nudged Harry in the side and gave him a warning glare

" Um... our dad used this spell... Lupin told us" Harry said, " Hey do you think this book belonged to him?"

Brenda shook her head no

" Why not?" Harry asked, " It could be"

" Dad was a pure blood, this is the book of the Half Blood Prince" Brenda reminded Harry

Harry sighed

" I think it belongs to a Death Eater" Hermione said

" Why would a Death Eater admit to be a half blood?" Ron asked

" Not all Death Eaters are pureblooded, there's not enough purebloods left" Hermione explained

Ron thought about that and then nodded and everybody finished eating their breakfast

" Harry, Brenda, this is from Dumbledore" Ginny said going over to the group and handing them their notes

" What's it say?" Ron asked

" We have another lesson" Harry said

Monday evening at 7:00" Both Brenda said

" Thanks for bringing these to us Ginny, do you want to go to Hogsmeade with us?" Harry asked

" Um... no thank you, Dean asked me already, hey we might see you there" Ginny said and then left the group

The group returned to their breakfast but Brenda watched Ginny as she sat down with her friends a few feet away from them, Brenda saw something in Ginny's eyes the same thing that Brenda had in her eyes when she had a crush on Fred

" I knew it" Brenda whispered

" What?" Harry asked

Brenda looked at Harry, " Nothing"

After breakfast they all got ready to go to Hogsmeade

" This is going to take forever because of the Secrecy Sensor" Ron complained, " I mean why is it bad if somebody is smuggling stuff out of Hogwarts?"

Filch heard Ron complain and he spent an extra five minutes on him

" Git" Ron said when he was out of ear shot of Filch

They walked to Hogsmeade and wrapped their cloaks and scarves around them, trying to get warm because it was a cold day with a grey sky

" I think we would have been better off in the common room near the fire" Harry said

Hermione and Ron nodded

" Oh come on, a little cold isn't going to hurt anybody" Brenda said

" Says the Gryffindor who lives down in the dungeons more than her own house" Ron said

Brenda rolled her eyes, " Oh come on, it's not that cold down in the dungeons... at least not in the apartment"

" So where should we go first?" Harry asked changing the topic

" Lets go to Zonko's" Ron suggested

" Yah, I want to get some firecrackers" Brenda said with a grin

Harry smiled and Hermione rolled her eyes but they all headed towards Zonko's but were disappointed when they got there, Zonko's was all boarded up

" Well that sucks" Ron said, " Now how are we going to get pranks? Diagon Alley is too far away"

" Ron, Fred and George are your brothers... Owl them and send money and you'll get what you want if you really want some pranks" Brenda said

" You shouldn't waste your money on pranks like that though, it will just get you into trouble if a teacher catches you" Hermione said

Ron sighed " So now where should we go? It's freezing out here"

" How about Honeydukes?" Hermione suggested

The teens smiled and headed over to Honeydukes, they could smell the aroma of fudge, Toffee and the other delicious smells of sweets

The teens looked around for a few minutes then they were interrupted by a booming voice

" Harry, Brenda" Slughorn said coming into the sweet shop

" Oh no" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

" You two have missed three of my dinners, that won't do at all, where have you been?" Slughorn asked

" Quidditch practice" Harry said

" Well then I expect you to win the Quidditch match with all of this practicing" Slughorn said, " Well... how about Monday night?"

" We can't professor... Harry and I have an appointment with Professor Dumbledore that evening" Brenda said

" What rotten luck" Slughorn said with a sigh, " Oh well, you can't dodge me forever you know"

Slughorn went over to the shelves and picked up a few pounds of crystalized pineapple and headed towards the counter to pay for it, then with another wave at the teens and a smile he left the building

" You know you two should go, I would call it a great honor to go to a dinner with a teacher" Hermione said

" Hermione, you're muggle born, haven't you heard of the saying teacher's pet?" Brenda asked

Hermione rolled her eyes, " What's wrong with being the teacher's pet?"

" You were the teachers pet in primary school weren't you?" Brenda asked with a smirk

Hermione smiled, " Yes I was, and I do not regret it either"

The other three rolled their eyes

Hermione glared then saw the sweet she was looking for, " Oh look sugar quills, they'll last for hours"

Hermione headed over to the sugar quills and everybody looked at the other candy and purchased some

" So now where should we go?" Harry asked

" How about the Three Broomsticks" Ron suggested, " It'll be nice and warm in there"

They bundled up again and hurried towards the Three Broomsticks and ordered butterbeers

They spent a half hour in there

" So do you want to go back to the castle?" Harry asked, " There's really not much to do here with shops boarded up"

The others nodded and bundled up again to face the cold

" I wonder where Ginny and Dean are at" Harry said, " I was sure that we were going to meet up with them"

" It probably got to cold for them and they either didn't come or they left earlier" Ron said

" Yah you're probably right" Harry said

On their way up to the Castle, the four saw Katie and her friend Leanne who were up ahead of them also returning to the castle start arguing about which looked like a package

Leanne grabbed the package that was in Katie's hand and it fell to the ground

To the teens' horror Katie rose into the air nice and gracefully but eerie. Katie's hair was whipped around her and her eyes were closed and she had an empty expression, not blank like Snape's but empty

The four Gryffindors ran to where Leanne and Katie were

A minute later Katie began screaming in anguish which made Leanne scream

The teens tried grabbing Katie's legs to bring her down and she landed on top of the girls and the boys helped the girls get up from under Katie, Katie began writhing and was writhing so much it was hard for any of the teens to hold on to her

" WE NEED TO FIND HELP" Brenda yelled to be heard over Katie's screaming

" LETS GO" Harry said and the two Potters ran towards the school to find a teacher

They didn't really see where they were going because of the biting wind and they ran into Hagrid

" HAGRID" Harry and Brenda yelled

" What's with all the yelling?" Hagrid asked

" Someone's been cursed" Brenda said

" And we need your help" Harry said

" Cursed? Who's been cursed, not Ron or Hermione now is it?" Hagrid asked worried

" No, it's Katie Bell" Brenda said

" Come on follow us" Harry said

The three ran towards the other teens and the writhing Katie

" GET BACK, LET ME SEE HER" Hagrid yelled worried

" Something's happened to her and I don't know what" Leanne said and she was almost in tears

" This is no time to cry" Hagrid said and bent down and picked Katie up and hurried to the castle

Hermione put her arm around Leanne, " It's ok to cry... Leanne isn't it?"

Leanne nodded

" Did it happen all of a sudden or..." Brenda didn't get to finish

" Just when the package tore" Leanne said sobbing

Ron bent down to touch it

" DON'T TOUCH IT" Harry yelled pulling Ron back

Brenda took out her wand " Evenesco green glitter"

The green glitter disappeared and all that was in the package was a necklace

" I've seen that necklace before" Harry said bending down to get a better look at it, " Years ago before second year when I accidently landed in Borgin and Burkes... the label said it was cursed... Katie must have touched it" Harry said

" Leanne how did Katie get a hold of it?" Brenda asked

" Well that is what started the argument, she came back from the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks holding it, she said it was a surprise for somebody at Hogwarts and that she had to deliver it. She looked funny when she said it" Leanne gasped, " What if she was imperiused?"

" Did she say who gave it to her?" Hermione asked

Leanne sniffed, " No... she wouldn't tell me... oh I hope she's ok"

" Lets get up to the school and find out how she is" Hermione suggested

" What should we do about the necklace?" Brenda asked

Harry hesitated then took his scarf off and picked up the necklace and wrapped it up

The other four gave Harry a confused look

" We need to show this to Madam Pomfrey" Harry explained

The others nodded and headed up to the castle and ran into McGonagall

" Hagrid says you five saw what happened to Katie Bell... you all need to go upstairs to my office at once" McGonagall said then saw what Harry was holding, " What is in your hand Potter?"

" This is what she touched that cursed her" Harry explained

" Oh Merlin" McGonagall said and then saw Filch coming after the students with the sensor, " Argus these students are with me... please give this necklace to Professor Snape, make sure you don't touch it, keep it wrapped in the scarf"

Filch nodded and did as he was told and the students headed up to McGonagall's office

The students told her all that they know and McGonagall sent Leanne to the Hospital Wing for a calming draught

" So after she touched the necklace she was lifted up into the air with a blank face is that right?" McGonagall asked

" Her face wasn't blank... it was empty" Brenda said

" That's the same thing Ms. Potter" McGonagall said

" No it's not, Professor Snape has a blank face... Katie's face was empty" Brenda said

" Yes... now that I think about it there is a difference... a slight one but a difference none the same" McGonagall said

" Professor, may I go see Dumbledore?" Harry asked

" The Headmaster is away until Monday" McGonagall said, " Anything you have to say to him you can say to me"

" I think Draco Malfoy gave Katie the necklace" Harry blurted

It was quiet for a few minutes then McGonagall spoke, " That is a big accusation you have there, do you have proof?"

" Not yet I don't but..." Harry told McGonagall the reason why he thinks it was Malfoy who gave Katie the necklace

" Harry, it's not Malfoy I saw that necklace in the shop when I went in there" Hermione said, " He just told me the price, not that it was sold"

Harry was about to say something but McGonagall spoke first

" It was not Mr. Malfoy, Harry" McGonagall said

" How do you know professor?" Harry asked

" Because Mr. Malfoy wasn't at Hogsmeade today" McGonagall said

Harry was about to say something

" I know this because he was in Detention with me" McGonagall said, " Now that's all taken care of I really need to go see how Katie Bell is doing, Good day to you four" McGonagall held the door open for them and they left her office

The rest of the day was spent thinking about Katie and the necklace, they were trying to figure out who the necklace was for, they're list was Dumbledore, Slughorn, and the Potters

Harry still thought it was Malfoy's doing even though Malfoy was in detention

The others just looked at him and rolled their eyes, they were sick of arguing with him about Malfoy

 

The next thing they heard about Katie was that she was taken to St. Mungos for Magical Maladies and Injuries

" Blimey this isn't good, Katie is taken to St. Mungos which means that Madame Pomfrey couldn't help her and we are down one Chaser" Ron said

" Ron how can you think about Quidditch at a time like this?" Hermione asked

Ron shrugged his shoulders

" We'll worry about Quidditch later, I want to know what Snape found out about the necklace... if he started looking at it that is" Brenda said

" If you go down there, he's going to keep you down there" Ron said, " You only have the weekend to stay up here, you can ask him when you have to be back down in the apartment"

Brenda sighed, " Fine... so what do you want to do?"

" I have studying to do" Hermione said

" You always study" Ron complained

" Yes and look at my grades compared to yours Ronald Weasley" Hermione said then headed up to the Girls dorm to get her books

" So... anybody want to play chess?" Ron asked

" I'm going to write to Fred" Brenda said

" I thought you did that yesterday" Ron said

" I forgot because of all the drama caused by that necklace... he'll understand when the letter is a bit late" Brenda said and then headed upstairs to the Girls dorm for parchment, quill and ink

" What about you mate?" Ron asked

" Yah alright, it might get me to stop thinking about Malfoy and Dumbledore" Harry said

Ron smiled at that

The next night Harry and Brenda arrived at Dumbledore's office at 8:00. When they entered the room and saw Dumbledore, he looked very tired and his hand was still burned

" You'd think that hand would have healed by now" Brenda thought to Harry

Harry agreed

Dumbledore smiled at the students and gestured for them to sit down, their seats were facing the pensieve

" I believe you two had a busy weekend while I was gone" Dumbledore said

" How is Katie sir?" Brenda asked

" I'm afraid she is still unwell but she was very lucky, she only touched the necklace with the smallest amount of skin, she had a small hole in her glove... if she was to hold it without her glove on... she would have died" Dumbledore explained

The twins shuddered at the thought of seeing another person dying

" Luckily Professor Snape was able to do enough to prevent a rapid spread of the curse" Dumbledore said

" Why him" Harry asked, " And not Madame Pomfrey?"

Before Dumbledore said anything, one of the portraits snapped at Harry

" How dare you question the way Hogwarts is run" The portrait said

" Yes thank you Phineas" Dumbledore said

" Snape knows more about the Dark Arts than Pomfrey" Brenda explained, " I would have thought of that if I wasn't so worried about Katie"

Dumbledore smiled and nodded, " The doctors at St. Mungos are sending me hourly reports and I am hopeful that Katie will make a full recovery in time"

" Sir where were you this weekend?" Harry asked

" I would rather not say right now, but I will tell you soon" Dumbledore said

" You will?" Both Harry and Brenda asked startled

Dumbledore nodded and withdrew a fresh bottle of memories from inside his robes and uncorked it with his wand and poured them in the pensieve

" Professor... did Professor McGonagall tell you what I told her after Katie got hurt? About Draco Malfoy?" Harry asked

Brenda rolled her eyes

" She told me of your suspicions, yes" Dumbledore said

" And?" Harry asked

" I shall take all appropriate measures to investigate anyone who might have had a hand in Katie's accident" Dumbledore said, " But not right now because we have a lesson"

Dumbledore began to swirl the memories, " You remember, I am sure that we left the tale of Lord Voldemort's beginnings at the point where the handsome Muggle Tom Riddle, abandoned his witch wife, Merope, and returned to his family home in Little Hangleton. Merope was left alone expecting the baby who would one day become Lord Voldemort"

" Um... how do you know she was in London? We didn't get that far" Brenda said

" Because of Caractacus Burke" Dumbledore said, " He owned a store where the necklace we were talking about came from"

" How did Caractacus see Merope?" Harry asked

" Merope was at the end of her pregnancy and she desperatly needed money, the only thing she had left was a locket which was a tressured family heirloom, she sold it for a mere ten galleons" Dumbledore said

" But she was a witch, couldn't she just magic up some food and shelter and everything she needed?" Brenda asked

" Yes she could, but I believe that when her husband abandoned her, she abandoned using magic" Dumbledore said, "she didn't even use it to save her own life"

" She wouldn't stay alive for her only child?" Brenda and Harry gasped

" Are you two feeling sorry for Tom?" Dumbledore asked

" No" Brenda said, " But she had a choice, our mother did not"

" That is where you're wrong, your mother had a choice as well, she could have either stood aside and let Voldemort kill you two or sacrifice herself... she chose the second option to save you" Dumbledore said

" I can't believe that a mother would kill herself and leave her child like that" Harry said

" She was greatly weakend by long suffering and she never had your mother's courage" Dumbledore said, " Now I think it's time to enter the pensieve, we are going to enter my memory, I think you both will find it rich in detail and satisfyingly accurate. Ladies first Brenda"

Brenda stood up and headed over to the pensieve and fell down into it and waited for the other two to come as well

After the other two entered they all looked at their surroundings

" We are in London, and their I am" Dumbledore said pointing

The younger Dumbledore had long hair but instead of white, it was auburn, and he was wearing a suit of plum velvet

" He still wore funny outfits, even when he was younger" Brenda thought to Harry with a chuckle

" Nice suit sir" Harry said with a smirk

Dumbledore smiled and they all began to follow the younger Dumbledore to a grim looking building

Younger Dumbledore knocked and waited for a minute, the door was opened by a young girl wearing an apron

" Good afternoon" Young Dumbledore said, " I have an appointment with Mrs. Cole, who I believe is the marton here?"

The young girl looked at Dumbledore then turned and shouted, " MRS. COLE" Then she turned around and let Young Dumbledore enter

The building they entered was sparkling clean

" This place would be up to Aunt Petunia's standards" Harry thought to Brenda, " Well with a little more furniture that is"

A minute later a tall skinny woman who to the twins kind of looked like Aunt Petunia and Mrs. Malfoy, the woman had a sharp pointed face and looked like she was a perfectionist

" Good afternoon" Younger Dumbledore said holding out his hand for the woman to shake, " My name is Albus Dumbledore. I sent you a letter requesting an appointment and you very kindly invited me here today"

" Yes, well you better step into my office then" Mrs. Cole said

They all entered Mrs. Cole's office, which also looked like a sitting room

" I am here to duscuss Tom Riddle and arrangements for his future" Young Dumbledore said

" Are you family?" Mrs. Cole asked

" No... I am a teacher" Young Dumbledore said, " I have come to offer him a place at my school"

" What is this school?" Mrs. Cole asked

" It is called Hogwarts" Young Dumbledore said, " We believe that he has qualities we are looking for"

" He has never won a scholarship, never applied for one as far as I know" Mrs. Cole said and looked suspicious of the man in front of her

" His name has been down for our school since birth" Young Dumbledore said

" Who has registered him then? His parents?" Mrs. Cole asked

Young Dumbledore sighed and looked down and took out his wand secretly and conjured a piece of paper with nothing on it and waved his wand and gave it to Mrs. Cole, " This should explain everything

Mrs. Cole's eyes went glassy one minute and were normal the next, " This explains everything"

The rest of the time in the office was spent on the Young Dumbledore getting some information from Mrs. Cole about Tom, how Tom's mother had the baby in the orphanage and her last dying wish was for her baby to be named Tom for his father, Marvolo for her father and Riddle for the surname. They also learned that Tom was a bully at the orphanage and he did nasty things, like killing a boy's bunny and taking kids to a cave and the kids returning and the kids not acting right

After Young Dumbledore and Mrs. Cole talked some more, it was now time for Young Dumbledore to meet Tom Riddle

Mrs. Cole led Dumbledore to a door and knocked on it and said, " Tom, you have a visitor... this is Professor Dumbledore"

Mrs. Cole opened the door and let the Young Dumbledore in and the other Dumbledore and the twins went in also

The room was bare, nothing but a bed and an old wardrobe. The blankets were grey and on top of the blankets was a pale boy with dark hair

Mrs. Cole left the room and young Dumbledore walked over to Tom and held out his hand

At first the boy hesitated and then shook Young Dumbledore's hand, " I am Professor Dumbledore"

" What's a professor? Is that like doctor? Does she want me looked at?" Tom asked

" No Tom, A professor is a teacher, I work at a school called Hogwarts. I am offering you a place at the school, if you want to come" Young Dumbledore said

Tom glared at Dumbledore and jumped up from his bed and started yelling, " YOU WON'T GET ME. THE ASYLUM, THAT'S WHRE YOU'RE FROM, ISN'T IT? WELL I'M NOT GOING. I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO THOSE KIDS, THE OLD BAG IS LYING"

" I am not from the asylum" Young Dumbledore said, " Hogwarts is a school for the gifted... for people who have special abilities"

" I'm not mad" Tom said still glaring at Young Dumbledore

" I know you're not, Hogwarts is a school of magic" Young Dumbledore said

" M-magic?" Tom whispered

" That's right" Young Dumbledore said with a smile

" Magic is what I can do?" Tom asked

" What all can you do?" Young Dumbledore asked

Tom smiled and began telling Young Dumbledore what he could do

Brenda and Harry's faces were turning green because what Tom could do was not nice

" Sheesh, evil and at age eleven" Brenda whispered

" I knew I was special" Tom said with a smirk

Young Dumbledore nodded, " You are special, you are a wizard"

" Are you a wizard too?" Tom asked

Young Dumbledore nodded

" Prove it" Tom commanded

" Are you excepting your place at Hogwarts?" Young Dumbledore asked

" Yes of course" Tom said impatiently

" Then you will address me as Professor or sir" Dumbledore said

Tom glared then sighed and in a sweet voice said, " I'm sorry sir, will you pleas show me some magic?"

Young Dumbledore nodded and took out his wand and pointed it at the wardrobe and had it burst into flames

Before Tom could get mad at Young Dumbledore though the flames stopped and the wardrobe looked normal, but there was a rattling inside

" Go open up the door" Young Dumbledore said

Tom nodded and did as he was told, he opened the wardrobe and took out a box that was rattling and returned to his spot on his bed

" Now then, is there something in that box that is not yours?" Young Dumbledore asked

Tom looked guilty and nodded

" Open it" Young Dumbledore said

Tom sighed and did as he was told and inside the box was everyday items, mostly toys and candy

Tom dumped the box onto his bed and the items stopped rattling

" You need to return these items to their rightful owners Tom, and you also need to apologias to them" Young Dumbledore said putting his wand away, " I will know if you have not Tom... Thieving is not tolerated at Hogwarts"

" Yes sir" Tom said

" At Hogwarts you will be taught how to use your magic and to control your magic, and control your magic you must and in a good way not a bad way, because the school can expel you and if the crimes are bad enough, the ministry will be informed" Young Dumbledore said

" You have a ministry?" Tom asked

Young Dumbledore nodded, " And they punish lawbreakers more severely, all new witches and wizards must accept that, in entering our world, they abide by our laws, is that understood?"

" Yes sir" Tom said, " How am I supposed to pay for this school and my books? I don't have any money"

Young Dumbledore took out a bag out of his pocket and gave it to Tom, he also gave Tom the envelope that holds the first years letter, " There is a school fund for those who require assistance to help pay for spellbooks books and robes"

" Where do you buy all of this?" Tom asked

" Diagon Alley, I will be with you when we go shopping" Young Dumbledore said

" I don't need your help, I can shop by myself, I've been doing it ever since I was four" Tom said with a glare, " I just need to know where it is"

" Very well" Young Dumbledore said and told Tom the directions to the Leakey Cauldron, " Ask for Tom the barman, that shouldn't be too hard since it's your name"

" Wow Tom the barman is old" Brenda thought to Harry which made him smirk

Tom wrinkled his nose

" I take it you don't like the name Tom?" Young Dumbledore asked

" There's a lot of Toms" Tom said, " Was my father a wizard? He was also Tom Riddle"

" I'm afraid I don't know" Young Dumbledore admitted

" I'm sure he was because my mother couldn't have been, or she wouldn't have died when I was born" Tom said, " So when do I come to Hogwarts?"

" Everything is on the second piece of parchment" Young Dumbledore said, " In the envelope there is a ticket that leaves Kings Cross station at 11:00 on the dot on September 1, everything is explained in the letter"

Tom nodded

" Well I better be going" Young Dumbledore said and he stood up from his seat and extended his hand to be shaken

Tom took it then said, " I can speak to snakes"

Young Dumbledore was surprised

" I found out when we took a trip, is that normal for a wizard?" Tom asked

" It... It is unusual but not unheard of" Young Dumbledore said

Tom nodded

" Good bye Tom, I shall see you at Hogwarts on September 1st" Young Dumbledore said

" Well I think that covers it for now" Dumbledore said and the next thing anybody knew, they were back in Dumbledore's office

After they got their bearings they took their seats and thought about the information they just got

" Did you know that he would become evil?" Brenda asked after five minutes of silence

" No I didn't, but I knew I had to keep a close eye on him and that is what I did" Dumbledore said

" An annoyingly close watch on him" Brenda said with a smirk, " According to his sixteen year old self"

" The one you think is cute" Harry teased

Brenda looked at her brother and rolled her eyes

" I can't believe he had that much power and at age eleven" Harry said

" Yes his powers were surprisingly well developed" Dumbledore said with a nod

" And he was a parcelmouth" Harry said

" Yes indead, a rare ability and one supposedly connected to the Dark Arts. But we know that is not true" Dumbledore said with a smile

" But were you afraid of his ability of speaking to snakes?" Brenda asked

" Not nearly as uneasy as his crulety, secrecy and domination... Now then, before we leave I want to draw your attention to certain features of the scene we witnessed" Dumbledore said

" Like when his nose wrinkled when you mentioned Tom the barman?" Brenda asked

" Exactly... Tom showed his contept for anything that tied him with other people. Tom wanted to be different... so he shed his name and named himself Lord Voldemort" Dumbledore said

" It also sounded like he didn't have any friends... most likely from all his bullying" Brenda said

" I believe he never wanted friends, not even his loyal death eaters were his friends, just his followers" Dumbledore said, " Also I hope you paid attention to the items he stole from other kids... Those were his trophies he... collected from his victims he bullied... Now that you learned all that you needed to learn for tonight, it is now time for bed... Brenda you are supposed to go down to the apartment"

The teens nodded and bid the Headmaster goodnight

Harry and Brenda went their separate ways, Harry to the tower and Brenda down to the apartment

" What are you doing up so late?" Grandfather Severus asked when Brenda made it to the portrait

" I had a lesson with Dumbledore, may I come in?" Brenda asked

Grandfather Severus smirked, " What's the password?"

Brenda rolled her eyes, " Lilypad"

Grandfather Severus smiled and let her in

" Hi dad" Brenda said with a smile when she spotted her dad

" Good evening Brenda, I trust you had a good lesson with Dumbledore?" Severus asked

" Yah it was good, we learned that Tom was evil even when he was a kid" Brenda said

Severus nodded, " Why don't you get ready for bed and I'll be in there in a while?"

Brenda nodded and did as she was told, her dad still liked to tuck her in, " I think that's one of the reasons why he wants me down here, he's making up for the summer" Brenda smiled at that

Brenda hurried with her shower and then got ready for bed and her dad came in five minutes after she settled into bed

" Did you look at that necklace?" Brenda asked

" Yes I did, there is a lot of curses on it... I took some of them off but most of them are a little more difficult" Severus explained, " Now it's time for you to get some sleep, you have Herbology first thing in the morning"

Brenda nodded and gave her dad a hug like she does everynight and Severus tucked her in

The next morning Harry and Brenda wanted to tell Ron and Hermione everything they learned but they couldn't because they were afraid they'd be overheard, so they waited until they started walking towards the Greenhouse

All that the four talked about was Voldemort until Professor Sprout heard them talking and snapped at them for talking

" Enough talking, you four are lagging behind, everybody else has started and Neville already got his first pod planted" Professor Sprout snapped

" Ok Professor we're starting now" Ron said

" Sorry Professor" Hermione said embarrassed

" Should have used the new spell you found in that book... Muffliato" Ron said

" No we shouldn't" Hermione whispered

" What new spell?" Brenda thought to Harry

" I found it this morning when I was looking through it, it is kind of like silincio but it puts like a bubble around an area and we can talk freely without anybody else hearing us" Harry thought back to Brenda

" Wow sounds cool" Brenda thought

The four fought their plants that were not cooperating, and they all got scratches on their faces and leaves and twigs in their hair

After classes that day, Harry showed Brenda the spell in the book

" Ok, Ron see if you can hear me after I cast the spell" Brenda said

Ron nodded

Brenda took out her wand and said " Muffliato"

Brenda began reading aloud from a book then canceled the spell

" Well?" Harry asked

" Nothing, it works" Ron said with a grin

Brenda smiled

Brenda stayed down in the apartment for another two nights until she got the spell correct

" Bravo Brenda, you finally got that spell right... you are the first person who got it right, Ms. Granger doesn't have it down yet, but she is close" Severus said

Brenda smiled, " Can we play chess?"

Severus smiled and nodded

Brenda and Severus played chess until it was time for Brenda to go to bed, they each won a game

A few days passed and Brenda was finally back in the Gryffindor Tower, Katie Bell was still not back yet and Harry and Brenda were getting worried, they had their first Quidditch game against Slytherin and they were down a chaser

" We should hold another tryout" Brenda said

" But it's only for one person" Harry said

" Well who was the next best chaser?" Brenda asked

" Dean Thomas" Harry said

" So lets ask him if he still wants to be on the team" Brenda said

Harry nodded

" Lets try to catch him at Transfiguration tomorrow, get him by himself" Brenda said

" Good idea" Harry said

After Transfiguration the next day Harry caught up to Dean while Brenda was trying to get rid of all the birds that she and Hermione transfigured from feathers, she and Hermione were the only ones who got more than flying feathers

" Hey Dean" Harry said

" Yah?" Dean asked

" Do you still want to be on the Quidditch team? We have an opening for a chaser" Harry said

Dean smiled, " Yah Harry, that's great"

" Good, you're in, and there's a practice tonight at 7:00" Harry said

" Great, I can't wait until I tell Ginny" Dean said with a smile and then left

Harry's face fell a bit at that remark and Brenda saw it

" You ok Harry?" Brenda thought to her brother since she was still trying to get the birds down

" Yah I'm fine" Harry thought back to his sister

Brenda looked at Harry and thought to herself, " I think somebody's jealous" She smirked then went back to getting rid of the birds along with Hermione

The news spread fast in the common room and a bunch of the Gryffindors didn't like the choice, they kept saying that the Potters were playing favorites

" They won't say that once we beat Slytherin" Brenda said to Harry

Harry smiled at that

That night at practice, Dean did very well with Ginny and Brenda, the only problem on the team was Ron. Ron was good when he was confident, but when he was worried about something, he seems to mess up alot, and his worries were coming back because they were about to play Slytherin and Ron didn't forget the Chant of Weasly is our King

After practice Harry congratulated everybody

" Why are you congratulating me? I played like a sack of dragon dung" Ron whined

" No you didn't, you're the best keeper we tried out" Brenda said patting Ron on the back, " You're just nervous"

Ron nodded

Harry and Brenda were trying to encourage Ron all the way back to Gryffindor Tower, and it worked, he was all smiles when they got back to the Tower, until they spotted both Ginny and Dean kissing

" Hey, I don't want to find my sister kissing in public" Ron said to Ginny

" This is the common room" Ginny said

" Come on Ginny, lets go someplace private" Dean said

Ginny nodded and with a glare at her brother followed her boyfriend

Harry didn't like that Ginny was kissing Dean, he figured it was because he felt like an older brother to her, but Brenda knew the real reason

" Oh the joy of being teenagers... so much drama" Brenda thought to herself and smirked

" What are you smirking at?" Harry asked

" Oh nothing" Brenda said

" Brenda" Harry started

Brenda just smiled and headed up to the Girls dorm

" Brenda" Harry thought but all he got was Brenda giggling

Ron ignored both Ginny and Dean for the next few days which made Quidditch practice awful, Ron was so angry at Dean for kissing Ginny that he failed at blocking any of the quaffles that the chasers threw at him, he was yelling at all the chasers every time he missed a quaffle

" ENOUGH" Harry yelled, " Ron what is your problem? They were just doing their job and you need to do yours"

" Harry, I can't I'm pathetic... I resign" Ron said

" You're not resigning, you're the best keeper we have, you can save anything if you're not nervous, it's all in your head" Brenda said

" Are you saying I'm mental?" Ron asked with a glare

Brenda glared back, " Maybe I am"

Ron glared harder

" Yours doesn't beat Snape's" Brenda said challengingly

Ron glared for another moment then stopped, " There's not enough time to find another Keeper... I'll play the game tomorrow, but if we lose, then I'm resigning"

Harry and Brenda sighed and looked at each other

" We have to do something to boost his confidence" Brenda thought to Harry that night when they were both in their dorms, they couldn't fall asleep, because they were thinking about what to do about Ron

" We can't lose this match, it's against Slytherin and we have to beat Malfoy" Harry thought

" We have to beat the Slytherins period" Brenda corrected

" But if Ron plays like he has been playing then we don't stand a chance" Harry thought

They thought to themselves for a minute then together they thought of an idea, " FELIX FELICIS"

" But whose do we use?" Brenda thought

" We'll use mine, I usually sit next to him and it'll be easy to get to his cup of pumpkin juice" Harry thought

Brenda smiled and thought, " Good plan, I just hope it works"

" Oh it will" Harry thought

" Well good night Harry" Brenda thought

" Good night Brenda" Harry thought

Ron was in a bad mood the day of the Quidditch match, even though everybody was cheering the team on during breakfast

" Come on Ron when you eat and drink something you'll feel better" Harry urged, what do you want to drink? Coffee, pumpkin juice, tea?"

" Anything" Ron said

" Juice it is" Harry said and poured Ron some and suspiciously took out the Felix Felicis then gave the juice to Ron, " Drink up Ron"

" Ron don't drink that" Hermione cried

Ron, Harry and Brenda looked at Hermione confused

" You put something in that drink" Hermione accused Harry

" What?" Harry asked

" You heard me... Brenda you saw him do it didn't you?" Hermione asked

" I have no idea what you're talking about Hermione" Brenda said

Harry put the Felix Felicis back in his pocket

" Ron don't drink that juice" Hermione commanded

Ron glared at Hermione and picked up the juice, " Stop bossing me around Hermione" Ron then drank the juice in one gulp

Hermione was shocked and angry then whispered to Harry, " You should be expelled for what you did, that is not to be used during a competition"

" We have a reputation of not following the rules" Brenda whispered to Hermione before Harry could say anything

Hermione glared at both the Potters then at Ron and stormed out of the Great Hall

" She'll calm down after we win the game" Brenda said

Harry nodded, " Well it's nearly time, lets go down to the pitch and get ready"

The three headed down towards the pitch and on their way there, they ran into Fred, George and Ginny

Brenda screamed with joy and ran to her boyfriend and Fred lifted her up in the air and they kissed passionetly

" Oh I missed you so much" Brenda said after they broke the kiss, " What are you two doing here?"

" Like we'd actually miss a Quidditch game" Fred said

" Especially against Slytherin" George finished

" We wanted to see who replaced us, and I figured this would be the perfect time to see my best girl" Fred said with a grin

Brenda smiled

" I have some more good news" Ginny said, " Two of Slytherins players are not playing, Malfoy is ill and Vaisey is too sore to play because he took a bludger to the head during their practice"

"What's wrong with Malfoy?" Harry asked

" Don't know, but it's great isn't it?" Ginny asked with a smile

" It sure is, Vaisey is a hard player, so who is the subsitute?" Ron asked

" Harper, he's in my year and is an idiot" Ginny said, " He's like your Crabbe and Goyle"

" Nice" Brenda said, " Oh what a beautiful day"

" And that's another bounus" Harry said with a smile

" I think it's lucky" Ron said then frowned, " Hey"

" What?" Harry asked

" I... you... the... my drink... you didn't?" Ron said

" As eloquent as ever Ronnikins" George teased

" We should go get dressed" Brenda said then turned to Fred, " I'll look for you in the stands"

" I'll be the one cheering the loudest for my girl" Fred said and kissed his girlfriend again

" Hurry Harry, Ron drag her away or you'll never be ready in time" George teased

Fred and Brenda rolled their eyes

" See you later" Fred said being pulled by a laughing George

" See you, love you" Brenda said being pulled by Harry and a laughing Ron

" Love you too" Fred said with a smile

Five minutes later the four Gryffindors made it to the changing rooms and got changed for the game

The game was great, within a half hour of the game Gryffindor was leading 60 to zero, Brenda scored thirty points, Ginny scored twenty points and Dean scored ten points, fourtyfive minutes into the game the score was 100 to zero, Ginny scored a total of fourty points, Dean scored a total of ten points and Brenda scored a total of fifty points. and every time Brenda scored everybody could hear Fred Weasley cheering for her, Brenda looked over at the Slytherin section and saw her dad roll his eyes at Fred and that just made Brenda chuckle to herself. Ron was doing really well too, he was blocking all of the shots, making sure the quaffle didn't get in the hoops

Brenda heard Harry say something to Harper and she looked up, Harper was an inch away from the snitch and it looked like he was going to catch it

" Oi, Harper" Harry yelled, " How much did Malfoy pay you to come on instead of him?"

Brenda's mouth fell open, " I can't believe he said that" She thought to herself

Harry's plan worked, Harper lost the chance to grab the snitch and shot right past it and Harry zoomed towards it and grabbed it. Gryffindor won against Slytherin again the score was zero to 250

The Gryffindor team cheered and they all hugged each other, everybody congratulated Ron on an awesome performance

After everybody calmed down and got the celebration party planned for the Gryffindor Common Room, the team changed and after they changed and almost everybody was out Fred and George walked into the room and Fred picked Brenda up and kissed her again

" That was brilliant" Fred said with a smile

" Thank you, now can you put me down, I'm all sweaty" Brenda said with a laugh

Fred shook his head no, " Don't care"

Brenda rolled her eyes

" That game was brilliant... and I am proud to have Peakes and Coote as our successors of being beaters" George said with a smile, " Well Fred we need to get back to our shop, so if you could put your girlfriend down, that would be lovely"

" Oh don't be a party pooper" Fred said but he did put Brenda down

" Sadly George is right, you got to get back to work and I need to take a shower" Brenda said with a little pout

" Look on the bright side, you'll see each other during Christmas" Ginny said

" Christmas is such a long ways away though" Fred pouted

" We'll still keep in contact with the owls" Brenda said

" I can't kiss an owl" Fred said, " Well maybe I can but that's weird"

The Weasleys and Potters laughed

The students minus Ginny who walked back up to the Gryffindor Tower with Dean walked with Fred and George until they got to the apparation point and with one more kiss from Fred and Brenda the Weasley twins left with a pop

Before anybody could say anything else, Hermione ran up to them and started yelling

" You shouldn't have done it. You heard Slughorn, it's illegal" Hermione said

" What are you going to do? Turn us in?" Ron asked

" What are you two talking about?" Harry and Brenda asked both trying to hide their grins

" YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT " Hermione yelled then quieter said, " You spiked Ron's juice with Felix Felicis at breakfast"

" No I didn't" Harry said

" Well it wasn't your twin" Hermione said

" No I didn't do it either" Brenda said

" Harry just admit that you put that potion in Ron's drink" Hermione said

" No, because I didn't put anything in Ron's drink" Harry said

" Yes you did, Harry, that's why everything went right, there were players missing from Slytherin and Ron saved everything" Hermione said

" I didn't put it in" Harry said and both he and Brenda were smiling

Harry took out the bottle of Felix Felicis and the vial was still full of the golden potion and it was still sealed with wax

" We wanted Ron to think that his juice was spiked" Brenda explained and took her vial out too just to prove that the vials weren't mixed up or anything

" We wanted you to feel like you were lucky and could do no wrong" Harry said

" Ron... you did it all on your own" Brenda said with a smile

" There... There was nothing in my pumpkin juice?" Ron asked

" Nothing but the ingredients to make pumpkin juice and maybe some ice" Brenda said

" But the weather's good and the players were missing" Ron said

" Coincidence, and lucky for us all" Brenda said and shrugged

Ron turned to Hermione, " You thought I couldn't do it, you thought it was the potion that was making me good, you didn't think I couldn't save the goals without any help did you?"

" I didn't say that... and you thought so too" Hermione said with a glare

Ron didn't say anything

" So, now that's out in the open, shall we go to the party?" Harry asked

Ron stalked away from the group

" I take that as a yes" Harry said

" Hermione?" Brenda asked

" You guys go on ahead, " I'm kind of sick of Ron at the moment" Hermione said

Harry and Brenda looked at eachother

" Harry you go, I'll stay with Hermione" Brenda thought to her brother

Harry nodded and ran to catch up with Ron

" Hermione what's wrong?" Brenda asked

" Nothing" Hermione said

" I'm sorry we tricked you like that" Brenda said

" It's not that... it's Ron" Hermione said

" You know sometimes it's the girls job to tell the men how they feel, that is how it was with Fred and me" Brenda said

" I don't like Ron like that" Hermione said

Brenda just looked at Hermione and lifted her eyebrow

Hermione looked defeated, " Is it that obvious?"

Brenda sighed, " Not as obvious as Harry and Ginny"

" What do you mean by that?" Hermione asked

" Ginny has a crush on Harry and Harry is jealous of Dean, Ginny is only going out with Dean to make Harry jealous... don't tell any of them that I told you that... Don't tell Lavender either... because I feel like her, knowing who likes who even before they know themselves" Brenda said

Hermione smiled, " Don't worry, I won't tell, but how do you know I like Ron?, I just found out I liked him"

" Oh ever since second year with the awkward moments" Brenda said smiling

" Ever since second year?" Hermione gasped

" I think that's when it started, and it's been growing between the two of you, and yes yelling at one another is part of having feelings for one another" Brenda said

" I haven't read about that in any book" Hermione said

" Not everything is in a book my dear" Brenda said with a smile, " Now how about that party?"

Hermione smiled and nodded

The two headed up to Gryffindor Tower to join the party

" I'm going to tell him how I feel about him" Hermione said with a smile

" Go for it" Brenda said

Before Hermione got the chance though, both Brenda, Harry, and Hermione saw Ron kissing Lavender Brown

Hermione gasped and out of anger she accioed her Transfiguration feathers and transfigured them into birds and sent them straight at the couple before she stormed up the stairs and to the girls’ dorm

" Um... Maybe I was wrong?" Brenda thought to herself

Brenda felt really bad. She swore that Ron liked Hermione and vise versa... well she knew that Hermione liked Ron, but Ron going out with Lavender was a shocker

" What's wrong with Hermione?" Ron asked trying to get rid of the birds

Brenda looked at Ron and just shook her head and sighed

" Well can you get rid of them for me? You and Hermione are the only ones" Ron started

Brenda sighed and took out her wand and it took her five minutes to get rid of the birds

" You're picking up the feathers" Brenda said, " She's angry at you about something and whatever you did, you should be punished"

" Brenda, what did I do?" Ron asked

Brenda sighed, " If you have to ask... you'll never know" Brenda then glared at Lavender

" What did I do?" Lavender asked

" I can't believe you" Brenda said

With that said Brenda headed upstairs to talk to Hermione

" Hermione I'm sorry... do you want to talk about it?" Brenda asked

" No... no... I knew it was too good to be true" Hermione said

" I was so sure he liked you... I'm so sorry I" Brenda started

" I know you are... I forgive you... I do not forgive Ron though"

" I got rid of the birds, but I had him pick up all the feathers, there's about a thousand" Brenda said with a sad smile

Hermione smiled sadly then wiped away her tears

Lavender came up to the girls dorms

" Brenda Potter what is this all about? And why Hermione did you send birds after my boyfriend?" Lavender asked

Brenda was about to say something but Hermione stopped her

" I have my own reasons... hope you and Ron work out" Hermione said

Brenda looked at Hermione but Hermione shook her head no

Brenda sighed

" Oh we will" Lavender said with a smile and she left the dorm

" Brenda can I come in?" Harry thought

" Why?" Brenda thought

" I want to know if you two are ok" Harry thought

" We're fine" Brenda thought

" Please" Harry thought, " Ron and Lavender are kissing again

" Yah all right come on in" Brenda thought

A minute later Harry came in

" So what was that about?" Harry asked

" Nothing" The girls answered

It was quiet for a minute

" So Brenda, did Professor Snape say anything about the necklace?" Harry asked

" Not much, I asked him about it once and he said he took most of the spells off that made it a curse but he didn't say anything else about it. I was planning on asking more questions the next night I was down there but then he gave me a look which meant drop it" Brenda said

Harry nodded, " I think you should go down there and ask him if he has any idea who sent the necklace"

" He's not going to tell me, he told me to drop it and I really don't want to make him angry and get in trouble" Brenda said

" I bet he wants you to drop it because it was Malfoy" Harry said

Brenda and Hermione rolled their eyes

" You roll your eyes now, but I'm sure I'm right, and it will be proven" Harry said stubbornly

" Slowly smile and nod your head" Brenda whispered to Hermione

They slowly smiled and nodded their heads

Harry rolled his eyes, " New topic right?"

" Right" The girls said

During the weeks before Christmas Vacation Hermione was still angry at Ron and Harry had to avoid a lot of girls who were trying to catch him under mistletoe, Brenda was finding it very funny

" Oh you think it's funny that I have to keep dodging all girls?" Harry asked

" As your little sister... I think it's my job to tease my older brother... yes I do" Brenda said with a smirk

" Well can you help your older brother dodge the girls?" Harry asked

Brenda smirked, " Let me get back to you on that"

" Brenda" Harry whined

Brenda chuckled

Brenda wasn't the only one laughing at Harry's expense, Ron was also laughing when he wasn't making out with Lavender and even Hermione was chuckling when she wasn't glaring at Ron

" Yah I'll help you" Brenda finally said the next day

" Thank you" Harry sighed with relief

" Watch out for Romilda Vane, Hermione and I heard her talk about putting a love potion in your pumkin juice" Brenda said

" How did she sneak a love potion in the school?" Harry asked

" We don't know" Hermione said, " But they were talking about how they are going to try to have you invite them to Slughorn's party”

" I think they bought them from Weasley's Wizard Weezes" Brenda said and blushed

" Why do you say that?" Harry asked

" Because I gave Fred the recipe and showed him how to make it" Brenda said embarrassed, " And the bottles look like perfume bottles and smell like perfume so they can get past Filch"

" Brenda" Harry groaned

" Sorry but at the time I didn't know girls were fawning all over you, I just wanted to have everybody experience true love like Fred and I have" Brenda said, " But don't worry, I'll watch out for you, I can keep you away from the potion"

" Mostly keep away from Romilda Vane, because she looked like she meant business" Hermione said

Harry was lost in thought by this time, " Hang on a minute, Brenda you said that the bottles look like perfume bottles right?"

" Yes" Brenda said

" So why couldn't Malfoy bring that necklace inside the school under disguise?" Harry asked

" Harry" Brenda started

" Why not?" Harry asked

" Secrecy sensors detect jinxes, curses, and concealment charms" Hermione explained

" They're used to find Dark magic and dark objects" Brenda said

" They would have picked up a powerful curse, like the one on the necklace, within seconds" Hermione said

" Love potions are not dark or dangerous" Brenda said

" Easy for you to say" Harry said darkly

That night after they said the password to the Fat Lady, Romilda Vane came up to Harry

" Hi Harry, do you want a gillywater?" Romilda asked

Harry thought to Brenda, " Brenda?"

" Potion" Brenda thought

" Er... No thank you Romilda... I don't like it much"

" Oh... well then you can have these, their firewhisky chocolate Cauldrons that my gran sent to me" Romilda said

" Why don't you want them?" Hermione asked

" I don't like them" Romilda said

" Um... right... thanks" Harry said with a grin

Hermione and Brenda pulled Harry to the side

" First chance you get, throw those things away" Brenda said

" Harry you need to ask somebody to the party, then they'll stop with all of this nonsense" Hermione said then she spotted Ron and Lavender, " Well I'm off to bed... goodnight"

Hermione headed up to the Girls' dorm

" It's only 7:30" Harry said

" Look behind you" Brenda said

Harry did, " Oh"

The next day after Transfiguration class Harry and Brenda ran into Luna Lovegood

" Hello Luna" Brenda said with a smile

" Oh hello" Luna said

" Have you had a nice term?" Harry asked

" It's all right, a bit lonely with out the DA" Luna said

" Harry, why don't you ask her if she wants to go to the party" Brenda thought

" Brenda" Harry started

" No" Brenda snapped through thought, " She's your friend and she was with us at the Ministry, you have to ask somebody and this way you'll get the other girls off of your tail, she'll love it"

Harry sighed, " Luna would you like to go to Slughorn's party with me? As friends?"

Luna smiled, " Yes that sounds nice, who are you bringing Brenda?"

Brenda smiled, " Fred"

" But didn't he leave last year?" Luna asked

" I owled him and he said he'll come, I even asked Slughorn if it was all right and he said it was, apparently he doesn't like Umbridge either and the fireworks was in the Daily Prophet and he has always wanted to meet the Weasley twins, well he's going to meet one of them at least" Brenda said with a smile

During dinner Ron couldn't believe that Harry asked to go to the party with Luna Lovegood

" That is so nice Harry, I'm glad you're taking her" Ginny said from her seat a few feet away

Harry smiled at Ginny

" So Hermione who are yout taking?" Ginny asked

Hermione wasn't paying attention, she was glaring at Ron and Lavender who were kissing

" Will you two get a room or something?" Hermione snapped

Lavender smiled, " Are you jealous Hermione?"

" Me? Jealous of you?" Hermione asked with a smile, " No, why would I be jellous of you with Ron, when I have Cormac McLaggen?"

" Cormac McLaggen, the one who" Lavender started

Hermione nodded, " Yes the one who was almost the Gryffindor Keeper"

" Are you two dating?" Brenda asked

" Yes, I thought I told you" Hermione said

Brenda shook her head no

" Yes, we're dating" Hermione said

" You really like your Quidditch players don't you?" Ginny asked, " First Krum and now McLadden"

" Actually I like really good and confident Quidditch players" Hermione corrected, " Well I got to get ready for the party" She said standing up

When Harry and Brenda looked at Ron, Ron was very pale

" Well there's one way to make a guy jealous" Brenda thought to Harry

Harry looked at Brenda then at Ron and Lavender then at Ginny and Dean

" Come on, it's time we get ready for the party" Brenda said

Harry nodded and the two headed up to Gryffindor tower

Brenda put on a white and gold dress with spegetti straps that she bought for the occation and put on her shoes that her dad bought her during her fourth year that changes colors to match the dress the person is wearing, she then put on her BRENDA necklace and her promise ring, she then put her hair in a bun with a gold ponytail holder

Hermione wore a sparkling black dress with spegetti straps and she put her hair in curls and wore a sparkling necklace, she put her hair up in a bun as well and put hair glitter in it

" Are you really going out with Cormac?" Brenda asked when they were alone

" No, I'm just trying to make Ron jealous" Hermione said

" Well I think it's working, he was pale after you left" Brenda said with a grin

" Good" Hermione said with a grin, " Well I got to go, I'm meeting Cormac in a few minutes down in the Common Room, see you at the party"

" Bye" Brenda said still doing her makeup

After Brenda was ready she headed downstairs into the Common Room and saw Ron and Lavender, Lavender was glaring at the portrait of the fat lady and Ron was still very pale

" What's wrong with you two?" Brenda asked

" Hermione just left with Cormac" Ron said

" So, they're dating" Brenda said

" Yah I know its just... oh never mind have fun at the party, come here Lavender" Ron said and he began kissing her

" Oh I will, because I'm about to do the same thing with your brother" Brenda said with a grin

Ron rolled his eyes

Brenda smiled and headed out of the tower and down to the entrance hall where her wonderful boyfriend was waiting in very sharp looking dress robes. Brenda walked to her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss

" Missed you" Brenda said with a smile

" Not as much as I've missed you" Fred said

Brenda smiled

" So where's this party?" Fred asked

" Slughorn's office" Brenda said

" Lead the way" Fred said bowing

" I told you two years ago no bowing" Brenda said

" Well I got a bit dizzy when you took my breath away by your radiance and forgot" Fred said, " So sue me"

" Hmm, how about you kiss me instead?" Brenda asked

" Even better" Fred said and he kissed his girlfriend

Brenda led Fred to Slughorn's office, she knew the way to the office by heart since it used to be her dad's, when they got inside the office it looked like it was spelled to be larger because a regular sized office wouldn't have been able to fit all of those people

" Oh look Harry, Your sister has arrived" Slughorn said and like he did with Harry

He took her arm and dragged her over to the group, a bemused and a bit angry Fred followed, he thought that his girlfriend shouldn't be dragged like that

" I want you to meet an old student of mine Eldred Worple who is the author of Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires, oh and of course his friend Sanguini" Slughorn said

" It's a pleasure to meet you Brenda Potter" Worple said shaking her hand

" Um... nice to meet you too" Brenda said awkwardly

" We were just discussing the biographies of the Twin Potters, people are craving to know more about you two, I'll be delighted to write it myself" Worple said

" This guy is as enthusiastic as Lockhart" Brenda thought to Harry and Harry agreed

Fred put his arms around Brenda protectivly when he saw the vampire

" Um... we're not interested" Harry said

" No? But think about all of the gold you'll make" Worple said, " And the fame"

" Definitely not interested" Brenda said

" Are you two shy?" Worple asked

" No, we don't need gold, and we don't need any more fame" Brenda said

" Now if you'll excuse us" Harry said

The four got away from Slughorn Worple and the vampire

" I saw that vampire eyeing your neck" Fred explained why he was wrapping his arms around Brenda

Brenda smiled and gave him another kiss

" Ooh I like rewards" Fred said with a grin

Brenda smiled

They caught up to Hermione who was Cormac free

" Hi you guys" Hermione said, " Fred it's nice to see you again, how's business?"

" Booming" Fred said, " Owl orders, walk ins, George and I knew this was the right choice for us, who needs NEWTS when you have Weasleay's Wizard Weezes?"

" You should still take your NEWTS" Hermione said

Fred shrugged, " We'll see after this Dark Lord stuff quiets down, you don't need to graduate to take NEWTS"

" Really?" Harry asked

" Just take it at the ministry" Fred said and shrugged

" So Hermione where's Cormac?" Brenda asked

" I ditched him at the mistletoe" Hermione said

" So you're not going out with him?" Harry asked

" Of course not, I was trying to make Ron jealous" Hermione said

" Well it worked" Harry said

" Is he still kissing Lavender Brown?" Fred asked

" Yes" Hermione, Brenda and Harry said

" He'll soon come to his senses" Fred said, " Just you wait Hermione, George and I will make him come to his senses"

" No that's all right Fred, I don't want you to hurt him or get in trouble yourself" Hermione said

" Oh it's no trouble at all, just a bit of love potion and" Fred started

" No, no love potion, I want him to like me for me, not because he thinks he does because of a potion" Hermione said

" All right, all right, we'll do it the old fashioned way" Fred said

" Veritisirum is illegal with minors" Brenda said

" Not talking about veritisirum" Fred said, " I'm talking about the big brother way"

That made Hermione smile

All of a sudden a drunk Trelawny bumped into the group

" Oh, sorry dears... oh Harry and Brenda Potter, why are you not taking Divination? After all you need it more than ever since you two are the chosen ones" Trelawny said, " The skills in of the utmost importance"

" We all think our subjects are the most important" Slughorn said

" What happened to Worple and Sangi" Fred asked

" Sanguini" Slughorn said, " So who are you?"

" Fred Weasley" Fred said

Slughorn's eyes lit up, " Fred Weasley, The Fred Weasley who he and his brother did that fireworks display during OWLS last year and now own Weasley's Wizard Weezes?"

Fred grinned, " Yep"

" Well it's a pleasure to meet you" Slughorn said shaking his hand hard

" Nice to meet you two sir" Fred said

" You know, I used to be a prankster in my day" Slughorn said

" Really?" Fred asked

" Really, I'll give you some tips some time" Slughorn said

" That will be great sir" Fred said

Slughorn smiled

" Oh no" Hermione said

" What?" Harry asked

" I... I got to go" Hermione said

" Why?" Brenda asked

Hermione looked passed Brenda and Brenda looked, " Oh"

When Brenda looked back Hermione was gone

" Wow that girl is fast, too bad she's not on Quidditch" Fred said

" She hates flying" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

" I love it when twins do that" Slughorn said with a grin, "Fred do you and your brother George do that?"

" All the time" Fred said with a grin

" Harry and Brenda Potter you need to take Divination, you will benefit from it immensely" Trelawny said

" Sorry Professor but our schedules are full with other classes that we benefit from" Brenda explained

Trelawny glared

" They're taking my potions class and are naturals at it" Slughorn said drunkly, " Why even Severus Snape would have a run for his money"

Slughorn hiccupped

" Severus... Severus... Severus stop skulking over there boy and come join us" Slughorn said happily

" I'm going to get some punch, Brenda want any?" Fred asked

Brenda looked at her boyfriend and rolled her eyes and shook her head no

Snape came over to the group

" I was just talking about Harry and Brenda's exceptional potion-making! Some of the credit must go to you, of course, you taught them for five years" Slughorn said

Snape looked at Harry and Brenda and back to Harry again and sneered, " That I believe from Ms. Potter, but Mr. Potter... now that's funny, I never had the impression that I managed to teach him anything at all"

" Well then it's natural ability" Slughorn said happily

" Or it's one Potter doing the work for both, since one has excelled in potions from the beginning and one has always lacked that skill" Snape said

" I assure you that is not the case" Slughorn said, " I've seen them work on their own potion and just the first day they both excelled at the Draught of Living Death. I have never seen a student produce finer on a first attempt, let alone two, not even you Severus and you were the best of your time... but maybe that's it, of your time"

Snape glared at Slughorn when Slughorn wasn't looking

The glare turned from Slughorn to the back of Slughorn when a white blond haired teenager was being pulled by the ear by one care taker

" Professor Slughorn" Filch said, " I caught this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He said he was invited to your party, did you issue him with an invitation?"

Before Slughorn said anything Malfoy pulled away from Filch

" All right, I wasn't invited, I was trying to gate crash... there happy now?" Malfoy asked

" No I'm not, you're in a lot of trouble young man" Filch said

" That's all right Argus" It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party. How about just this once we let the punishment slide? You may stay Draco"

Filch glared at Slughorn then at Malfoy then at the rest of the teens and left the room

" Thank you sir" Malfoy said

" That's all right, I knew your grandfather you know" Slughorn said

" He said you're the best potion maker he's known" Malfoy said with a grin

Harry and Brenda secretly rolled their eyes then Brenda caught something that would be hard to see if you weren't looking close enough, since Malfoy was already pale looking, he looked even paler than usual and he had dark circles under his eyes, Brenda looked at her dad with a confused look on her face but Snape just glared at her as saying "don't say or think anything"

Snape went up to Malfoy, " I'd like a word with you Draco"

" Severus don't be too hard on him" Slughorn said

" I'm his head of house, I can be as hard or easy on him as I want" Snape snapped " Follow me Draco"

They left

" Come on lets follow them" Harry thought to Brenda

" Harry no" Brenda thought back

" Come on" Harry thought again to Brenda and said to Luna, " I'll be back in a bit... bathroom"

Luna nodded and went back to talking with Trelawny

Harry grinned at Brenda and left

Brenda glared after her brother and sighed then she looked around, she was with a drunk Slughorn, a drunk Trelawny and Luna Lovegood... enough said

" Um... I'm going to find my boyfriend and Hermione Granger" Brenda said

Slughorn nodded drunkly and Brenda hurried to catch up to her brother who she saw leave the party

" Harry" Brenda thought

" Over here" Harry thought back

Brenda hurried over to her brother

" You left me with Slughorn, Trelawny and Luna" Brenda snapped through thought

Harry grinned, " I knew you'd show up" He thought

" Why can't you just leave Malfoy and Snape alone?" Brenda thought

" Malfoy's up to something and I want to know what" Harry thought, " Now get out your invisibility cloak" Harry took his out of his pocket and waited for Brenda to take hers out, " Well?"

Brenda glared at Harry

" You have it with you right? Dumbledore said to kep them with us at all times" Harry thought

" Yes I have mine" Brenda thought and turned away from her brother and pulled her invisibility cloak out of her bra then turned back to the red faced, jaw dropped Harry, " Any stuffing my bra jokes and you'll be hexed" Brenda whispered threatenetly

" Um... Wh... why did you put your invisibility cloak there?" Harry thought" Dresses don't come with pockets" Brenda thought, " Now are we going to do this or what? You're the one who dragged me remember?"

Harry rolled his eyes, " Put it on and lets go" Harry thought

They put on their invisibility cloaks and searched for Snape and Malfoy, it took them fifteen minutes to find where they were and they heard Snape talking to Malfoy, it's what Snape was saying that made Brenda silently gasp

" Cannot afford mistakes, Draco, because if you are expelled" Snape sounded like he was interrupted

" I didn't have anything to do with it all right?" Malfoy snapped

" I hope you are telling the truth, because it was both clumsy and foolish. Already you are suspected of having a hand in it" Snape said

" Who suspects me?" Malfoy asked angrily, " For the last time, I didn't do it, okay? That Bell girl must've had an enemy no one knows about... don't look at me like that! I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, but it won't work... I can stop you"

" Ah... Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency I see... What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master Draco?" Snape asked

" I'm not trying to conceal anything from him, I just don't want you butting in" Malfoy snapped

It was quiet for a minute

" So that is why you've been avoiding me this term? You have feared my interference? You realize that, had anybody else failed to come to my office when I told them repeatedly to be there, Draco" Snape was interuppted again

" Well some of us get spanked" Brenda thought

" Sh" Harry thought

" So put me in detention, or report me to Dumbledore" Malfoy said

It was quiet for another minute

" You know I do not wish to do that" Snape said

" Then you better stop telling me to come to your office" Malfoy snapped

" Listen to me" Snape said in that tone that told people that he meant business, " I am trying to help you. I swore to your mother I would protect you. I made the Unbreakable Vow, Draco I" Snape was cut off again

" Well it looks like you have to break it, because I don't need your protection! It's my job, he gave it to me and I'm doing it, I've got a plan and it's going to work... it's just taking a bit longer than I thought it would" Malfoy said

" Well what is it?" Snape asked

" None of your business" Malfoy said

" Well if you tell me what your plan is then I can assist you" Snape said

" I've got all the assistance I need, thanks, I'm not alone!" Draco said

" Well you were certainly alone tonight, which was foolish in the extreme, wandering the corridors without lookouts or backup, these are elementary mistakes Draco" Snape said

" I would've had Crabbe and Goyle with me if you hadn't put them in detention!" Malfoy yelled

" Keep your voice down" Snape snapped, " If your friends Crabbe and Goyle intend to pass their Defense Against The Dark Arts OWL this time around, they will need to work a little harder than they are doing at the present time"

" What does it matter?" Malfoy asked, " Defense Against the Dark Arts ... It's all just a joke... an act. Like any of us need protecting against the Dark Arts"

" It is an act that is crucial to success, Draco" Snape said, " Where do you think I would have been all these years, if I had not known how to act? Now listen to me! you're not being cautious, wandering around at night, getting yourself caught, and if you're relying on Crabbe and Goyle for assistance"

" They're not the only ones, I have others" Malfoy said

" Why not confide in me?" Snape asked, " I'm your Godfather for Merlin's sake"

" I know what you're up to, Godfather or not, you want to steal my glory" Malfoy said

" You are speaking like a child Draco" Snape said, " I quite understand that you're upset with everything that has happened to your father but"

There was no response, the Potters got out of the way just in time because Malfoy stormed out of the class room and Snape was right behind him

" Well you're right about one thing, Malfoy is definitely up to something" Brenda thought

" Yah and Snape's helping him" Harry thought

" That's just an act, he's a spy remember?" Brenda thought

" I hope you're right" Harry thought

They headed back to the party and Fred apologized for ditching Brenda when Snape came over to the group

Brenda just smiled and gave her boyfriend a kiss, " You'll just have to make up for it during christmas break"

Fred smiled and nodded

Harry and Brenda didn't tell Ron anything they heard that night until it was Christmas vacation and they were at the Burrow peeling sprouts, they didn't want anybody else to listen in to their conversation

" So Snape said he was offering to help him?" Ron asked

" Yes" Brenda said, " For the umpteenth time"

" Ask that again and this sprout will go up your" Harry threatened

" Only checking" Ron said before Harry finished the sentence

" He said he promised Malfoy's mother to protect him, he made an unbreakable vow" Brenda said

Ron looked stunned, " Are you sure?"

" Yes I'm sure" Brenda said, " I've heard of them but what does it mean?"

" You can't break an unbreakable vow" Ron said

Harry and Brenda rolled their eyes

" Yah no kidding that's why it's called unbreakable, what we want to know is what happens if you break it?" Brenda asked

" You die" Ron said

Brenda went pale, she didn't want her dad to die

Before anything else could be said Fred and George entered the kitchen and that put a smile on Brenda's face

" Awe look at this George. They're using knives and everything, Bless them" Fred teased

Ron glared at his older brothers, " I'll be seventeen in about two months, then I'll be able to do it by magic"

" But in the mean time we can enjoy watching you demonstrate the correct form of using a knife the muggle way" George teased

" So Ronnikins, what's this we hear about you and a Miss Lavender Brown?" Fred asked

Ron's face turned as red as his hair, " Mind your own business"

" You're our little bro" George said

" This is our business" Fred said

" We want to know how she sustained such extensive brain damage" George said

The next thing anybody knew was Ron threw his knife at George who just flicked his wand and turned it into a paper airplane

Ron glared, " She just likes me ok? Now can you help us with these sprouts?"

" No I don't think we can do that" Fred said seriously, " It's very character-building stuff, learning to peel sprouts without magic, you can then appreciate magic more because now you know how hard muggles and squibs have it"

" You're going to make your girlfriend labor over a bucket of sprouts?" Ron asked thinking that Fred would help out by being guilty

Brenda smiled, " Actually Ron, I like doing stuff by hand, I like potions remember and with potions everything is done by hand"

" You're not helping" Ron hissed

Brenda chuckled, " Oh it's not that bad, stop complaining and you'll be done faster"

" Yah, Brenda and I are almost done with our piles" Harry said

" Plus Ron, if you want people to help you, throwing knives is not the way to go" George said flying the paper airplane back at Ron and carefully transfiguring it back into a knife

" Well we're off" Fred said

" Where too?" Brenda asked

" Off to the village, there's a pretty girl working in the paper shop who likes my card tricks, she says it's almost like magic" George said

Brenda rose an eyebrow at Fred who blushed

" I'm just tagging along, I swear" Fred said with red cheeks and to prove it he gave his girlfriend a kiss

" Ok I trust you" Brenda said

Fred's cheeks were still red when the two left

" What gits, it would take them about ten seconds and then we'd be able to go too" Ron complained

" Not us" Brenda said peeling another sprout

" We promised Dumbledore we'd stay here" Harry said

" Oh yah" Ron said, " So are you two going to tell Dumbledore what you heard?"

Brenda was quiet

" Yah" Harry said looking at Brenda, " And we might have a word with your dad about it too"

" Too bad you don't know what Malfoy's planning" Ron said

" That was the whole point, Malfoy didn't want Snape's help" Harry said

" Of course you know what they're going to say, Dad and Dumbledore and everybody else would say that Snape isn't really trying to help Malfoy, he was just trying to find out what Malfoy's up to" Ron said

" Your dad, Dumbledore and everybody else didn't hear him" Harry said, " Nobody is that good of an actor, not even Snape"

" Yah I know... I'm just saying" Ron said, " So Brenda what do you think about this?"

Brenda didn't say anything, she just finished peeling her sprouts and occluded her mind from her brother and walked away

" Brenda?" Harry asked

" What's her problem?" Ron asked

" We're talking about her adopted dad" Harry said

" Well what does she think?" Ron asked

" She's not thinking about it" Harry said

" You mean she doesn't want to believe that Snape could be evil?" Ron asked

" Exactly" Harry said, " Snape's her dad and she trusted him, she doesn't know what to think now but I don't think it's a good idea to talk bad about Snape in front of her right now"

Ron nodded

They didn't talk about Snape and Malfoy the rest of the vacation until Christmas Eve night when they talked to Mr. Weasley

The whole house was decorated thanks to Ginny, Ginny did everything except for the " angel" on top of the tree, it wasn't a real angel but a garden gnome that bit Fred on the ankle when he was peeling carrots the muggle way just to annoy Ron. Brenda was angry that the gnome bit her boyfriend so she had Fred stun it for her and she painted it gold and stuffed it into a miniature tutu and glued plastic wings to it's back and put a miniature halo on it's head and stuffed it on top of the tree

" That's what you get for biting my boyfriend" Brenda said when the gnome glared at her

Fred put his arm around Brenda, " Remind me to never get on your bad side"

Brenda smiled and kissed her boyfriend

Later that night was when Harry talked to Mr. Weasley, Brenda decided she didn't want to talk about how her dad might be working for the dark side, when Harry finished telling Mr. Weasley, everybody was quiet because everybody heard

" Has it occurred to you Harry that Snape was only pretending?" Mr. Weasley finally asked

" Yes it has" Harry said, " But how do we know?"

" It's not our business to know" Lupin said, " It's Dumbledore's business. Dumbledore trusts Severus and that should be good enough for all of us"

" But... let's say that Dumbledore's wrong about Snape and he's actually working for the dark side, he's Brenda's guardian that could mean that Snape is just keeping her at his place until Voldemort is ready to kill us, what if Voldemort wanted Brenda to trust Snape and Snape is only pretending to take care of her?"

" You are determined to hate Snape Harry" Lupin said, " And with James as your father and Sirius as your godfather, you have inherited an old prejudice, Brenda has gotten past that prejudice, maybe it's time you do too"

After that uncomfortable conversation, Mr. Weasley went to get the eggnog, during that time Lupin told Harry and Brenda where he has been

" I've been with my fellows, the werewolves underground" Lupin said, " Nearly all of them are on Voldemort's side"

" Why do they like Voldemort?" Brenda asked

" They think that, under his rule, they will have a better life" Lupin said, " And it's hard to argue with Greyback out there"

" Who's Greyback?" Harry asked

" You haven't heard of him? " Lupin asked surprised, " Fenrir Greyback is, perhaps, the most savage werewolf alive today. His mission is to bite and to contaminate as many people as possible; he wants to create enough werewolves to overcome the witches and wizards. Voldemort has promised him prey in return for his services. Greyback's specialty is children... he bit me when I was a child"

Brenda gasped

Lupin explained more about Greyback and stopped when Mr. Weasley gave everybody the eggnog

" I have a question for you" Harry said

" Shoot" Lupin said

" Have you ever heard of someone called the Half Blood Prince?" Harry asked

" The Half Bood what?" Lupin asked

" Prince" Harry said

" There are no Wizarding Princes" Lupin said then smiled, " Are you planning on adopting the title? Isn't the Chosen one enough?"

" No, I have his old Potions book, he wrote spells in it, spells he invented like Levicorpus" Harry said

" Oh" Lupin said with a chuckle, " That one was popular during my time at Hogwarts. There were a few months in my fifth year when you couldn't move for being hoisted into the air by your ankle"

" Yah... our dad used it" Brenda said, " I saw him in the Pensieve, he used it on Snape"

" That wasn't the only time it was used, it was very popular in my time at Hogwarts, these spells just come and go" Lupin said

" But it sounds like it was invented while you were at school" Harry said

" Not necessarily" Lupin said, " Jinxes go in and out of fashion, just like everything else"

Lupin looked at the twins

" I know what you're thinking, James was a pureblood and he never called himself Prince, and it was not Sirius or myself either"

" Oh... Well whoever this person is, he helped me out a lot in Potions classes" Harry said

" Harry how old is the book?" Lupin asked

Harry shrugged

" Well maybe if you look it will give you a clue as to when the Prince was at Hogwarts" Lupin said

Harry nodded

That night Harry found out that the book was fifty years old

The next morning Everybody woke up to stockings. Brenda got a magnificent unicorn stuffed animal from Fred with a necklace around it's neck that says FRED'S GIRL FOREVER AND FOR ALWAYS, From George a box of Weasley's Wizard Weezes products, From Severus she got a potions book that her dad knew she had her eye on, from the Weasleys the usual Weasley sweater with Brenda's first initial on the front and a quaffle, She even got a present from Kreacher, but she really didn't want to open that especially when Harry thought to Brenda to not open it just throw it away

Brenda did as she was told, " What's in it?"

" Maggots" Harry thought back

Brenda paled, she really hated bugs of any kind, she even paled when she had to crush bugs for potions and she made sure she was wearing gloves when she did that. Before she could ask for Harry to come and get rid of it for her Fred came in wearing his Weasley sweater

" Happy Christmas" Fred said

" Happy Christmas" Brenda said with a smile, " Thank you for my stuffed animal, I love unicorns"

" It's your patronus" Fred said with a smile, " Did you read the necklace?"

Brenda nodded and kissed her boyfriend which made him smile

" I love the dragon hide boots, it matches my jacket" Fred said with a grin

Brenda smiled, " Hey can you do me a favor and levitate this package to the trash outside?"

Fred looked confused

" Um... there are maggots in the package and I hate insects, I'd use my wand and do it myself but I really don't want to go to another hearing" Brenda said

Fred shivered, " Who gave you maggots?"

" That would be Kreacher" Brenda explained, " I cannot believe Harry and I own him... so can you help me out?" Brenda asked sweetly

" Yah I'll levitate it" Fred said and he took out his wand and levitated it to the trashcan outside

" Fred what are you doing?" Mrs. Weasley asked when he entered the kitchen levitating the package

" Getting rid of garbage, I'm not touching that thing" Fred said

" What is it?" Mrs. Weasly asked

" A present from Kreacher to Brenda... maggots" Fred said with disgust

Mrs. Weasley shivered

Brenda dressed in her sweater when Fred returned

" My hero" Brenda said when Fred came back and she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him

" I love your thank yous" Fred said with a smile

Brenda smiled

Everybody had a fun time that morning laughing and playing Christmas games, everybody was wearing their new sweaters when they all sat down for lunch, well except for Fleur, Mrs. Weasley didn't waste the time and energy to make her one

The group were discussing Christmas and Mrs. Weasley was showing off her new hat and golden necklace she got from Fred and George when she gasped

" What? What's wrong?" Mr. Weasley asked startled

" Arthur, it's Percy" Mrs. Weasley said

" What?" Mr. Weasley asked

Everybody stood up and looked outside the window and sure enough there was Percy, but he was with the Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour

Everybody was silent when the minister and Percy entered

" Um... Merry Christmas" Percy said but he didn't sound very merry

" Percy" Mrs. Weasley said and she wrapped her arms around her son

" You must forgive us, we were in the area and Percy had to see you all" Scrimgeour said

" Doesn't look like it" George whispered to Fred who nodded

" Please come in and sit down, have some turkey and pudding" Mrs. Weasley said excitedly

" No thank you, I just wanted to have Percy catch up with his family, it is Christmas after all, I'll just take a walk around the garden, I'd like some company though, how about you two, you two seem to be done”

Scrimgeour took Harry and Brenda by the shoulders and escorted them out

" So, have you two had a good holiday so far?" Scrimgeour asked

" Yes" Harry and Brenda said glaring at the Minister

" I wanted to meet you two for a very long time, did you know that?" Scrimgeour asked

" About seventy five percent of the magical population want to meet us" Brenda said, " 25 percent already have"

" Yes... but Dumbledore has been very protective of the two of you" Scrimgeour said

" Well yah since about five percent of the population want to kill us" Brenda said

" Yes it is natural that he would want to protect you from that... especially after what happened at the ministry" Scrimgeour said

Harry and Brenda sighed

" You're going to talk about the prophecy and us being the chosen ones aren't you?" Harry asked

" Wow you two must be good at Divination if you can see the future like that" Scrimgeour said

" Nah that was just a wild guess, and it was obvious since you mentioned the ministry" Brenda said

" Anyway, I assume that you have discussed this with Dumbledore?" Scrimgeour asked

" Yah we discussed it, but that's between us and Dumbledore" Harry said

" Of course" Scrimgeour said

" Minister, not to be rude or anything, but can you get to the point? It's kind of chilly out here" Brenda said

" Not one for small talk are you?" Scrimgeour asked with a chuckle

" Not when it's freezing out here, we're not walking and we're wearing nothing but sweaters to keep us warm" Brenda said

Scrimgeour nodded, " Well what I'm getting at is for the people's sake, I was thinking that it would be a good idea if you two popped your heads into the ministry once in a while, that would give the people the right impression"

Harry and Brenda looked at each other and then glared at Scrimgeour

" So basically you're saying that you want it to look like we're working for the ministry?" Harry asked

" Well it would make it look like you two were more involved, the chosen ones and all" Scrimgeour

" But if we did that then it would look like we agree with what the ministry is doing" Brenda said with mock innocence

" Well... yes that is partly what we would like" Scrimgeour said

" But then we'd be lying" Brenda said

" And according to Umbridge" Harry said

" We must not tell lies" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

" What don't you like about the ministry?" Scrimgeour asked

" Well for instance, locking up Stan Shunpike" Brenda said

" I wouldn't expect you two to understand, you two are sixteen years old" Scrimgeour said

" Guess what? Dumbledore's more than sixteen years old and he doesn't think Stan should be in Azkaban either, you're making Stan into a scapegoat and you making us into your mascot" Brenda said

" So... like your hero Dumbledore you two want to disassociate yourselves from the Ministry" Scrimgeour said

" Well we don't like being used" Harry said

" Some would say that it's your duty to be used by the ministry" Scrimgeour said

" Yah and others would say it's your duty to check that people really are Death Eaters before you chuck them into prison" Brenda said with a glare that would challenge Snape's

" I think the ministry is going down the drain, we either have Fudge who's pretending everything is fine and dandy while Voldemort and the Death Eaters are murdering people" Harry started

" Or we got you... throwing people into Azkaban and pretending you have the Chosen ones working for you" Brenda said

" So you're not the chosen ones?" Scrimgeour asked

" Oh we're the chosen ones all right, but we're not working for you" Brenda said, " We knew somebody who was wrongfully accused and was sentenced to Azkaban and he died before he was free, no we do not work for the Ministry"

" Why?" Scrimgeour asked

" Because you only care about yourself" Harry said

Scrimgeour looked confused

" The ministry wasn't so keen on being pals with us last year when we said that Voldemort was back, and now that we all know he's back the ministry wants to be our pals, well we don't want to be your pals" Brenda said

The three of them were quiet for a while

" What is Dumbledore up to?" Scrimgeour asked

" No idea" Harry said

" And if you knew?" Scrimgeour asked

" Wouldn't tell you" Brenda said

" Well then I'll have to find out some other way then" Scrimgeour said

" Well you can try, but I really thought you were more clever then Fudge, he tried interfering with Hogwarts by having Umbridge teach, and we all know how that ended, Fudge might not be minister anymore, but Dumbledore is still the Headmaster... if I were you... I'd leave him alone" Brenda said

Scrimgeour looked from Potter to Potter, " Well it looks like you two are Dumbledore's through and through"

The Potters nodded, " We're glad we straightened that out"

They turned back and headed back inside the house

After the minister came back in he and Percy left a minute later

" What was that about?" Ron asked

" He wanted us to join the ministry and we turned him down" Brenda said with a smirk

" Good for you" Fred said and he kissed her

" It was one of the best decisions we have ever made" Harry said

The group returned to their games and activities and forgot about Percy and Scrimgeour for the rest of the holiday

The day they got back to Hogwarts Hermione gave Harry and Brenda a note from Dumbledore

" Yes another lesson" Brenda whispered with a smile

Before anything else could be said a loud squeal was heard and Lavender flung herself into Ron's arms

Hermione glared at the too, " Look Harry, Brenda, there's a table over there, lets go sit at it and you can tell me how your holiday was"

They went over to the table and sat

" So how was yours?" Brenda asked

" Nothing special, yours?" Hermione asked

Harry and Brenda told her and about Rufus Scrimgeour then they told her what they over heard between Malfoy and Snape, actually Harry told that part because Brenda couldn't

Hermione was silent for a while when Harry was finished

" Don't you think that he was pretending to help Malfoy and trick him?" Hermione finally asked

" Well that's what the order thinks" Harry said, " But this definitely proves that Malfoy is planning something, you cannot possibly deny that"

" No I can't" Hermione said

" And he's acting on Voldemort's orders, just like I said he was from the very beginning" Harry said

" Harry, they didn't say Voldemort or the Dark Lord" Brenda said

" Are you sticking up for them now?" Harry asked

" Harry I don't know what to believe, yes I heard exactly what you heard but you don't know Snape like I do, I lived with the man since we were eleven, you'd think if he really was on Voldemorts side he'd have killed me by now or handed me over to the snake face, but he didn't, in fact he rushed me out of the manor because Voldemort had Wormtail move in with him, Snape could have easily handed me over to Wormtail just like that and I wouldn't know what hit me until a green light would do the trick because I was half asleep when he started packing up my things" Brenda said and it was quiet for a few minutes, " I'm praying that it's all an act"

" Well if it's not Voldemort then who would Your master be?" Harry asked

" Malfoy's father?" Hermione suggested

They were silent for a few more minutes

" So um... how's Lupin?" Hermione asked

" Not great" Harry said, " Have you heard of Fenrir Greyback?"

" Yes I have" Hermione said and her eyes lit up, " That day in Diagon Alley... Well Knockturn Alley when Malfoy said he'll send Fenrir Greyback to check up on Borgin"

" Oh sweet Merlin, I forgot about that with everything else that has been going on" Brenda said

" Well that proves that Malfoy's a death eater" Harry said with a triumphant grin

" Unless" Hermione said

" Unless what?" Harry asked

" Unless it was an empty threat" Hermione said

Harry groaned

The next day it was the start of the new term, and that wasn't the only thing new, Apparition Lessons

That perked the four Gryffindors up, learning how to apparate, they fought the crowd to sign up for it

" At least this time Brenda you'll be apparating legally" Ron joked

Brenda rolled her eyes

" I hope it's better apparating alone then with somebody" Harry said

" Yah it's easier" Brenda said, " As long as you don't splinch yourself"

" I'm surprised Snape fixed your hair after that" Harry whispered

" Yah well, I'm lucky to be alive after that incident, he just came back from a meeting, ok can we not talk about that anymore?" Brenda asked

" So when can we take the actual test?" Harry asked changing the subject

" When we turn seventeen" Hermione said

Apparition was the only thing that the sixteen and seventeen year olds talked about the rest of the day and Ron let it slip that Harry and Brenda apparated before and they were bombarded with questions until it was time for the lesson with Dumbledore

" Remind me to hex Ron tomorrow for letting that slip" Brenda thought to Harry

" My pleasure" Harry thought

They entered Dumbledore's office after being granted permission to enter and they sat down in their usual seats and before Harry could say anything about Malfoy and Snape Dumbledore started talking about what happened during Christmas

Dumbledore looked touched when Brenda said that they were with Dumbledore all the way and not with the Ministry

After the talk about what happened at Christmas Harry brought up the Malfoy and Snape talk and Dumbledore listened to Harry's story, once again Brenda didn't want to talk about it

" Thank you for telling me this, but I'm afraid that it is not of great importance" Dumbledore said

" But didn't you understand?" Harry asked

" I understood everything you said" Dumbledore said, " I trust Severus Snape that he has his reasons, now lets start the lesson, you two have a lot to learn tonight"

Dumbledore ended the discussion there

" Now then on with the lesson, I am going to show you two two memories, the second is far more important then the first one, but you must pay close attention to them both" Dumbledore said and smiled when the twins nodded in understanding, " Now where did we leave off?"

" Last lesson we left off where you told him that he was a wizard and he didn't want company at Diagon Alley, and then you told him to stop stealing because it's not aloud at school" Brenda said

" Ah... thank you Brenda, yes well the start of the school year arrived and so did Tom Riddle, a quiet boy in secondhand robes and he was sorted into Slytherin before the hat even touched his head" Dumbledore said

" Sounds like somebody else we know" Brenda thought

Harry agreed

" I do not know when he learned that the founder of Slytherin House could talk to snakes, but whenever he found out he became excited and increased his sense of self importance. Tom showed no arrogance or aggression at all outside of his house and I don't know what it was like inside the Slytherin house, the attention he did receive was mostly sympathy for being an orphan" Dumbledore said, " I suppose you're wondering why people would give him sympathy?"

Harry and Brenda shrugged

" He seemed polite, quiet and thirsty for knowledge, not evil and wish to do harm for others so naturally the teachers and staff were impressed by him" Dumbledore said

" But didn't you tell them sir? What he was like at the orphanage?" Harry asked

" No I did not, I thought he felt sorry for what he did at the orphanage and I figured he wanted to turn over a new leaf so I never brought it up" Dumbledore said, " I chose to give him that chance to turn that leaf over"

Harry and Brenda thought about the information they were given

" But sir, you truly never really trusted him, Tom Riddle told us in our second year how you annoyingly kept a close watch on him" Brenda said

" I didn't take it for granted that he was trustworthy, yes I did keep a close watch on him" Dumbledore said, " Now then as years went on he gathered a group of... friends for lack of better term, but he felt no affection for any of them, the group had a dark glamour within the castle... today they would be the first ever death eaters, they did a bunch of wrong doing but they made sure that they were never caught, they're leader was of course Riddle, the most nastiest wrong doing they did was opening the chamber of secrets and killing a girl and then blaming it on Hagrid as you found out about your second year"

Dumbledore took out his pensieve

" I could find very little memories of Tom's life outside Hogwarts, those that I did find had a lot to do with his parentage, I believe when he found out that his father was a muggle he dropped his name of Tom Riddle and then took the name of Lord Voldemort, and then tried looking up his mother's family because he knew now that his father wasn't a wizard, he was hoping that his mother was a witch because he hoped he wasn't a muggle born, he did a lot of research and found out he was related to Salazar Slytherin on his mother's side. After Tom left the orphanage for good he went to track down the Gaunt family and that is where it brings us to this next memory... now if you two will stand and walk to the pensieve" Dumbledore said

Harry and Brenda did as they were told and waited for Dumbledore to pour the memories into the pensieve

Dumbledore then turned to Brenda and with a smile said, " Ladies first"

Brenda nodded and plunged into the pensieve and waited for the other two before looking around at her surroundings

They were back at the Gaunt house and it was more filthy since the last time they saw it

" Aunt Petunia would faint if she saw this house" Harry thought to Brenda which made her giggle silently

There were cobwebs upon cobwebs on the ceiling, there was a foot of dust on every surface, there was moldy and rotting food in the kitchen and there was crusted pots in the sink, there was only a candle for light and by that candle was a man sitting in an overstuffed chair that has seen better days with hair all over his face, you couldn't even see his eyes

" Almost looks like you during fourth year" Harry thought

Brenda shivered at that memory of looking like cousin it

" But at least your hair was combed" Harry thought

Brenda nodded, " And clean" She thought

" Is he even alive?" Harry asked

" Shh, watch" Dumbledore said

" Look, he's wearing that ring" Brenda said

Dumbledore nodded

They stood in silence for another minute and then somebody knocked on the door

The man stood up from his chair but before he could answer the door the door creaked open and the young Voldemort appeared

" YOU" The man yelled, " YOU"

The man took his knife that was next to him and was about to stab Voldemort

" Stop" hissed Tom

The man with the knife stopped in his tracks

" You speak it?" The man asked

" Yes I speak it" Tom said and moved more inside the house and looked at his surroundings, " Where's Marvolo?"

" Dead" The man said, " Years ago"

Tom frowned, " So who are you?"

" I'm Morfin, Marvolo's son" Morfin said, " I thought you was that muggle, you look like that muggle" 

" What muggle?" Tom asked

" The one my sister fancied, the muggle who lives in the big house over that way" Morfin said and pointed towards the house, " You look a lot like him. Riddle, but he's older now, now that I think about it... He has come back you know, without my sister"

Tom gasped and stepped closer to what appeared to be his uncle, "Riddle came back?"

" Yep, came back without my sister... serves her right... marrying a filthy muggle" Morfin said and then glared, " She robbed us, before she ran off, she took Slytherin's locket"

Morfin was getting very mad now that he was talking about his sister, "She dishonored us, she did, that little slut, and who're you, coming here and asking questions about all of that?"

All of a sudden everything went black and they were back in the present

" What happened?" Brenda asked

" Why did it go black?" Harry asked

" Because that is all that Morfin knew" Dumbledore said, " When he woke up he was on the floor alone and the ring was gone, and in that village there were three bodies dead, Tom Riddle Senior, his mother and his father, the Ministry knew that it was a wizard's murder and they knew about Morfin Gaunt being a muggle hater and has already been imprisoned for attacking one of the murdered people before, so they took him and used Veritaserum or legilimency and he admitted to the crimes on the spot, he said that he was proud to do it and was taken to Azkaban without a fight, the only thing he regretted was losing the ring"

" So... Voldemort used Morfin's wand to kill his father and grandparents?" Brenda asked

Dumbledore nodded

" Then did some more magic to place the memory in Morfin's mind" Brenda said

Dumbledore nodded again

" But wouldn't Morfin have his other memory of not doing that?" Harry asked

" Yes but Morfin already confessed, the ministry wouldn't see a point in looking further" Dumbledore said

" But wouldn't they know that it was Voldemort? Because he was underaged and he used magic outside of school" Harry said

" The ministry can detect magic but not the perpetrator" Dumbledore said, " Last year they caught you both at Surrey instead of one or the other because they detected two patronuses cast, and they detected the illegal apparition from Professor Snape's to Surrey, that is how not one of you but both of you were sentenced"

" So if somebody underaged did magic inside an adult witches and wizard's house then it wouldn't be detected?" Brenda asked

" Yes, but the adult(s) are to enforce the underaged person to obey the laws of the wizarding world" Dumbeldore said

" What about potions? Does that count as magic?" Brenda asked

" Yes... underaged witches and wizards shouldn't even be brewing potions while not at school, even flying is pushing it" Dumbledore said

" Well then I've been breaking the law ever since third year" Brenda thought to herself and chuckled inwardly

" Now then before it gets too late, I have one more memory for you two to look at... this will not take long" Dumbledore said and poured the memories into the pensieve

This memory was of Slughorn and a bunch of Slytherins sitting down on chairs and they were just talking the memory didn't look important but what really caught the twins' eyes was the fog and the words " You'll go wrong boy, mark my words"

The fog cleared up and Slughorn told everybody to head to the common room and get to bed, Tom stayed

" Tom you should get to bed, you're a prefect that would set a bad example if you're caught after hours" Slughorn said

" Sir, I wanted to ask you something" Tom said

" Ask away then" Slughorn said

" I was wondering if you knew anything about Horcruxes?" Tom said

The fog came again

" I don't know anything about Horcruxes and I wouldn't tell you if I did, now get out of here and never mention it again" Slughorn's voice said

" Well that's it" Dumbledore said and the next thing they knew they were back in the present

" That's it?" Harry asked

" Yes that's all I have to show you today, but as you two seemed to have noticed, that memory has been tampered with" Dumbledore said

" The fog" Brenda said

" Exactly" Dumbledore said, " Professor Slughorn has meddled with his own recollections"

" Why would he do a thing like that?" Brenda asked

" Because I think he is ashamed of what he remembers" Dumbledore said, " He tried to rework the memory to show himself in the better light, but he did it crudely and that memory shows that the true memory is behind the alterations... so this time I am giving you two homework... find the missing pieces to the memory"

" How are we supposed to do that?" Harry asked

" By persuading professor Slughorn to give you the real memory which would be the most crucial piece of information" Dumbledore said

" Couldn't you just use Veritaserum or legilmency?" Brenda asked

" He would be expecting both, I believe that would be a foolish attempt to use force, I believe you two are the only ones who can do this task, it is most important we get this memory... I wish you luck and bid you good night" Dumbledore said

" Good night sir" Harry and Brenda said and then left the office and headed towards Gryffindor Tower trying to figure out how in Merlin's name they were going to convince Slughorn to give them the memory

The next day during breakfast Harry and Brenda asked Ron and Hermione if they knew anything about Horcruxes, none of them did

" How are we supposed to ask Slughorn?" Harry asked after swallowing a piece of sausage

" Well he loves you... and Brenda since you two are brilliant at potions" Ron said then ate a piece of egg, " Hang back after class and ask him then

" Swallow what you have inside your mouth before you speak Ronald" Brenda said

" Who are you? My mother?" Ron asked

" Nobody likes to see chewed up food" Hermione said with a glare

Ron rolled his eyes and swallowed, " There, happy?"

" Very" The girls said

Ron rolled his eyes again, " Women

The girls glared at Ron and the subject of Horcruxes was stopped until after breakfast and on the way to Potions

" So does anybody have any idea what a Horcrux might be?" Harry asked

" Well they must be really advanced Dark magic, if not then why would Voldemort have wanted to know about them?" Hermione asked

" Good point" Brenda said, " I don't know what Dumbledore is talking about, I think this will be very hard for us, if Dumbledore couldn't get it what makes him think that we can?"

" Well lets think of a way to ask him... lets be... discreet about it" Brenda suggested

" Ok so should we wait after class?" Harry thought

" Well it won't hurt" Brenda thought

Harry nodded

During potions class Hermione was sitting the farthest away from Ron as she could get while remaining at the same table

" She still mad at Ron?" Harry thought

" Yes" Brenda thought, " She is very jealous of Ron and Lavender, Lavender knew that Hermione liked Ron, that girl makes me so mad sometimes"

" Well what can we do about it?" Harry thought

" Let it play out, if you haven't noticed Ron is getting kind of bored with nothing but kissing her and the clinging" Brenda thought, " I bet before this year is over those two will break up"

" I hope you're right, I just want things to go back to normal" Harry thought

" What's normal?" Brenda thought and joked

Harry rolled his eyes, " You know what I mean" He thought

Brenda smiled

Slughorn finally came in

" Ok class who can tell me what Golpalott's Third Law states?" Slughorn asked

Two hands were raised

" Ah Ms. Granger and Ms. Potter, hm, tough choice, who to choose... enny meeny miny moe..." Slughorn started and ended up calling Hermione

" It states that the antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components" Hermione said with a smile

" Precisely" Slughorn said with a smile, " Ten points for Gryffindor"

" We're doomed if our fate is in his hands and he picks by going enny meeny miny moe" Brenda thought to Harry

Harry silently chuckled

" I want each one of you to take a vial from my desk and create an antidote for the poison inside before the end of this lesson... you may begin... now" Slughorn said and Hermione and Brenda were the first ones up to get their supplies

" So eager in this class" Slughorn praised, " That's another ten points each for you two"

They sat down with their supplies before the others barely got out of their seats

Five minutes later both girls were throwing things in their cauldrons

" It's a shame that the Prince won't be able to help you much with this, Harry" Hermione said brightly, " There is no way you can cheat out of this"

The students worked on their antidotes for the remainder of the class

" There's another way for the antidote" Brenda thought to Harry

" What is it?" Harry thought desperate, " The Prince doesn't say anything about antidotes"

" You sure?" Brenda thought and she corked her antidote, she was done ten minutes early

" Positive" Harry thought

Brenda sighed and looked at Harry's book and looked over it then smiled and pointed to the bezoar

" That sounds familiar, what is a bezoar?" Harry thought

" Stone thats inside a belly of a goat that cures most poisons" Brenda thought, " It was mentioned in our first and second year remember? It was one of the questions Snape tested us on when we were taking notes"

" Oh yah and you answered the questions perfectly" Harry thought

" Lets go see if Slughorn has any" Brenda thought

Harry nodded and they went into the supplies cabinet and looked for the stone

" What does it look like?" Harry asked

" Um... kind of like a dried up fir ball or kidney which every way you see it" Brenda whispered

" TWO MINUTES LEFT" Slughorn shouted

They found the box that says Bezoars and Brenda took one out of the box and gave it to Harry, " You know it would be easier if you just did the assignment"

" I have know idea what to do and Slughorn thinks I'm a potions genius like you, but I don't think I got those genes" Harry said

" Well I hope this will work and you don't get in trouble, because it's not exactly the assignment" Brenda said

Harry sighed, " Thanks Brenda for helping me out"

Brenda nodded and they returned to their seats and waited for Slughorn to look over their progress

Slughorn turned green at some of the potions and smiled at others, he moved quickly away from Ron's and hurried towards Brenda's and smiled at it then he turned to Harry's

Brenda held her breath waiting for the expected shout, it looked like Harry was holding his breath too

Slughorn spent about fifteen seconds on the stone and then he burst out laughing

" Some Nerve boy, you're like your mother you are... well the bezoar would certainly act as an antidote to the poison" Slughorn said

Both Potters let out their breath slowly

" I say that deserves ten points to Gryffindor for your cheek Mr. Potter" Slughorn said with a laugh, " Well I guess it's time to pack up, just bottle up your potions and put them on the desk"

Everybody but Harry and Brenda left the class room

" Come on now you two, you'll be late for your next lesson if you don't get out of here" Slughorn warned

" Sir, we have a question for you" Harry said

" Ask away then" Slughorn said putting the vials in a box

" Sir... we were wondering what you knew about... about Horcruxes?" Harry said

Slughorn froze from what he was doing, " What did you say?"

" We want to know if you know anything about Horcruxes sir" Brenda said

" Dumbledore put you up to this" Slughorn said, " Dumbledore's shown you two that... memory hasn't he?"

" Should we tell the truth?" Brenda thought

" We might as well, he'd be too suspicious if we lied" Harry thought then said, " Yes"

" Well then... if you've seen that memory then you'd know that I know nothing about Horcruxes" Slughorn said

" Sir, we just thought there was more to that memory" Brenda said

" Well you thought wrong" Slughorn said with anger in his voice, " Now go to your next class you two or I'll take away those points you earned"

The Potters looked at each other and decided to give it a rest for a while and nodded and left and went to their next class

" So did Slughorn say anything?" Ron asked during lunch

" No nothing, he yelled at us" Harry said

" He's not telling the truth" Brenda said

" How do you know?" Ron asked

" Because when he was saying he doesn't know anything he didn't look us in the eyes, and he was yelling at us like to tell us to drop the topic, which means he knows something" Brenda said

" Good point" Ron said

" Hermione I think you and I need to do a little research in the library after class" Brenda suggested

Hermione smiled

It took Hermione and Brenda a week to look through the whole library for anything on Horcruxes, they even looked in the restricted section but there was nothing

" We looked everywhere" Hermione said shocked, " Nothing on Horcruxes"

" Well except for that one passage but that was so useless" Brenda said

" Yah, why even mention Horcruxes but say that we do not speak of them, yah that's a lot of help" Hermione said sarcastically

During the rest of the month the four searched the library for anything that the girls might have missed, yah like they were going to miss something

Finally for the day the sixteen and seventeen year olds were waiting for arrived, Apparition lessons, that was the only thing that the four Gryffindors thought about that wasn't about the Horcruxes and Hermione's case Ron and Lavender

Harry, Hermione and Brenda headed down to the Great Hall when it was time for the lesson, Ron went down with Lavender, actually he was pulled down by Lavender

When they got to the Great Hall, the tables were gone and the Heads of Houses were there along with a small wizard from the Ministry

" Good morning students, I'm Wilkie Twycross and I'll be your Ministry Apparition instructor for the next twelve weeks. I hope to be able to prepare you for your Apparition Tests" Twycross said, " I would like each of you to place yourselves now so that you have a clear five feet of space in front of you"

Everybody scrambled to be next to their friends

" I'm going to stand close to Malfoy, I saw him talking to Crabbe when Twycross was talking" Harry thought to Brenda

Brenda nodded and Harry left

" Harry where are you going?" Hermione asked

" He saw Malfoy talking to Crabbe, he's going to investigate" Brenda said

The heads of houses were positioning the students who needed help measuring five feet

Brenda saw Malfoy face Harry and take out his wand

" QUIET" The Heads of Houses shouted

Snape looked at Malfoy in a warning look then saw Brenda looking at Malfoy then at him. Snape gave her a warning look too

" Thank you Professors" Twycross said

Twycross then turned to the students and conjured Old fashioned wooden hoops in front of every student

" The important things to remember when apparating are the three D's" Twycross said

" Destination, Determination, Deliberation" Brenda mouthed to herself when Twycross said them to the class, she remembered that when she apparated last year

" The first thing you need to do is concentrate on your destination, which in this case is your hoop, I want everybody to concentrate at your hoops... now" Twycross said

Everybody did this

A minute later Twycross told everybody to focus their determination to occupy the space

Another minute later Twycross told the third step, " Only when I give you the command... turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with deliberation... on my command now... one... two... THREE"

Everybody spun on the spot and only one person got it right and that was Brenda, everybody else fell down or lost something of theirs on the way to the hoop, like Ernie Macmillan who lost his pants while trying to apparate and it made Dean Thomas cry with laughter

Malfoy glared at Brenda for getting it right on her first time

" Potter only got it right because she illegally apparated last year, My father told me" Malfoy said very loudly

" Brenda want me to hex him?" Harry thought

Brenda smiled, " No" She thought and said loudly, " Yah I apparated last year when I was fifteen and it was hundreds of miles away yet here you are Malfoy and you can't even apparate five feet and you're even a year older than I was when I first did it for the first time, so Malfoy, how does it feel to lose to a girl who did something when she was fifteen that you cannot even do when you're sixteen?"

Malfoy was about to say something else but Snape interfered, " That's enough both of you, one more outburst like that and you'll both serve detention"

" Yes sir" Both Brenda and Malfoy said

Snape gave them both looks then stood by the other teachers

Brenda smirked at Malfoy then smiled at Harry

" That'll show him" Brenda thought to Harry

" That was brilliant" Harry thought

The students made four more attempts and only Brenda got anywhere that was perfect, Twycross called it quits when Susan Bones splinched her leg

" Splinching, or the separation of random body parts," Twycross said, " occurs when the mind is insufficiently determined, you must continue to concentrate on your destination and move with deliberation"

" Or it happens when you're inexperienced" Brenda thought

" So remember class, Destination, Determination, Deliberation" Twycross said and with a wave of his wand the hoops were gone, " Class dismissed"

Harry caught up with Ron, Hermione and Brenda

" So what did you find out?" Brenda asked

" Malfoy is having Crabbe and Goyle be his look outs for something" Harry said, " Come on lets go"

" Where?" Ron asked

" I want to see where they're going" Harry said

They hurried up to the Gryffindor Tower, Hermione was staying away from Ron as much as she could

Once they got inside they ran up to the Boy's dorms and Harry got out his map

" I Solemnly swear that I am up to no good" Harry said, " Well at least Malfoy is anyway"

The Marauder's Map showed them that Malfoy was in the Slytherin Common Room with Crabbe, Goyle, Zabini and Parkinson

" Nothing weird going on there" Hermione said

" Yah, well I'm going to keep watching him, I know somethings up with him and when he's lurking all alone with only Crabbe and Goyle, I'm going to spy on him" Harry said

" This will be fun" Brenda said sarcastically

" You are too?" Hermione asked

Brenda shrugged, " Gotta go along with my brother"

Harry smiled

" I am never this loyal to my siblings" Ron said

" That's because your siblings get on your nerves all the time... or are in a different generation then you" Brenda said

" Just two" Ron said

" You're forgetting Percy" Brenda said

" He's in my generation" Ron said, " He's only twenty"

Brenda rolled her eyes, " Never mind then"

" Am I missing something?" Ron asked

" Ronald, you're missing a lot" Hermione said with a glare and she left the boys dorm

" What is wrong with her lately?" Ron asked

" It's a girl thing" Harry said

" Oh... now I don't get how Percy is in a different generation than us... please explain?" Ron asked

" He's a forty year old in a twenty year old body, he acts like it Ron, that's what I'm getting at" Brenda said

" Oh... yah I guess you're right" Ron said

" Brenda you don't have to spy on Malfoy if you don't want to" Harry said

" Sure I do" Brenda said

" Seriously you don't" Harry said

" Harry, we've done everything else together, why stop now?" Brenda asked

Harry rolled his eyes

" Plus you're not the only one who wants to know what's going on with Malfoy" Brenda said

Harry smiled

Both Harry and Brenda checked their maps periodically over the next few weeks to see what Malfoy was up to, but nothing was out of the ordinary

February was over and it was the first of March, also Ron's seventeenth birthday, he was finally of age and he could do magic outside of school

It took a while for Ron and Harry to get down to the Great Hall, Ron kept saying that he wasn't hungry

" Well you ate half a box of Chocolate Cauldrons" Harry said

" Who gave them to you?" Brenda asked

" I don't know, there was no name on them" Ron said

" Can I look at them?" Brenda asked suspicious

" Later, Brenda have you had a look at the map?" Harry asked

" Yes and I cannot find him" Brenda said

" Do you think he could be off the grounds?" Harry asked

Brenda shrugged

" Well lets worry about that later and lets eat we have apparition lessons and I don't want to apparate on an empty stomach" Brenda said

Harry nodded but Ron only sighed

" What's wrong Ron?" Harry asked

" I just can't stop thinking about her" Ron said

" Can't stop thinking about who?" Brenda asked

Romilda Vane" Ron said dreamily, " I think I'm in love"

" Ron are you feeling ok?" Brenda asked

" I'm serious, have you seen her hair, black and shiny and silky... and her eyes and her" Ron started

" Ok enough" Brenda said and thought for a moment and said, " Ron who gave you the Chocolate cauldrons?"

" I said there was no name on them" Ron said

" Harry what did you do with those cauldrons from Romilda?" Brenda asked

" I put them in my trunk and... I must have thrown them on the floor when I was getting the map out and Ron picked them up... Ron those were filled with love potion, no wonder you are crushing on her" Harry said

Ron's eyes were still dreamy looking

" What do we do?" Harry asked, " Can you create an antidote?"

" Um... well maybe but I'll have to go down to the potions classroom or to the apartment... let's try the potions classroom first" Brenda said, " Maybe Slughorn might have one"

" Come on Ron we're going down to the potions classroom" Harry said

" Why?" Ron asked

" Because Romilda Vane is taking extra lessons" Brenda said

Ron smiled, " You think I can take extra lessons with her?"

" Maybe but we have to go down there first" Brenda said

Ron nodded

They left the Great Hall and headed down to the Potions classroom and knocked on the door

" Harry, Brenda, Ron... this is a little early for a call... I usually sleep in on Saturdays" Slughorn said still wearing his nightcap

" Sorry sir, but Ron here swallowed a love potion and we were wondering if you had an antidote handy" Slughorn said, " We would take him to see Madame Pomfrey but she asks a lot of questions and I really don't want to get my boyfriend in trouble because it's a Weasley's Wizard Weezes potion"

" It was mixed in with chocolate cauldrons... that he thought he got for his birthday" Harry said

" Well I would think that you would be able to whip up a remedy since you're such an expert at potions" Slughorn said

" Well I was planning on it but I still need a potions lab to work, and I was just asking if you had an antidote, because it would be simpler if you did" Brenda said, " Because I have never mixed an antidote for a love potion and by the time that I made one... who knows what kind of trouble Ron could get into"

Slughorn nodded

" Where is she?" Ron asked

" Who is he talking about?" Slughorn asked

" He's talking about how you're teaching Romilda Vane potions" Harry said with a wink

" Oh yes, well she's on her break right now" Slughorn said

" Drat" Ron said

" So then... was this potion within date?" Slughorn asked, " They can strengthen the longer they are kept"

" Well that explains how madly in love Ron looks" Brenda teased

" Well I have the antidote in my bag, it's not that difficult to brew" Slughorn said

Brenda looked eager, " Sir can you write down the instructions for me please?"

Slughorn smiled and nodded then got in his bag and took out a vial, " Mr. Weasley please come here, this is a tonic that settles the nerves, you don't want to look nervous when Romilda comes back now do you?"

Ron shook his head no and took the potion, " Thank you Professor" then he was back to normal and his face looked like he was a muggle who just seen a ghost

" I take it you're back to normal?" Harry asked

Ron's face was beat red and he fell into a seat

" That boy needs a pick me up... lets see I have butterbeer, I've got wine... and mead... wait a minute I was going to give that to Dumbledore for Christmas... oh well, he won't miss it" Slughorn said, " How about it... for celebrating your birthday... seventeen now right?"

Ron nodded

" Congratulations" Slughorn said and he opened the mead and poured everybody a glass, " Cheers"

Everybody but Ron clinked glasses, Ron swallowed the mead in one gulp

All of a sudden Ron looked very pale

" Ron are you ok?" Brenda asked

Ron dropped his glass and crumpled to the floor, he looked like he was having a seizer and foam was coming out of his mouth, and his eyes were bulging out of his sockets

Brenda and Harry looked at Slughorn who looked stunned

" HARRY FIND A BEZOAR" Brenda commanded and they both started looking for a stone

Harry found the one he used for his potions assignment and threw it to Brenda who was closer to Ron and she caught it and stuffed it in Ron's mouth and waited until Ron was limp and still

" Let's get him to the hospital wing" Harry said

Brenda nodded and put a feather weight charm on him and both she and Harry carried Ron up to the Hospital Wing

" Oh my goodness what happened?" Madame Pomfrey asked

" He was poisoned and we gave him a bezoar" Brenda said

" How on earth was he posioned?" Pomfry asked

Harry and Brenda told the story from the beginning

Later that day Mr. and Mrs. Weasley showed up and the Potters explained to them what happened and Mrs. Weasley's face gone pale

They sat with Ron for the rest of the day

Madame Pomfrey didn't let the teenagers in the hospital wing until 8:00 and at that time Fred and George finally showed up

" I'm guessing this wasn't one of Ron's better birthdays" Fred said

" You could say that" Brenda said

" Well this isn't how we imagined giving Ron our present" George said

" We imagined him being conscious" Fred said

" We were in Hogsmeade, waiting to surprise him" George said

" Yah too bad... we weren't aloud to go to Hogsmeade today, that was one of the things Ron was looking forward to doing" Harry said

" What were you two doing in Hogsmeade?" Brenda asked

" We were thinking about buying Zonkos, but since nobody even goes to Hogsmeade anymore, there's no point" Fred said gloomy

Fred and George sat on the end of Ron's bed just looking at him

" I cannot believe our baby brother was this close to dying" Fred said

" It's a good thing you two were there" George said

" It was lucky you thought of a bezoar" Fred said giving his girlfriend a hug

" We're lucky there was one in the room" Harry said

" Does mum and Dad know?" George asked

" Yah, they arrived a few hours ago, they're talking to Dumbledore" Ginny said hugging George

" So the poison was in the drink?" Fred asked

" Yes, Slughorn poured it out after that" Harry said

" Would he been able to slip something into Ron's glass without you two seeing?" Fred asked

" No" Brenda said, " That drink was all poisoned"

" Maybe he wanted to poison you two" George said

" Why would Slughorn want to poison Harry and Brenda?" Ginny asked

" I don't know, maybe because they're the Chosen ones and all of that" George said

Ginny gasped, " You think Slughorn is a death eater?"

" Don't know, anythings possible" George said

" Well he could be under the Imperius Curse" Fred said

" Or he could be innocent, I said that the poison was in the bottle, it could have been meant for Slughorn himself" Brenda said

" Who'd want to kill Slughorn?" Ginny asked

" Well Dumbledore said that Slughorn was in hiding for a year before he came to Hogwarts, maybe Voldemort wants him out of the way... maybe Voldemort thinks Slughorn is valuable to Dumbledore"

" Wait a minute... the poison could be for Dumbledore... Slughorn said that he was supposed to give it to Dumbledore for Christmas" Brenda said

" Who would want to kill Dumbledore?" Fred asked

" Besides Voldemort, and Voldemort's followers and maybe Voldemort's followers kids?" Brenda asked

" Maybe that's what Malfoy is up to, maybe he is trying to find ways to kill Dumbledore" Harry said

" What about Malfoy?" George asked

" Malfoy is acting very suspicious and some times we can't find him on the map, so we think he's leaving the grounds" Harry said

" Or he's in the Room of Requirement" Fred said

" Good point, we need to keep a better eye on him" Harry said

Before anything else was said Hagrid entered the Hospital wing

" Been in the forest all day, Aragog's worse, I've been reading to him, came up for supper and heard about Ron... How's he doing?" Hagrid asked

" Not bad, Harry said, " They say he's going to be ok"

" I don't believe this" Hagrid said, " I just don't believe it, who'd want to hurt him?"

" That's what we were discussing" Harry said, " We don't know"

" Hmm what about somebody having a grudge against the Quidditch team?" Hagrid asked, " First Katie and now Ron"

" I don't think it's Quidditch, but I think there's a connection between the attacks" Hermione said quietly, she was afraid she was going to start to cry, she's been thinking about how horrible she has been to Ron and now he almost died

" How do you figure?" Fred asked

" Well... they both ought to have been fatal but they weren't, and the poison or necklace reached the person or persons that it was meant for which means that whoever is behind everything is more dangerous than we thought because they don't care how many people they hurt in the process" Hermione said

All of a sudden Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came in and Mrs. Weasley enveloped the Potters in a bear hug, " I don't know how we can ever repay you two, first you saved Ginny's life, then you saved Arthur's life and now you saved Ron's life"

"Half of our family owe you their lives" Mr. Weasley joked, " It was very lucky the day Ron decided to sit with you two on the Hogwarts Express during your first year"

Before the Potters could say anything Madame Pomfrey said that there were too many people in the Hospital Wing

Hagrid, Hermione, Harry and Brenda decided to leave and let the Weasley family be alone, but Brenda had to give Fred a good bye hug and kiss first

" This is just terrible, all of this new security and kids are still getting attacked... it's the Chamber of Secrets all over again" Hagrid said, " Dumbledore's worried sick, he doesn't say so but I can tell"

" Does he have any ideas?" Hermione asked

" I expect that he has hundreds of ideas but he doesn't know who sent that necklace and who spiked that drink, if he did then I'm sure they'd be caught by now" Hagrid said, " What worries me that when this gets out there will be panic, parents taking their kids out of school and the next thing you know... it's the board of governors who'll be shutting down the school for good this time"

The teens gasped

" Surely not" Hermione said

" Gotta see it from their point of view" Hagrid said, " hundreds of underaged kids grouped together is one thing but attempted murder... well that's different... no wonder Dumbledore's angry with Sn"

Hagrid didn't finish his thought

" Why is Dumbledore angry with Snape?" Brenda asked

" I didn't say that" Hagrid said

Hagrid looked like he was going to panic, Brenda was glaring like a Snape

" Er... look at the time, I need to get you lot back to Gryffindor Tower" Hagrid said

" HAGRID, WHY IS DUMBLEDORE ANGRY AT SNAPE?" Brenda shouted angrily

" Shhh" Hagrid said angrily, " Don't shout stuff like that, do you want me to lose my job?"

" You can't lose your job by shouting... nice try" Brenda said, " Now tell me why Dumbledore is angry at Snape"

Hagrid sighed, " Fine, I was coming out of the forest the other evening and I overhead them talking... well arguing"

Hagrid stopped

" Well?" Brenda asked

" Well... I just heard Snape saying that Dumbledore took too much for granted and maybe Snape didn't want to do it anymore" Hagrid said

" Do what?" Harry asked

" I don't know, To me it sounded like Snape was feeling overworked... anyway Dumbledore told him that he agreed to do it" Hagrid said, " Dumbledore sounded pretty firm and I heard Snape sigh and say that he was going to investigate his Slytherins... there's nothing wrong with that... all heads of houses were to investigate their houses"

" Yes but Dumbledore's not arguing with the rest of the heads" Harry said

Nothing else was said and Hagrid led the teens to their tower and didn't leave the floor until he was sure that the three were in the common room

The news of Ron being poisoned and now was in the hospital Wing spread around quickly throughout the school, people kept pestering the Potters about it but the two worst pesters were McLaggen and Lavender, McLaggen was subbing for Ron for Quidditch and Lavender wouldn't stop bugging Brenda about how Ron is doing and she was annoyed that nobody told her that he was in the hospital

" I have to know these things, I'm his girlfriend” Lavender said

Lavender began talking the Potter's ears off about Ron every single day

It was finally the day of the match and again Lavender was talking the Potter's ears off

" Lavender, go talk to Ron about this why don't ya?" Brenda finally snapped

" I would, but he's always asleep when I go in to see him" Lavender said

" He is?" Brenda asked

Lavender nodded

" That's strange, he's always awake when we see him" Harry thought to Brenda

Brenda agreed

" Is Hermione Granger still visiting him?" Lavender asked

" Since when do you use her last name?" Brenda asked, " We've been roomates for years now"

" I know she's jealous of what me and Ron have" Lavender said, " I don't think she should spend that much time with him, she never spent time with him for weeks since Ron and I have been going out"

" They're friends Lavender" Brenda said, " And friends spat all the time"

" Um... Lavender we got to go, we want to dodge McLaggen, he's keeps pestering us about the Quidditch match for today" Harry said and he pulled his sister in the other direction

They decided to visit Ron before the match

" Hey Ron, can you go see the match?" Brenda asked

" No, Madame Pomfrey says that it'll overexcite me" Ron said gloomy, " So how is McLaggen doing?"

Harry shrugged, " He's good"

Ron's face fell

" But you're better" Brenda said with a smile

" You're just saying that because you're my friend" Ron said

" Actually no I'm not, McLaggen is good but you can fly circles around that guy, he thinks he's all that and he can play every position at the same time, sometimes during practice he thinks he's the captain and co captain" Brenda said

" I can't wait until you're better and we can get rid of him" Harry said

" Speaking of getting rid of people" Brenda started

" Will you stop pretending to be asleep when Lavender comes by to visit?" Harry asked

" If you don't want to be with her anymore, break up with her" Brenda said

" Yah, well it's not that easy" Ron said, " So... Hermione going to visit before the match?"

" No, sorry, she's already going down with Ginny" Harry said

" Oh... ok... well good luck you two" Ron said

" Thanks" Harry said with a smile

" Thanks" Brenda said with a smile, " I hope you get better soon Ron"

Brenda gave Ron a hug

Ron smiled, " Thanks"

" We'll see you after the match" Harry said

Ron nodded

The game started off bad for the Gryffindors, McLaggen began arguing with Ginny when the Quaffle was taken away from her and Hufflepuff scored

" MCLAGGEN WILL YOU PAY ATTENTION?" Harry hollered and went up to his keeper

" That's not showing a very good example captain" McLaggen said

" Harry Potter is now having an argument with his Keeper" Luna said who was doing the commentary, " I don't think that'll help him find the snitch, but we'll see"

Five minutes later Brenda scored a goal and another two minutes later Ginny scored which made the Gryffindors happy but then Hufflepuff scored another goal

" The score is seventy to forty" Luna said after McGonagall reminded her to keep score, " Look Gryffindor's keeper has a Beater bat"

The Gryffindor team looked at McLaggen and he did have the bat

" MCLAGGEN GIVE BACK HIS BAT AND GET BACK TO THE GOAL POST" Harry and Brenda yelled at the same time

McLaggen swung the bat at a bludger and everything went black for Harry just before Hufflepuff caught the snitch

After everybody made it to the ground and crowded around Harry to make sure he was all right Brenda went up to McLaggen

" WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING UP THERE?" Brenda asked furiously

" I was showing him how to be a beater, he was doing it all wrong" McLaggen said

" YOU'RE NOT A BEATER, YOU WERE THE KEEPER, LEAVE THE BEATING TO THE BEATERS, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THE KEEPER, KEEP THE QUAFFLE OUT OF THE HOOPS, DO NOT DO SOMEBODY ELSE'S JOB, YOU CANNOT PLAY EVERY POSITION" Brenda yelled

" Calm down Brenda" McLaggen said

" CALM DOWN? CALM DOWN, YOU BLOODY AIMED THAT BLUDGER AT MY BROTHER, WE'RE ON THE SAME TEAM AND YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN?" Brenda asked, " I'LL BLOODY CALM DOWN WHEN MY BROTHER WAKES UP, AND NOT BEFORE THEN"

Brenda turned her back from McLaggen and knelt down next to her brother

" He's going to be ok Ms. Potter, follow me to the Hospital wing" Pomfrey said

Brenda nodded

Brenda wasn't the only one who gave McLaggen a piece of their mind, the rest of the team did as well which made Brenda smile

Madame Pomfrey mended Harry's cracked skull in a half hour and Harry didn't wake up until later that night

" Nice of you to drop in" Ron said with a grin

" What happened?" Harry asked

" Cracked skull" Madame Pomfrey said, " Nothing to worry about, but I am keeping you here over night"

" I don't want to stay here overnight, I want to find McLaggen and kill him" Harry said with a glare

" You'll have to wait in line for that mate, your sister did a number on him and ended up with a detention because of it" Ron said

" Where's she at?" Harry asked

" I'm right here" Brenda said finally finishing the last bedpan, " I gave McLaggen a piece of my mind and I ended up breaking his arm and giving him a black eye when I found out he cracked your skull... my detention... cleaning bedpans... this would be my second detention that's not with Snape" Brenda smiled, " So how's your head?"

" I think it's numb" Harry said

Brenda nodded

" So... uh... how much did we lose by?" Harry asked

Brenda sighed, " Final score was three hundred to sixty"

" Brilliant" Harry said gloomy, " So how did you hurt him? The guy is huge"

" You're kidding right? We faced Voldemort, a basilisk, and Death eaters... you think I can't beat up a huge guy who's not even out of school yet?" Brenda asked

Harry rolled his eyes

" I wasn't the only one who wanted a piece of him, Ginny gave him a piece of her mind" Brenda said, " She was very angry... um... Mrs. Weasley after stealing that car in second year angry" Brenda said and she wasn't the only one who shivered

Madame Pomfrey came back in the room, " Ok Ms. Potter your detention is over, next time do not beat up somebody when you feel frustrated"

" Yes mam, but can I stay here for a while longer? I want to make sure Harry's really ok"

" I assure you Brenda that he's fine" Madame Pomfrey said, " But then again this is about the first time he's been in the hospital wing and you haven't... go on, it will be good for you"

Brenda sighed, " Ok, but if anything happens, I want to be notified immediately"

" Brenda aren't you being a little overprotective?" Harry thought

" Nope" Brenda thought back

" Yes if anything happens, I'll notify you immediately” Pomfrey said

" Thank you" Brenda said and she gave her brother a hug, " Get better soon"

She then gave Ron a hug, " You get better soon too... McLaggen... never again"

Ron grinned at that

Brenda left the Hospital Wing and headed to Gryffindor Tower, she was woken up by Harry telling her that Kreacher and Dobby were tailing Malfoy

The next day Madame Pomfrey let both Harry and Ron out and because Ron was poisoned Hermione decided to stop being angry at him

" The Golden Four is back to normal" Brenda thought

Harry nodded

They were walking down to breakfast when Luna stopped the Potters

" Professor Dumbledore wanted me to give you these, I looked for you in the Hospital Wing, but Madame Pomfrey said you left already" Luna said

" Um... Thanks Luna" Harry said with a smile

Luna smiled and skipped down to breakfast

" You know, that girl has grown on me... it's insane but I guess when you spend a lot of time with her..." Ron started but Lavender Brown made him stop, Lavender didn't look very happy

" Um... we'll catch up with you later" Harry said

" No please don't" Ron begged

The three didn't listen to him and left

Ron sighed and turned to the angry looking Lavender

" Um... Hi?" Ron said

" Why didn't you tell me you were getting out today? And why was she with you?" Lavender asked

" Who... Brenda? Luna?" Ron joked

" Hermione... and you know who I was talking about" Lavender said

That's all that the other three heard

" Poor Ron" Hermione said when they got to the Great Hall

Harry and Brenda nodded

A half hour later Ron returned and he looked like he didn't want to be where he was at, he sat down at the other end of the table with Lavender

Harry and Brenda looked at Hermione and she had a smirk on her face and was in a good mood all day long

It was now time for the fourth lesson with Dumbledore and Harry and Brenda still didn't get the rest of the memory

" Enter" Dumbledore said

The Potter's entered and took their usual seats, they noticed that Dumbledore looked very tired

" So... Have you managed the task I set at the end of our previous lesson?" Dumbledore asked the twins

" Um" Brenda said looking at Harry

" Uh... we asked him about it during Potions but he wouldn't give it to us" Harry began

" We know he knows something and we were going to wait for a while and wait until he let his guard down before we try again" Brenda said

" We were going to try during Ron's birthday because we needed an antidote to the love potion he swallowed and Slughorn decided to celebrate with the mead" Harry said

" We were hoping to ask him once he got drunk, but then Ron was poisoned" Brenda said

" What about after you knew Ron was going to be all right?" Dumbledore asked

" We were thinking of ways to do that, but we haven't thought of anything, and then Harry cracked his skull" Brenda said, " And I ended up with detention"

Dumbledore nodded, " I hope you know that the memory that Professor Slughorn has is the most crucial memory of all and that we will be wasting our time without it"

" We just need a little more time Professor, I'm sure we can find some way..." Harry said

" May I hope then that you will give this matter higher priority from now on? There will be little point in our meeting after tonight unless we have that memory" Dumbledore said

" We'll get it from him sir" Brenda said, " We promise"

Dumbledore nodded, " Then no more shall be said about that... Do you remember what we learned last time?"

" Yes sir... Voldemort killed his father and Grandparents... then blamed it on his uncle Morfin" Brenda said

" Then went to Hogwarts and asked Slughorn about Horcruxes" Harry whispered

Dumbledore nodded, " Tonight I have two memories to show you, the first one is from a House Elf named Hokey... but before I show you that one, let me tell you a little about Voldemort before this memory... He left school with top grades in every examination he had taken. About everybody expected great things to happen to Tom Riddle, since he was a prefect, Head Boy, winner of the Award for Special Services to the School. Teachers suggested he go work for the Ministry of Magic but he refused... he ended up working at Borgin and Burkes"

" He turned down the Ministry of Magic for Borgin and Burkes?" Brenda asked surprised

Dumbledore nodded, " That wasn't his first choice though... his first choice was becoming a teacher for here"

" He wanted to stay here? Why" Harry asked

" I believe there are several reasons but nobody knows... I think this was the place he first felt like he belonged" Dumbledore said

Harry and Brenda looked at each other and nodded in understanding, because Hogwarts was the first place they felt like they belonged too

" Also as a teacher, he would have great power and influence over the young witches and wizards" Dumbledore said

" Yep that sounds like Voldemort" Brenda said, " So did he get the job?"

" No... professor Dippet who was the Headmaster at the time told him he was too young, he was only eighteen, Professor Dippet told him to reapply in a few years if he wanted to teach" Dumbledore said

It was quiet for a few minutes

" So... which job did he want sir?" Harry asked

Dumbledore was quiet and he looked at the twins

" Defense Against the Dark Arts" Harry and Brenda answered the question themselves

Dumbledore nodded, " After he was denied the job he decided to work at Borgin and Burkes which specializes, in objects with unusual and powerful properties... Voldemort was sent to persuade people to part with their treasures ... Voldemort was unusually gifted at doing so"

" Yah I bet he was" Harry said

" Now that you know some information about Voldemort, It is now time for that memory" Dumbledore said, " Hokey was working for a very old, very rich witch by the name of Hepzibah Smith" He then poured the memory into the pensieve then turned to Brenda and smiled, " Ladies first"

Brenda nodded and dove into the pensieve

The three landed in a sitting room and a very fat and old lady was sitting by the fire and she was dabbing rouge on her cheeks and her house elf Hokey was getting her ready by putting satin slippers on her feet

" Hurry up, he said he'd be here at four... it's 3:57 and he's never been late yet" Hepzibah commanded

" Yes mistress" Hokey squeaked tidying up

Hepzibah finally stood up and looked herself in a conjured mirror then turned to Hokey, " How do I look?"

" Lovely madam" Hokey squeaked

" I think Hokey's blind as a bat if she thinks Hepzibah looks... lovely" Brenda thought

" I think it's in the house elfs' contract to always compliment the master and mistress" Harry thought

" Well I'll never trust the opinion of Kreacher" Brenda thought

Harry rolled his eyes

All of a sudden the doorbell rang and Hokey answered it and led Tom into the sitting room

" Brenda... occlude or something, stop thinking about how handsome he looks" Harry whispered, " It makes me want to gag"

Brenda blushed, " Sorry"

Dumbledore smiled

" Good afternoon Tom" Hepzibah greeted

" Good afternoon madam" Tom said with a bow, " I brought you flowers"

" You naughty boy, you shouldn't have" Hepzibah squealed and she put them in the conveniently empty flower vase, " You do spoil this old lady Tom... sit down, sit down... Hokey"

Hokey appeared with little cakes and she set them on the table and left

" Help yourself Tom" Hepzibah said, " I know how much you love my cakes"

Tom smiled and nodded and took one

" So how are you? You look pale... I told you a hundred times, they overwork you at that shop" Hepzibah said

Tom just smiled

" So what's your excuse for visiting this time?" Hepzibah asked

" Um... Mr. Burke would like to make an improve offer for the goblin-made armor" Tom said, " Five hundred Galleons, he feels that price is more than fair"

Hepzibah was quiet for a minute, " Um... let's talk about that later, that can't be your only reason to stop by"

" I am ordered here because of them" Tom said, " I'm only a poor shop boy who must do as he's told"

" Phooey, you can still have some fun while working... I have something to show you Tom... something I have never shown Mr. Burke" Hepzibah said, " Can you keep a secret?"

Tom nodded

" Will you promise you won't tell Mr. Burke I've got it? He'd never let me rest if he knew I'd shown it to you, and I'm not selling, not to Burke, not to anyone" Hepzibah said, " But I'll show it to you Tom because you'll appreciate the history and not how many galleons you can get for it"

" I'd be glad to see anything you show me" Tom said

Hepzibah smiled and ordered Hokey to get her most finest treasures

Hokey came back a minute later with two leather boxes

Hepzibah took them from Hokey and put them in her lap and opened them one at a time, in the first one was a small golden cup with wrought handles

" This my dear Tom... this was Helga Hufflepuff's cup" Hepzibah said, " See there? That's the badger"

" How did you?" Tom asked but was cut off

" Didn't I tell you that I'm a decedent? Hepzibah asked, " This has been handed down in the family for years and years"

Hepzibah let Tom look at the cup

" It's supposed to have all sorts of powers and be able to possess too... I haven't tested them though, I just keep it safe" Hepzibah said and then took the cup back

The Potters saw the look on Tom's face when it was taken away

Hepzibah put the cup back in it's leather box and had Hokey take it away then she turned to the next box

" I think you'll like this even more Tom" Hepzibah whispered, " Burke knows about this one since I bought it from him, but I know he'd like it back when I'm gone" She opened the box and inside it was a golden locket

Tom silently gasped and picked it up without waiting for permission and held it up to the light staring at it

" Slytherin's mark" Tom whispered

" That's right" Hepzibah cheered, " I had to pay an arm and a leg for it, but I couldn't let it pass, not a real treasure like that, Burke bought it from a poor looking woman who looked like she stole it, she didn't know it's true value"

Tom's eyes flashed red when she said that, he knew she was talking about his mother

" Pretty isn't it? All kinds of powers it's supposed to have, but I keep it nice and safe" Hepzibah said taking the locket out of Tom's hand and putting it back in the box and had Hokey take it away

" Wow that must have been hard for Voldemort, having the locket right there but not being able to take it" Brenda said

" Well it's time to leave" Dumbledore said and the next thing they knew, they were back in the present

" So what happened to Hepzibah and Hokey?" Harry asked

" Two days later Hepzibah died from poisoning and Hokey was blamed" Dumbledore said

" No way" Brenda said angrily, " That poor elf"

" Hokey confessed?" Harry asked

" She remembered putting something in her mistress's cocoa that turned out not to be sugar, but a little known poison" Dumbledore said, " She said that she didn't mean to do it but being old and confused she messed up"

" Voldemort modified her memory... just like he did with Morfin's" Harry said

Dumbledore nodded, " By the time Hokey was convicted Hepzibah's family noticed that two of her most treasured possessions were gone and the boy who always visited Hepzibah quit Borgin and Burkes and he wasn't seen for a very long time... I want you two to remember back to the previous lesson how we learned that Voldemort liked to take... trophies ever since his time at the orphanage, when he framed his Uncle Morfin, he took the ring, and when he killed Hepzibah, he took the cup and the locket"

" Why would he risk so much just for a few trinkets?" Brenda asked

" It seems mad" Harry said

" Maybe to you, but not to him" Dumbledore said, " I hope in due course you know what those objects mean to him"

" Well I understand taking the locket since it should have been his, but why the cup?" Brenda asked

" It had belonged to another of the Hogwarts's founders" Dumbledore explained, " He still felt a pull towards the school and he still wanted a teaching job... which brings us to this next memory"

" Who's memory is it this time?" Harry asked

" Mine" Dumbledore said

Brenda dived down in the pensieve first followed by Harry, then Dumbledore, they were in Dumbledore's office

" Wow nothings changed" Brenda thought

Harry grinned

There was the past Dumbledore and he seemed to be expecting somebody

There was a knock on the door and the past Dumbledore told the guest to enter

An older Tom Riddle entered and he did not look handsome at all, he wasn't snake like yet but he was getting there, his face looked waxy and distorted and his eyes were bloodshot, he was pale, he was wearing all black

After the past Dumbledore greeted Tom and offered him to sit down and a drink Tom said that he wasn't called Tom but Lord Voldemort

" I know what you're known as... but to me you'll always be Tom Riddle... So... what do I owe this pleasure?" Past Dumbledore asked

" I'm surprised you have remained here for so long" Voldemort said, " I always wondered why a wizard such as yourself never wished to leave school"

" To a wizard such as myself, there can be nothing more important than passing on ancient skills, and helping young minds learn" Past Dumbledore said, " Again what do I owe this pleasure?"

" I have returned... much later then what Professor Dippet expected but returned nothing less to request the job that Professor Dippet has denied me because I was too young to have" Voldemort said, " I have returned to ask you if I can return to this castle and teach. I think you must know that I have seen and done much since I left this place all those years ago. I could show and tell the students things they can gain from no other wizard"

Past Dumbledore nodded, " Yes I do know that you have seen and done much since leaving us" Past Dumbledore said quietly, " Rumors of your doings have reached this school, Tom. I should be sorry to believe half of them"

" Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies" Voldemort said

" So... you call it greatness what you have been doing?" Past Dumbledore asked

" Certainly" Voldemort said, " I have experimented; I have pushed the boundaries of magic further, perhaps, than they have been ever pushed before"

" Some" Past Dumbledore said

" Excuse me?" Voldemort asked

" Of some kinds of magic, others you remain... ignorant" Past Dumbledore said

" Ah yes, the old argument of that love is more powerful than my kind of magic" Voldemort said with a smile but it looked more like a sneer, " I have seen nothing that proves that love is more powerful"

" Well until you try to kill us and it ends up to backfire" Brenda said under her breath

Harry chuckled

" Perhaps you have been looking in the wrong places" Past Dumbledore suggested

" Well where is there a better place to start then here? At Hogwarts?" Voldemort asked, " Will you let me return and share my knowledge to other students?"

" And what would become of those who you command? The... Death Eaters?" Past Dumbledore asked

Voldemort looked angry

" I don't think he expected that" Harry thought

Brenda nodded

" My friends will just carry on without me" Voldemort said

" Well I am glad you consider them as friends" Past Dumbledore said, " I got the impression that they were more like servants"

" Well then you are mistaken" Voldemort said

Dumbledore just nodded but the Potters knew that Dumbledore didn't believe they were his friends

" Tom... why have you come here tonight to request a job you and I both know you don't want" Past Dumbledore asked

" I don't know what you mean, I want this job very much" Voldemort said

" I know you want to come back to Hogwarts, but you do not want to teach now than you did when you were eighteen... what is it that you are after? Why don't you try requesting for once?" Past Dumbledore asked

Voldemort glared, " If you don't want to give me a job" He started

" Of course I don't" Past Dumbledore said, " And I don't think for a moment you expected me to... but you came here, you asked... now you must have a purpose for doing so"

Voldemort stood up from his seat, he looked very angry, " This is your final word?"

" It is" Past Dumbledore said standing too

" Then we have nothing more to say to each other" Voldemort said

" No... nothing" Past Dumbledore said then sighed, " It's been a long time since I could frighten you with a burning wardrobe and force you to make repayment for your crimes... but I wish I could... I wish I could"

The next thing the Potters knew, they were back in the present

" Why did he come back? Did you find out?" Brenda asked

" I have ideas, but only ideas" Dumbledore said

" What are your ideas?" Harry asked

" I shall tell you once you retrieved Professor Slughorn's memory" Dumbledore said

It was quiet for a few minutes

" Was he after the DADA job again?" Brenda asked

Dumbledore chuckled, " I love it when you students call it DADA... yes Brenda he was after the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. The aftermath of our little meeting proved that... you see, we have never been able to keep a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for longer than a year since I refused the post to Lord Voldemort"

Brenda gasped, " Sir, what's going to happen to my dad?"

" The curse might be broken or he'll go back to teaching potions next year, who knows, calm down Brenda" Dumbledore said

Brenda nodded

" Ok remember you need to have that memory from Professor Slughorn before our next meeting" Dumbledore said

" Yes sir" Harry and Brenda said

" It's late, and I bid you goodnight" Dumbledore said

" Good night sir" Harry and Brenda said and left the office and headed up to Gryffindor tower

A few weeks after their lesson with Dumbledore, Brenda and Harry were trying to think of a legal way to get the memory from Slughorn, right now they were eating dinner and were still trying to come up with a plan

" Maybe we can find an answer in my potions book" Harry said, " Maybe the prince knows a way to make a potion that would persuade somebody"

Brenda shrugged, " Can't think of anything else to do, might as well give it a shot"

" Not everything is in that book you know" Hermione said

" Well it has some pretty neat spells and easier ways to do some of the hard potions" Harry said

" Just give it a rest Hermione... I want to try some of those spells out" Brenda said

Hermione glared at both Potters

" Since when do you do something that you shouldn't?" Hermione asked, " Before you think it through?"

" What's the harm about doing a few spells?" Brenda asked

" What if you do a spell that has major consequences?" Hermione asked

" I say... if it's not an unforgivable then it's fine" Brenda said, " There are only three of those and we all know what they are... how dangerous can the others be anyway?"

" I think it's been a long time since you've seen your dad and stayed with him" Hermione said

Brenda glared, " I am in no mood of being grounded thank you very much... or dodging Slytherins for that matter... plus Snape's been grumpy lately and I do not want a spanking for every little incident thank you very much"

" Yes well when you're grounded you think about what you're about to do more so then when you're not" Hermione said

" Well I've been grounded too much in the past and I like my freedom... plus I like the thing where my dad isn't watching my every move for once, plus I've been down there already this year and he wouldn't let me leave until I got that silent spell right" Brenda said

" I just think you act more mature when you stay down there" Hermione said

" Yah because I can't get away with anything when I have to be down there right after dinner and I have a freaking bedtime" Brenda said with a glare, " Can we get on a new topic please?

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes

Harry and Ron gave each other a look that said, " Women"

That night after dinner there was a notice on the notice board that said for anybody who was seventeen before the first test date on April 21 can take extra Apparition lessons

Ron was nervous about that and his three best friends were trying to calm him down

Later that night, while Ron and Hermione were doing their homework Harry and Brenda opened Harry's potions book and scanned it, they couldn't find anything that would help them with their problem but they did find a new spell. Sectumsempra

" Hmm, for your enemies... next time we see Voldemort we should use this" Brenda joked through thought

" Or Malfoy" Harry thought

" We should practice it and see what it does first" Brenda thought

" Not in front of Hermione, she's already kind of angry at us" Harry said

" Yah well I'm kind of angry at her for basically telling me I should go down to the apartment... no thank you" Brenda thought

" You two won't find anything in there" Hermione said, " The only way to force someone to do what you want is with the Imperius Curse"

Harry and Brenda rolled their eyes

" Yes Hermione, we know that... thanks" Harry said

" That's why we're looking for something different" Brenda said, " Dumbledore said that we can't use Veritaserum, we're thinking about maybe a different potion or a spell" Brenda said

" Dumbledore said that only you two can get the memory from Slughorn where other's cannot, that means without a spell or potion otherwise anybody can do it and most likely if that was the case Dumbledore would have done it already" Hermione said

" Hermione can you check my homework?" Ron asked

Hermione nodded, anything to take her mind off the Potters

It took Hermione two minutes to figure out that Ron misspelled about half the words in his paper and she told him so

" Oh no, now I have to do it all over again... Snape's going to kill me" Ron groaned

" How did you misspell all those words?" Brenda asked, " What kind of quill are you using?"

" It's one of Fred and George's spell check ones" Ron said

" Well there's your problem, they run a joke shop" Brenda said

" Is there anyway to fix this?" Ron asked desperatly

Hermione didn't say anything she just fixed it with her wand

" I love you Hermione" Ron said, " Thank you so much... I could kiss you right now"

Hermione's face turned pink

" Um... Don... Don't let Lavender hear you say that" Hermione said

" Don't worry I wont... but if I do then she'd sure dump me and I'd be free of her" Ron said

" If you want to break up with her, why don't you do it yourself?" Harry asked

" You never had to, you and Cho just... fell apart" Ron said, " I wish that would happen with me and Lavender but the more I hint that I want to break it off, the more she clings on, it's like dating a giant squid"

Brenda silently chuckled at that, " Lavender hear you say that she'll slap you silly"

" Yah... most likely" Ron said

Harry and Brenda went back to the Potions book but after five minutes they decided they weren't going to find anything useful in it

" Think we should just go to bed and have a fresh start tomorrow" Brenda said stretching and yawning, it was about 11:30

All of a sudden there was a crack and Hermione shrieked and Ron spilled ink all over his essay

" Oh man, now I'm going to have to redo the whole thing" Ron groaned

" Kreacher" Harry said

Brenda rolled her eyes and went over to Ron's parchment and evenescoed the ink from the parchment

" You really need to calm down" Brenda said

Ron nodded his thanks

" Master said he wanted regular reports on what the Malfoy boy is doing, so Kreacher has come to give him a report" Kreacher said

Crack

Dobby appeared right next to Kreacher

" Dobby has been helping too, Harry Potter" Dobby said, " And Kreacher should tell Dobby when he is coming to see Harry and Brenda Potter so they can make the reports together"

" Mistress did not order Kreacher so Kreacher does not tell Mistress" Kreacher said

" You are to report to me too Kreacher if Harry and I are in separate locations" Brenda said

" Yes Mistress" Kreacher said and bowed

" But only if she is alone or with Ron and Hermione" Harry said

" Or Fred" Brenda said with a smile, " Wait scratch that, not with Fred" Brenda blushed

" So has either one of you found anything?" Harry asked

" Master Malfoy moves with a nobility that befits his pure blood" Kreacher said with a smirk, " His features recall the fine bones of my mistess and his manners are those of elegance"

Harry and Brenda rolled their eyes

" Dobby what have you found?" Brenda asked

" Draco Malfoy is a bad boy" Dobby said angrily, " A bad boy who... who" Dobby was about to strangle himself as a punishment

Brenda picked Dobby up and Harry put Dobby's hands down

" Thank you... Dobby still finds it difficult to talk ill of his old master's family" Dobby said

" Are you going to be ok?" Brenda asked

Dobby nodded

Brenda set Dobby down

" Now has Malfoy been going anywhere he shouldn't have been going?" Harry asked

" Draco Malfoy is breaking no rules that Dobby can discover, but he wants to avoid detection at all costs. He has been making regular visits to the seventh floor with different students who keep watch for him when he enters" Dobby said

" I was right... He's been in the Room of Requirement" Brenda said

" You said he was in the Room of Requirement? When did you say that?" Harry asked

" A while ago, when we were thinking of him leaving the grounds, I thought of maybe he was in the Room of Requirement" Brenda said

" Why wouldn't we see him then?" Harry asked

" The Room of Requirement is not on the map" Brenda said, " Take a look at it for yourself"

" I believe you" Harry said, " Dobby have you managed to get in to see what Malfoy is up to?"

" No Harry Potter, that is impossible" Dobby said sadly

" No it's not" Harry said, " Malfoy got into our headquarters there last year, so we'll be able to get in and spy on him... this will be easy"

" Maybe not" Brenda said

" What do you mean?" Harry asked

" I mean it took a lot of power for Umbridge to get to our Headquarters, she had to use Bombarda to do it... I don't think we can be discreet with that because when we closed off the headquarters to the Slytherins and Filch it turned into a closet at one time" Brenda said, " But without using a spell we might have a slight chance"

Harry smiled and turned to Dobby, " You've done brilliantly Dobby"

" Kreacher has done good too" Hermione said

" A MUDBLOOD IS SPEAKING TO KREACHER" Kreacher screeched

" Quiet Kreacher, you'll wake the whole house" Brenda said, " You both deserve a good nights rest... Keep up the good work... Both of you"

Kreacher bowed at the Potters and disapparated

" Thank you Harry and Brenda Potter" Dobby squeaked happily and also disapparated

Harry smiled, " One step closer to figuring out what Malfoy's up to"

" And now we know what Crabbe and Goyle are up to also, they're being his look outs" Brenda said with a smile

Harry nodded

That night when they were supposed to be asleep Harry and Brenda were thinking to each other and imagining what Malfoy was up to

" Tomorrow during free period I'm going to see if I can get in the Room of Requirement and see what Malfoy is doing in there" Harry thought to Brenda

" Use your invisibility cloak so nobody catches you" Brenda thought back, " You want me to come with you?"

" No, then it will be a little suspicious if both of us are missing" Harry thought

" Ok" Brenda thought tiredly, " Good night Harry"

" Good night" Harry thought

The next morning during breakfast Hermione was trying to convince the Potters that they needed to persuade Slughorn for the memory and that they weren't going to find it in a book

Harry mock gasped, " You actually said that there was something we couldn't find in a book, I'm impressed"

" Ha ha very funny" Hermione said with a glare

During free period Harry hurried up to his dorm to make it appear he was in his dorm and not about to do something dangerous, he took out his cloak from his pocket and put it on

" You sure you don't want me to come?" Brenda asked through thought while doing her homework

" I'm sure" Harry thought while under the cloak, " I'll tell you what I find out, I'm cutting our connection off"

" Be careful Harry" Brenda thought

" I will be" Harry thought

" Make sure you're back for Defense Against the Dark Arts, that's what's next, you know what Snape is like when somebody is late" Brenda thought, " Oh and make sure you have your assignment"

" Yes Brenda" Harry thought

An hour later Harry entered Defense Against the Dark Arts and he was about ten minutes late

" You're late Mr. Potter" Snape said, " Ten points from Gryffindor"

Harry glared at Snape but sat down in his seat next to Ron

" Before we start, I want you all to hand in your Dementor essays" Snape began, " I hope for your sakes these are better than the ones on the Imperious Curse from last week"

Everybody got out their essays and with a wave of his wand Snape picked them up

" Now then I want you to turn to page... what is it Mr. Finnigan?"

" Sir I was wondering how you can tell the difference between an inferius and a ghost? It's been in the papers for a while" Seamus said

" Dumbledore told us about this when he picked me up from the Dursleys" Harry whispered to Ron

" Well I'll have Potter answer the question for all of us since Potter knows so much about the subject" Snape said then turned to Harry, " So Potter, what is the difference between an Inferius and a ghost?"

It was quiet in the room and everybody was looking at Harry making him feel uneasy

" Um... well ghosts are transparent and" Harry started

" Oh very good Potter, you've been in Hogwarts for six years now and you now tell us that ghosts are transparent" Snape said sarcastically and began slow clapping

The Slytherins joined in

" But inferi are dead bodies so they'd be solid and" Harry said

" A five year old could have told us that" Snape said

Brenda rolled her eyes, sighed and raised her hand

" Yes Ms. Potter?" Snape asked

" Professor you wouldn't let him finish so I'll finish, he was going to say that the inferius is a corps that has been awakened by dark spells. It is not alive but can do people's bidding. It's kind of like what a muggle would call a zombie" Brenda said, " And a ghost is an imprint of a departed soul left upon the earth"

" I believe I asked for Mr. Potter to answer the question, not you Ms. Potter" Snape said

" Actually sir, all you said was for Potter to answer the question... last time I checked I was a Potter. If you said Mr. Potter then that would be Harry, but all you said was Potter" Brenda said with a triumphant grin on her face, oh she knew she was in for it but she hated when her dad made a fool out of her brother

It was very quiet in the room, most of the students had their mouths open in awe at what Brenda said

Snape glared down at his daughter, he knew it's been a while since she was actually grounded but he was astounded that she had the gull to actually be cheeky with him when she knew he wasn't in a good mood because of last week's essays on the imperious curse

" Another ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek Ms. Potter... and detention tonight... 7:00" Snape said

Brenda sighed, " Saw that coming" She thought to herself

" Now open your books to page two hundred and thirteen and read the two paragraphs on the Cruciatus Curse"

After class Harry told the others that he couldn't get through

" Well you knew it would be tricky" Brenda said

" I can't believe that git gave you a detention, you were just pointing out the facts" Ron said

" Yah, well Snape's in a grumpy mood" Brenda said with a shrug

" When isn't he grumpy?" Ron asked

" Well Hermione, you wanted me to go down to the apartment for a while... now you'll get your wish" Brenda said, " Merlin and I was loving the freedom too"

" You didn't have to say anything to him you know" Hermione said

" Yah I know, he was just making me angry though, he kept interrupting Harry and I was right about him only saying Potter and not Mr. Potter" Brenda said, " Lets go to the Common Room after classes and do our homework"

Ron groaned

" Ron, Ron" Lavender called going over to the group

Ron groaned again but for a different reason

" I'll... see you three later" Hermione said hurrying to her next class that they didn't have

" Ron are you excited for Apparition lessons in Hogsmeade and taking the test?" Lavender asked excitedly

" Er... I don't want to talk about that" Ron said, " Um... I got to go... see you in class"

Ron dragged Harry into the boy's bathroom

" Ok... I guess I'll start packing for the apartment then" Brenda thought

After dinner that night Brenda went up to the Defense Against the Dark Arts class roomwith her back pack and a bag of clothes, she knew she was grounded and knocked

" Come in Ms. Potter" Snape said

Brenda came in the class room and she was the only one there

" I didn't want to confuse you with your brother now" Snape said

Brenda rolled her eyes, " So what do you want me to do?"

" Why? Are you in a hurry?" Snape asked

" Kind of since I have homework" Brenda said

" Hmm, maybe it is a good thing you got in trouble, you've been snippy lately, and beating up fellow students" Snape said

" McLaggen deserved that" Brenda said, " And I have the right to be snippy as much as the next person"

" Hmm and talking back to me... not a good thing to do" Snape warned

" Sorry... just a lot of stuff on my mind" Brenda said defeated

" Do you wish to tell me?" Snape asked

" Not really" Brenda said, " Just stuff with lessons with Dumbledore... you do know about those right?"

" Of course I do" Snape said, " Are you sure you don't want to tell me? You'd feel better getting it off your chest"

" Will it count as my detention Professor? Because that is what I came here for, not to talk about my lessons with Dumbledore" Brenda said

Snape glared a bit at Brenda, " Very well, you will sit at that desk and write I will not be cheeky to my professors... 200 times"

Brenda sighed and got out a quill, ink and parchment, then began writing

It took her only two hours to write I will not be cheeky to my professors two hundred times

" Very good, now... your other punishment" Snape said after he looked over the lines

Brenda rolled her eyes and followed Snape to the wall that is the secret entrance that leads to the apartment

They made it down to the apartment

" I suggest you get your pajamas on" Severus said

Brenda now looked scared, every time he tells her to get her pajamas on with your other punishment but doesn't tell her what the other punishment is right away, it always means a spanking

" Surely back talking doesn't deserve a spanking" Brenda said scared

" It doesn't, but something does" Severus said, " Pajamas... now young lady"

Brenda hurried to her room and slowly into her pajamas, she didn't know what she did that deserved a spanking... the only thing she could think of was that fight with McLaggen but that was about a month ago

Brenda slowly came out of her room to face her dad, she didn't see the paddle anywhere which was a good thing, but with magic who knows what could happen

Severus was already sitting in the hard wooden chair he always sat in when he was going to spank her. Severus saw her and pointed to the couch

Brenda sat down and waited for the lecture and hopefully the reason why she was going to be spanked

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, Severus was doing this on purpose to make her nervous, hey he's Slytherin and a Death Eater

Finally Snape finally spoke

" Do you know why you're being punished?" Severus asked

" No, well except for being cheeky" Brenda said, " But that doesn't deserve a... spanking"

" No that just deserves a grounding for a few days... but... fighting deserves a spanking" Severus said

" But I" Brenda said but was cut off

" You should have let the adults handle it Brenda, you had no reason to beat up Mr. McLaggen" Severus said firmly

" That was a month ago and I've been punished for it, I had detention" Brenda protested

" You had the teacher student punishment, you did not have the parent punishment" Severus said

" It's still been a month though" Brenda protested, " If you wanted to punish me, why wait so long?"

" I was ready to punish you that same day but Dumbledore told me to wait because of your task with retrieving the memory from Professor Slughorn" Severus said, " I assume you and your brother found a way to get the memory, you've had more than a month to do so"

" Yah well that's easier said then done" Brenda said in a pout

" I take that pout as a no then" Severus said

Brenda not talking affirmed Severus's answer

" Hmm, well I gave you enough time to come up with a solution to that problem and I want to get this punishment over and done with, you can always think to Harry your ideas and vise versa, you don't have to be in the same room" Severus said

" McLaggen should be the one punished, not me" Brenda protested

" I didn't see you with a black eye and broken arm" Severus said

" Yah well I didn't see his brother getting hit in the head with a bludger by his keeper" Brenda said with a glare

"Nevertheless fighting is wrong and you know better, you should have let the teachers handle it, instead of you handling it, if you did then you wouldn't be in this situation now would you?" Severus asked

" With my track record, I would eventually" Brenda said

" But not this time and on this day" Severus said

" Well I guess we'll never know now would we?" Brenda said, " What's done is done"

" What's done is done" Severus said, " And I think this talk is done with"

Brenda pulled her knees to her chin

“Come here Brenda” Severus ordered

Brenda shook her head no

Severus sighed and firmly took Brenda’s hand and pulled her off the couch and helped her over his knees on the chair

Later that night in bed she was glad she brought her unicorn she got for Christmas from Fred, it helped her think about something else instead of the pain

Two weeks later and Brenda was still grounded and on the weekends she was grounded to her room

The Potters were getting kind of desperate trying to find ways to get the memory, every potions lesson they would stay after and try to corner Slughorn, but every time Slughorn would dodge them

Today was the Saturday that the people who would turn seventeen before April 21 could have more lessons in Hogsmeade for the apparition test, Harry was going to use that time to try to get into the Room of Requirement again and Brenda was going to be stuck in her room being bored, Severus wouldn't even let her help him make potions which he was going to do all day

Brenda was reading a book she read about ten times in the past and Harry thought to her

" I scared Goyle away from the room but I can't get in" Harry thought, " I ran into Tonks too, she was trying to talk to Dumbledore but he's not here, she seems sad"

" Well she probably misses Sirius just as much as us, they're cousins you know" Brenda thought

" Yah, you're probably right" Harry thought, " So how are you?"

" Bored out of my mind, Severus's driving me crazy, he is making potions that I know I can help him with and he is keeping me in my room, he's doing it to torture me, oh and another thing... I can memorize every single book in this room and it's driving me mad" Brenda thought, " The good news is... I think I thought of a way to get the memory"

" How?" Harry asked excitedly

" Europhia potion" Brenda thought

" What's that?" Harry asked

" It might put Slughorn in a good mood where he'll give us the memory, now all we have to think about is how we are to give it to him" Brenda thought

" Can you make it?" Harry asked

" Of course I can, I'm dying to make a potion, any potion, Severus's driving me mad" Brenda thought

" You said that already" Harry thought

" Well it's true" Brenda thought

" Well how did you think about that?" Harry thought

" Well I'm in a bad mood now and I was just thinking, I have a lot of time on my hands" Brenda thought

" When can you be done with being grounded?" Harry thought

" Ask the bat of the dungeons" Brenda thought sighing

" You called your dad a bat" Harry thought gasping

" Yah well I'm angry at him and his hand hurts when he spanks" Brenda thought

Harry was quiet

" I'm just venting" Brenda thought then sighed, " I'll talk... think to you later, Snape's coming"

" Ok, I'm going to see if I can get in the room again" Harry thought

" Ok" Brenda thought and ended the link just in time because Severus knocked on the door, " Come in" She said with a sigh

Severus entered, " Having fun?"

" No" Brenda said honestly, " Finished all my homework for the week and then some, and I read all of these books about ten times each, can I please work on a potion?"

" No, this is supposed to be a punishment, not a reward" Severus said

" I've been punished for two weeks, isn't that enough?" Brenda asked

" We'll see... have you learned your lesson?" Severus asked

" Yes" Brenda said

" What have you learned?" Snape asked

" I learned not to be cheeky in your class because you're very strict, and I learned that if I'm angry at a fellow student I should let a teacher handle it, otherwise I'll just get in trouble not only with a teacher but also with you" Brenda said

Severus nodded, " Very well, you may leave on Monday"

" Now can I help you with a potion?" Brenda asked

" Well... since you're so bored, ok" Severus said with a smirk

Brenda smiled and got off her bed to help her dad

A few weeks later was the day of the first Apparition test and both Ron and Hermione were going to take it, they were both nervous but Ron was the worst, he wasn't just jumpy because of the test, but he was jumpy because he was trying to avoid Lavender and he jumped every time he saw a girl coming, thinking it was Lavender

" You know it would be much easier if you just broke up with her" Brenda said

" You never broke up with anybody, how would you know?" Ron asked

" Books" Brenda said

" Well this is real life" Ron said

A girl came their way

" Hide me" Ron said

" Oh for goodness sakes Ronald, it's not Lavender" Hermione said

The girl went up to the group and gave them a letter, " I was asked to give you this"

" Thanks" Harry said taking the letter and reading it

It was a letter from Hagrid, it was a bit splotchy but from reading it, it looked like Hagrid was crying, in the letter it said that Aragog died the night before and he wanted the four to come to the burial later that evening

" Oh for goodness sakes, he's asking us to leave the castle at night when security is way tighter and if we were caught we'd be in a lot of trouble" Hermione said, " Brenda you just got out of trouble a few weeks ago"

" Oh come on, we've been down to see him at night before, plus he's a teacher" Harry said

" We risked a lot to help Hagrid out, but Aragog's dead, if we were saving him then that's a different story" Hermione said

" I want to go even less" Ron said, " I've met the beast and being dead I think improved the spider a lot"

Harry and Brenda looked at each other

" Well what do you think Brenda? Should we go?" Harry thought

" Yes, Hagrid would like it" Brenda thought back

" You two can't be thinking about going" Hermione said, " It's such a pointless thing to get detention for... and for you Brenda, a grounding"

Harry and Brenda looked at each other again and nodded

" You're right Hermione... I'm really not ready for another grounding or detention... he'll just have to bury Aragog without us" Brenda said with a sigh

Hermione looked relieved, " Think about how to get the memory, Potions should mostly be empty this afternoon, with us all off doing tests"

" Try and soften Slughorn up a bit then" Ron said

" Fifty-seventh time the charm?" Brenda asked, " You think we'll be lucky?"

" Lucky" Ron gasped, " That's it... get lucky"

" What?" Harry asked

" Your lucky potion" Ron said

" Ron, that's it" Hermione said excitedly, " Why didn't I think of it before?"

" We were sort of saving it" Harry said

" What for?" Ron asked

Harry shrugged but he was thinking about a way to have Ginny fall for him

" I was saving it for my wedding day" Brenda said with a grin

" You're sixteen and you're thinking about marriage?" Ron asked

" I want it to be... perfect" Brenda said with a grin

" Ok if we can't get Slughorn to talk to us after potions, I'll use my potion and have another go this evening" Harry said

" Harry you sure?" Brenda asked

" Yes, you're saving yours for a... special occasion" Harry smirked, " And I respect that"

Brenda smiled

" Good, now we got to think about apparition" Hermione said

" No, I feel sick enough the way it is" Ron said turning pale when another girl came by

" It's not Lavender" The girls said together

Ron sighed with relief

Finally it was time for the students to either take the test or get to class

" Good luck" The four said at the same time and all smiled then went their separate ways

There were only four of them in Potions, Harry, Brenda, Ernie and Draco Malfoy

" I'm hoping to make the Euphoria potion today since theres no point for Slughorn to teach" Brenda thought to Harry

" Good plan" Harry thought back

" Hmm, only the four of you... well since the class is so small, how about you each make a fun potion?" Slughorn asked

Brenda smiled, " I think we might not need the potion after all" she thought and got the ingredients she would need

" Ok while you're working on that, what should I work on?" Harry thought

Brenda smiled, " A fun potion... a Babbling Beverage, can't get much funnier than that"

Harry chuckled and nodded

Brenda finished her potion an hour and a half later when Slughorn came to inspect it

" Ah the Euphoria potion" Slughorn said, " It looks wonderful, I take it you added a sprig of peppermint to"

" Counterbalance the occasional side effects of excessive singing and nose tweaking" Brenda said with a smile

" I bet you got your potion smarts from your mother, you and Harry both" Slughorn said with a smile

Harry hid his copy of Advanced Potion Making

" So Harry what have you made?" Slughorn asked and looked in the cauldron then laughed, " A babbling beverage, yes that is a fun potion, good job both of you... class dismissed" Slughorn walked out real fast

" Sir wouldn't you like to taste my potion?" Brenda asked but she was too late, Slughorn was gone

" Oh well, at least we got the potion, maybe we can slip some in his drink or something, hopefully luck is on our side" Harry said

Brenda nodded and they began to clean up

Later that afternoon Hermione ran through the portrait in Gryffindor Tower yelling, " I passed"

" Well done" Brenda said

" And Ron?" Harry asked

" He just failed" Hermione said

" Half an eyebrow, that's all I splinched" Ron huffed, " Like your eyebrows matter anyway"

" You'll pass it next time Ron" Hermione said

" I cannot believe I failed with half an eyebrow" Ron said defeated

The other three tried to cheer Ron up for the rest of the day and by the time dinner came, Ron was laughing and was back to normal and after dinner they were talking about Slughorn's memory again

" So are you going to use the Felix Felicis?" Ron asked

" Yah I'm going to take it, I figure only one of us needs to take it, not one for all day but just a sip for a few hours" Harry said

" It's a real great feeling when you take it" Ron said with a smile

" What are you talking about? You never taken any" Hermione said

" Yah I know, but I thought I had" Ron said still smiling, " It's the same difference"

" So what time are you two planning on going?" Hermione asked

" Around sunset, that's the time he usually gets to his office" Brenda said, " We've been checking the map"

Hermione nodded in approval, " Good, you won't be breaking the curfew rules then"

Right before sunset they went up in the boys' dorm and Harry rummaged through his trunk for the potion and took a sip of it

" How do you feel?" Brenda asked

" Excellent" Harry said, " We should go to Hagrid's" Harry said with a grin

" What? Harry no" Hermione protested, " You need to see Slughorn remember?"

" No" Harry said, " Brenda and I are going to see Hagrid... I have a good feeling that is where we need to be right now"

" You have a good feeling about burying a giant spider?" Ron asked surprised

" Brenda get out your invisibility cloak, we're going" Harry said

" Brenda doesn't need to listen to you, Brenda listen to reason" Hermione said

Brenda turned to Hermione, " Sorry Hermione but I trust the potion which Harry took, he's feeling lucky and I feel lucky with him"

" I feel like it's the place to be tonight, you know what I mean?" Harry asked

" NO" Both Hermione and Ron yell at the same time

" Are you sure that's Felix Felicis?" Hermione asked scared, " Are you sure it's not some other potion?"

" Like the potion of insanity?" Ron asked

" No it's Felix" Harry said, " Trust me, I know what I'm doing and I know what I'm getting us both into... Brenda get under your cloak"

Brenda nodded and did as she was told

It now looked like Ron and Hermione were going down the stairs from the boys' dorms together and Lavender saw it

" What were you doing up there with her?" Lavender asked accusingly

" Poor Ron" Brenda thought when they exited the portrait

" Well he needs to break it off with her, because this is getting annoying" Harry thought

Brenda agreed

They quietly walked down towards the Entrance Hall and then outside and towards Hagrid's hut

" Hey lets stop by the Green Houses" Harry thought

" Why?" Brenda thought

" I don't know, lets just do it" Harry thought

" Ok, you're the one who's lucky" Brenda thought

They headed towards the green house and to their luck was Professor Sprout and Slughorn and they were talking about third year potions

Five minutes later Sprout left leaving Slughorn alone

" Lets reveal ourselves" Harry thought

" Are you sure?" Brenda thought

" Yes" Harry thought and revealed himself

Brenda did the same

" Good evening Professor" Harry and Brenda said

" Good evening... what are you two doing out?" Slughorn asked suspiciously

" We came to see Hagrid, he has a... well he's pretty upset and we wanted to see him" Brenda said

" You won't tell anybody will you?" Harry asked

" Well, Dumbledore does trust Hagrid with his life as I recall" Slughorn said, " Why is he upset?"

" Well you see sir, he has this giant spider that he's had for... well more than fifty years... it lived in the forest and it could talk and everything" Brenda said

" I heard about acromantulas living in the forest, it's true then" Slughorn said in awe

" Yes sir" Harry said, " But this one... Aragog, the first one Hagrid ever got, it died last night. He's devastated . He wants company when he buries it and we said that we'd go"

" That's very touching... hmm, acromantula venom is very valuable... If the beast only died last night then the venom might not have dried out yet... of course I wouldn't want to do anything that would upset Hagrid... but if there was some way I could get some... It's almost impossible to get some when acromantulas are alive" Slughorn said mostly talking to himself

Harry smiled and looked at Brenda who looked like she was on the same page because she smiled back and nodded

" Well" Harry said, " If you wanted to come to the burial Professor, Hagrid would be delighted"

" The more the merrier" Brenda put in

Slughorn smiled, " Yes of course I'll be there... I tell you what, I'll bring a bottle or two and we'll drink... we'll send the beast off in style, how's that sound?"

The Potters smiled, " Sounds good professor" They said at the same time, " See you in a bit"

Slughorn nodded and headed off towards the castle while the Potters hurried down to Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door

" You came" Hagrid said through tears

" Ron and Hermione couldn't" Brenda said

" Don't matter... He'd have been touched that you're here though" Hagrid said with a teary smile

The Potters smiled

" So... um where is he going to be buried? The forest?" Brenda asked

" No" Hagrid said, " The other spiders won't let me near their webs, seems like the only reason they didn't eat me was because of Aragog, can you believe that?"

" Yes" Harry and Brenda thought but didn't answer

" Spiders usually eat the dead but I wanted to send him off the proper way, we've been friends for such a long time you know" Hagrid said and began crying again

The Potters nodded and went up to Hagrid to try to comfort him

" Professor Slughorn met us coming down here" Harry said

Hagrid looked alarmed at that

" We told him about Aragog and he said he'd like to come down here and be with you in your time of need" Brenda said before Hagrid got real scared and feel guilty

" Did he?" Hagrid asked touched, " That's nice of him, the more the merrier... as long as he doesn't turn you two in that is... Aragog would like that"

They were quiet for a few minutes

" So... Hagrid where are we going to bury him?" Harry asked

Hagrid pointed at his pumpkin patch, " Just beyond the pumpkin patch... I already dug... the grave, I just thought a few nice words would be good, you know... some happy memories?"

Hagrid began to sob again and Harry and Brenda began comforting him again until a knock sounded and Hagrid went to answer it

" Hagrid, I'm sorry for your loss" Slughorn said

" That's nice of you" Hagrid said, " Thanks a lot and thanks for not giving the Potters detention"

" Wouldn't dream of it, they're helping out a friend" Slughorn said, " It's such a sad night... so where is the poor creature?"

" He's out here, shall... shall we do it then?" Hagrid asked

The four of them walked towards where the grave and the spider lay on it's back

" Magnificent creature" Slughorn whispered and he went up to the spider

Harry and Brenda could hear a bit of tinkling

" Sounds like Slughorn brought a lot of bottles for the venom" Brenda thought

" How rare is the venom?" Harry thought

" About a hundred galleons for a potion vial full" Brenda thought

" I didn't know you were interested in creatures like Aragog Horace" Hagrid said

Horace didn't say anything just smiled and turned back to the spider

" It's a good thing Hagrid is so teary eyed, he wouldn't see the bottles" Brenda thought

" Such a magnificent creature" Slughorn said finally stepping back, " Well then, should we bury him?"

Hagrid nodded and stepped forward to lift Aragog up and set him gently as he could in the grave, it still made a crunchy thud though which made Hagrid sob

" Um... why don't I say a few words?" Slughorn said, " It'll give you time to collect yourself"

Hagrid nodded and while the Potters tried comforting Hagrid Slughorn began a speech

" Farewell Aragog, king of arachnids, whose long and faithful friendship those who knew you won't forget! Though your body will decay, your spirit lingers on in the quiet, web spun places of your forest home. May your many eyed descendants ever flourish and your human friends find solace for the loss they have sustained" Slughorn said

" That... was... beautiful" Hagrid said through a sob collapsing on the ground and crying even harder

Brenda began rubbing Hagrid's back as good as she could, because even with Hagrid kneeling he was still tall

Slughorn took out his wand and levitated the pile of dirt over the grave, " I think a toast to Aragog is in order, up you get Hagrid"

The four headed back inside Hagrid's hut

Hagrid collapsed in a chair and Slughorn poured and passed out drinks

" I've had it all tested for poison" He assured the Potters, " I had a house elf taste every bottle after what happened to your friend... well... to Aragog"

" To Aragog" The others said

Both teachers drank deeply

" Don't drink it" Harry thought

" Kind of young to drink anyway" Brenda thought, " Plus if he gets drunk enough" She smiled

Harry nodded

The teachers were talking about all kinds of things and Harry noticed that the drinks were almost gone

" Do you know how to say the refilling charm without saying it?" Harry thought

Brenda nodded and refilled the mugs

The teachers were drunk for an hour and they were making toasts to everything they can think of at this point

" A toast to... Hawy and Bwenda Otter" Slughorn said drunk, " Somfin like that"

" We're getting close, I can feel it" Harry thought

Brenda inwardly smiled

" The good die young" Hagrid said after a while, " Your parents were too young to go"

Hagrid began to cry

" Bestest wiz and witchard of thie age I never knew... tewible thing what happened" Slughorn said drunkly, " I don't supposed you two" Slughorn hiccuped, " Remember it do you?"

" No" Harry said

" Sorry, we were only a year old when they died" Brenda said sadly

They looked over at Hagrid who snored loudly

" Wonder when he fell asleep" Harry thought

Brenda shrugged

" We found out what happened though, our dad died first trying to stop Voldemort for getting to us and our mum" Harry said, " Did you know that?"

" I... didn't" Slughorn said sadly

" Yah... Voldemort murdered him and then stepped over his body and went toward our mum" Harry said

Slughorn shuddered

" He told her to get out of the way, that he just wanted us and not her, but she didn't want him to kill us... she could have ran" Brenda said

Slughorn gasped

" She tried to plead with Voldemort, but he just laughed in her face" Harry said

" OK! THAT'S ENOUGH" Slughorn said, " I'm... I'm an old man... I don't... I don't want to hear anymore"

" Oh sorry, we forgot that you really liked our mum" Harry lied

" Harry?" Brenda thought

" Just play along" Harry thought

" Liked her?" Slughorn asked with tears in his eyes, " Of course I did, she was very brave... very funny, good at Potions and Charms... It was the most horrible thing"

" But you won't help her children?" Brenda asked, " She gave her life, but you won't give a simple memory?"

" Don't say that... It... It's not that simple" Slughorn stuttered, " If it were to help you... of course... but... no purpose can be served"

" It can" Harry said, " Dumbledore needs information and we need information... Brenda and I are the Chosen Ones"

" You're... you're the Chosen ones?" Slughorn asked surprised

" Of course we are... we have to kill Voldemort" Brenda said

" But... But you're asking a great deal, you want me to aid you in your attempt to destroy..." Slughorn didn't finish

" Don't you want to get rid of the wizard that killed Lily Evans?" Brenda asked

" Of... of course I do but" Slughorn said

" You're scared he'll find out you helped us" Harry said

Slughorn didn't say anything but they could see it on his face and he looked terrified

" Be brave like our mother professor" Brenda whispered

Slughorn looked at the Potters then rubbed his eyes and sighed, " I am not proud, I think I may have done great damage that day"

" You'd cancel everything out by giving us that memory" Harry said, " It would be a very brave and noble thing to do"

It was very quiet, the only noise was Hagrid's snoring

" Don't say anything, Felix is telling us to wait for it" Harry thought

" Ok" Brenda thought

After five minutes of silence, Slughorn took something out of his pocket, it was his wand. He then pulled out a small empty bottle and looked into the Potter's eyes as he touched the tip of his wand to his head and withdrew a long silver memory and transfered it to the bottle then corked it and gave it to Brenda

" Thank you very much Professor" Brenda and Harry whispered

" You're good kids, you Harry have her eyes, Brenda you look so much like her... please don't think too badly of me once you've seen it" Slughorn pleaded

" You gave us the memory, for what you did, you are forgiven" Brenda said

" Thank you... Lily" Slughorn said and he was asleep

" Wow he's really out of it if he called me Lily" Brenda thought on the way back up to the tower

" Well you do resemble her and he was drunk and probably tired... not to mention distraught" Harry thought

" Yah, good point" Brenda thought, " So do you still feel lucky?"

" I can feel it wearing off, we should probably hurry to the tower before somebody catches us" Harry thought

" Yah good point, can you imagine what Snape would do if he caught us?" Brenda thought

" I don't want to know" Harry thought

" No you don't" Brenda thought

They entered the castle without any misshap and they had to sneak up to the 7th floor where the Gryffindor Tower is at, they didn't want to be caught by Filch's cat, Filch or Snape, those are the worst possibilities, it was even bad to be caught by a prefect but not as bad

They walked for a minute and then Brenda heard a noise

" Shh, Snape's coming" Brenda thought

They stopped in their tracks because they knew Snape had very good hearing

Snape was either doing his nightly rounds or he had trouble sleeping... or both

Snape ended up exactly fifteen feet away from the Potters and just stopped staring off into space like he was deep in thought

Five minutes later Snape turned around and headed back down into the dungeons

" I swear he has ears of a bat, I wonder if he actually turns into one" Harry thought

" Of course he doesn't... oh and he has a reflection" Brenda thought

" Well you called him the bat of the dungeons when you were grounded" Harry thought

" That I did, because I was angry" Brenda thought, " Now come on before he comes back, or Filch's cat sees us"

" How can...?" Harry thought but didn't finish

" Who bloody knows" Brenda thought

They finally made it to the Fat lady and took off their cloaks and gave the password

The Fat lady didn't like being woken up

" Sorry but Professor Dumbledore changed the password" The Fat Lady said

" In the middle of the night?" Brenda asked not believing

The Fat Lady nodded, " He tightened security"

" Fantastic" Harry said bitterly

" Well, let's go see the Headmaster, and we can give him the memory and maybe have a lesson" Brenda said brightly

Harry smiled and nodded at that

They hurried towards Dumbledore's office hearing in the background that the password was still the same and that the fat lady was just annoyed that she was woken up by the two troublemakers of Gryffindor

" Gee a new nickname for us" Brenda thought sarcastically

" Do you want to go back?" Harry asked

" Nope, wide awake now" Brenda said

" Yah me too" Harry said with a smile

When they made it to the gargoyle that guards the office they spent five minutes trying to figure out which sweet the Headmaster had for a password, it ended up being canary cremes

" Remind me to tell Fred and George that one" Brenda said with a smile as they were going up the winding staircase

Harry knocked on Dumbledore's door and they were bid to enter

" Good Gracious" Dumbledore said surprised, " To what do I owe this very late pleasure?"

" Sir, we got it" Harry said, " We got the memory from Slughorn"

Brenda pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to Dumbledore with a smile on her face

Dumbledore smiled too forgetting about how late it was

" This is spectacular news, I knew you two could do it" Dumbledore said still smiling and he went over to his pensieve, " Now we shall see what Horace has been hiding from us"

Dumbledore poured in the memory and turned to Brenda and smiled

Brenda dived into the pensieve first followed by Harry then Dumbledore

The scene was the same with the group of boys around Slughorn and it didn't get interesting until the part where last time the mist was, now there wasn't any mist

" Sir, I wondered what you know about... Horcruxes?" Tom asked

" Project for Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Slughorn asked

" Um... Not exactly sir" Tom said, " I came across the term while reading and I didn't fully understand it"

" No... well... It would be very hard to find details on Horcruxes at Hogwarts Tom, that's very dark magic" Slughorn said

" But you obviously know about them sir?" Tom said, " I mean, a wizard like you... I just knew if anyone could tell me about them... you could, so I thought I'd ask"

" Hmm, no wonder he was in Slytherin, nice and sly" Brenda thought

Harry agreed

" And Slughorn is buying it" Brenda thought

Slughorn smiled a little, " Well, I guess it won't hurt if I gave you a bit of information, ok, Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul"

" I don't understand how that works though sir" Tom said

" Well, you split your soul, and hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if ones body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But of course, existence in such a form... few would want it Tom, very few" Slughorn said then whispered, " Death would be preferable"

Tom's expression went from curiosity to eagerness

" How do you split your soul?" Tom asked

" Well" Slughorn said uncomfortably, " You must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation and it's against nature"

" Yes I understand that, but how do you do it?" Tom asked

" By an act of evil... the supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon crating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage, he would encase the torn portion"

" How?" Tom asked

" There is a spell, but I don't know it" Slughorn said

" That's ok" Tom said, " What I don't understand, though... just out of curiosity... would one Horcrux be much use? Can you only split your soul once? Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces, I mean, for instance, isn't seven the most powerfully magical number, wouldn't seven be better?"

" MERLIN'S BEARD TOM!" Slughorn yelled, " Isn't killing one person enough? Isn't ripping ones soul enough? But Seven?"

" Yes sir... I was only asking" Tom said

" Of course, just curious I suppose" Slughorn said

" Sir... what about splitting the piece of soul you split? ? Is that possible?" Tom asked

" Are you giving me a tongue twister?" Slughorn asked

" No sir... it just sounds that way" Tom asked, " Would it be possible?"

" I don't know Tom, but I assume it's possible, I don't know anybody who has ever done it, but I guess you could split the soul you already split, I don't know how you could do it, it would be bad enough just to do it one time without splitting the piece you split... does this satisfy your curiosity?"

" Yes sir" Tom said

" Good, then I think you should head off to bed" Slughorn said

" Of course sir, good night" Tom said and he started leaving

" Oh Tom, one more thing, keep it quiet, what I've told you... the topic we discussed is a banned topic and if word got out, I'd be in trouble" Slughorn said

" Of course sir" Tom said, " Good night sir"

" Good night Tom" Slughorn said

The next thing the Potters knew, they were out of the pensieve and back in the present day... or night in this case

" I've been waiting for that memory for a long time" Dumbledore said, " I've been hoping for this piece of evidence because it confirms the theory on which I have been working, it tells me that I am right, and also how very far there is to go... Well, I am sure you two understood the significance of what we just heard. At the same age as you are now, give or take a few months, Tom Riddle was doing all he could to find out how to make himself immortal"

" Do you think he succeeded then?" Harry asked, " He made a Horcrux and that's why he didn't die when he attacked us?"

" He had a piece of his soul safe somewhere?" Brenda asked

" I assume he has more than one Horcrux, since he wanted Horace's opinion on creating more than one... in fact, four years ago, I received what I considered certain proof that Voldemort had split his soul" Dumbledore said

" Four years ago, we were in second year" Brenda said then gasped, " The diary, he preserved his sixteen year old self into it"

Dumbledore nodded, " What intrigued and alarmed me most was that the diary has been intended as a weapon and a safeguard at the same time, it kept Riddle's soul safe yet at the same time it possessed Miss Weasly"

" Where's the diary now? We have to stop the Horcrux thats inside it" Brenda said scared

" The Horcrux is no more Brenda, calm down" Dumbledore said

" I don't understand" Brenda said

" That night when you two went down in the chamber of secrets and when you stabbed the diary with the Basilisk fang, that destroyed not only Voldemort's memory, but also the Horcrux" Dumbledore explained

" So that will never be a Horcrux again?" Harry asked

" Never" Dumbledore said

" So was it the splitting the soul that made him all snake looking?" Brenda asked

" Yes, Lord Voldemort seemed to grow less human every time he split his soul" Dumbledore said

" If he was so interested in mortality, why couldn't he just create a sorcerer's stone? Or steal one?" Harry asked

" Well if you remember, he did try to steal one during your first year" Dumbledore said

" Yah, we thought Snape was after it and it ended up being Quirrell" Brenda said

" I think Voldemort decided to make Horcruxes because with the elixir of life you have to keep on drinking it, I assume he didn't want to be dependent on it, but with the Horcruxes you just have to kill, split your soul and make sure the Horcruxes are safe, then you can stop worrying about them" Dumbledore said

Brenda and Harry were quiet, they had a lot of information

" So do you think Voldemort has made seven Horcruxes?" Brenda asked

Dumbledore nodded

" But they could be anywhere in the world" Harry gasped, " Hidden, buried... invisible"

" I am glad you now see the magnitude of the problem" Dumbledore said, " But no, Harry, not seven Horcruxes, just six, the seventh piece is inside Voldemort and is the last to destroy, if not, then there is no way of stopping him"

" But six Horcruxes?" Brenda asked, " And who knows if he found a way to split the piece of soul into an even smaller piece which would be seven and who knows if he split all of them so that would be thirteen Horcruxes... ow my head hurts"

" I don't think he figured out a way to split a piece of soul to an even smaller piece, that would be hard as well when splitting the soul into seven is hard enough" Dumbledore said

" How are we supposed to find these Horcruxes?" Harry asked

" Well, you already found and destroyed one, and I have destroyed another one" Dumbledore said

" So we have to destroy four more until we can kill Voldemort?" Brenda asked making sure she got it right

" What did you destroy professor?" Harry asked

" The ring. Marvolo's ring, and there was a terrible curse on it too" Dumbledore said and showed his blackened hand, "Had it not been... for my prodigious skill, and for Professor Snape's timely action when I returned to Hogwarts, desperately injured, I might not have lived to tell the tale"

" Professor Snape saved your life?" Harry asked surprised

" He did indeed" Dumbledore said with a smile

" Yay, my dad is not evil" Brenda thought and smiled to herself

" The ring is no longer a Horcrux" Dumbledore said

" But sir, what about your hand?" Harry asked

" I'm sure a withered hand is a small price to pay for a seventh of Voldemort's soul" Dumbledore said looking at said hand

" Where did you find the ring?" Brenda asked

" At the Gaunt's home, of course there were many spells on the house so the ring would be safe, but I disarmed the spells" Dumbledore said

" How did you know to look there?" Brenda asked

" I didn't, I just wanted to visit that place and I happened to feel a lot of magic, more than I should for that place being empty for a long while" Dumbledore said

" So... four more to go... they could be anything from pop cans to potion bottles" Harry complained

" I don't think so Harry" Brenda said

" What?" Harry asked

" If they were pop cans or potion bottles then we wouldn't need to see these memories" Brenda said

Dumbledore smiled with a twinkle in his eye

" We learned that Tom liked to collect things, what he thought were valuable to him, the first Horcrux was the diary, well he had his memories in that, of course that was special, then the ring, that was special to him, now four more items... Well I think one would be the locket, since that was Salazar Slytherin's, and... Hufflepuff's cup since that was part of Hogwarts... and I think the other two also have to do with Hogwarts, he really liked this school so maybe he aquired some artifacts that were the Hogwarts founders... Professor can you check Godric Gryffindor's sword?" Brenda asked

" I have already checked it, and I assure you, that is not a Horcrux" Dumbledore said

" Hmm, do you think that was the reason why he wanted to come back to Hogwarts? To find something from one of the other four founders of Hogwarts for his Horcruxes?" Harry asked

" That's my thought exactly" Dumbledore said, " But unfortunately, that does not advance us much further, for he was turned away and I believe he did not fulfill his ambition of collecting four founders' objects. He definitely has two... possibly three... but that is the best we can do for now"

" Well if he doesn't have four objects of the Hogwarts founders, what would the sixth Horcrux be?" Brenda asked

" I believe it is Nagini his snake" Dumbledore said

" The snake?" Both Harry and Brenda asked surprised, " You can use animals as Horcruxes?"

" It's inadvisable but it can be done, I believe he was going to kill you two that Halloween night and then make Nagini into a Horcrux, but his plans were foiled and he didn't get to" Dumbledore said

" But... he did kill that man we saw before the Quidditch World Cup we went to before fourth year, he could have made her one then" Brenda said

Dumbledore nodded

" And he does keep her very close, and has a lot of control over her" Harry said remembering the vision he and Brenda has when Nagini attacked Mr. Weasley

" So is that why you've been gone a lot? You've been looking for Horcruxes?" Brenda asked

Dumbledore nodded, " In fact I think I am very close of retrieving another one, there are hopeful signs"

" And if you do?" Harry asked quickly, " Can I come with you and help get rid of it?"

" You both can" Dumbledore said

" But will my dad allow me to?" Brenda asked

" Oh I'm sure he would" Dumbledore said, " Brenda you and Harry both have earned the right and he should know that"

Harry and Brenda grinned at the thought of helping Dumbledore help destroy Voldemort

" We can destroy Voldemort once and for all, we just have to find those Horcruxes" Brenda said, " Can you believe it Harry?"

" You two must never forget even though Voldemort's soul is damaged beyond repair, he is still very powerful and it will take uncommon skill and power to kill a wizard like Voldemort even without the Horcruxes" Dumbledore said

The Potters looked scared, " But we don't have uncommon skills and powers"

" Yes you do, you have a power that Voldemort has never had" Dumbledore said, " You two can"

" We know, we can love" The Potters said

" Yes you can love" Dumbledore said

" Big deal" Harry said

" Love is a very big deal, especially for you two, with everything that has happened to you two in your lives, you two have seen things that most grown adults have never seen or faced... it's a remarkable thing. You are still too young to understand how unusual you two are" Dumbledore said

" So the Prophecy says that the power the dark lord knows not is love?" Brenda asked

" Yes" Dumbledore said, " But don't let that discourage you two, Voldemort chose you two has his equals, he believes you two are the most dangerous to him"

" Yah we're the most dangerous, we have to face the Greatest evil of this time and we only have love to back us up" Brenda said, " Oh we're so dangerous" She said sarcastically

" I think you've been around Professor Snape too long" Dumbledore said

" Sorry" Brenda said with a blush

" You two are protected, in short, by your ability to love" Dumbledore said loudly, " The only protection that can possibly work against the lure of power like Voldemort's, In spite of all the temptation you have endured, all the suffering, you remain pure of heart, just as pure as you two were at the age of eleven, when you stared into the mirror that reflected your heart's desire, and it showed you only the way to thwart Lord Voldemort, and not immortality or riches. Voldemort should have known then what he was dealing with, but he did not... but he knows it now"

" We still have to try to kill him" Brenda said

" Well of course you got to, but not because of the prophecy, because you two will never rest until you've tried, we all know it" Dumbledore said, " Imagine for a moment that you never heard about the prophecy, how would you feel about Voldemort now? Would you let him live because you never heard of the prophecy and you would think that it's not your responsibility, or would you try to kill him because of what he did to your parents?"

Harry and Brenda looked at each other, " We'd try to kill him"

" Of course you would, you see, the prophecy does not mean you have to do anything but the prophecy caused Lord Voldemort to mark you both has his equal... you two are free to choose your own way, you can turn your back on the prophecy. He will continue to try to kill you there's no doubt about that, but you do have a choice" Dumbledore said

Harry and Brenda looked at each other and nodded

" Prophecy or not, we would want to kill him, and we are going to do our best to fulfill that goal" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

Dumbledore nodded, " Well it is very late, I think it's time for you two to get to bed"

" Good night professor" Harry and Brenda said at the same time and left the office with a lot on their minds


	8. Chapter 8

Harry and Brenda told Ron and Hermione about their night last night, they told them during Charms class by casting Muffliato at students nearest to them. They were very surprised when they found out that Harry and Brenda were going to help destroy the Horcruxes

After Harry and Brenda told how their night turned out Ron announced that he and Lavender split up

" You're not angry that it's over are you?" Brenda asked

" No" Ron said, " It was pretty bad while she was yelling, but at least I didn't have to finish it"

After they talked they got to work on turning vinegar into wine

" You'd think this would be a Transfiguration assignment" Brenda said after she perfected it along with Hermione

After Charms they had a free period and Harry was having an inner battle with himself that Brenda was unlucky to hear, they were on their way up to the Gryffindor Tower

" Oh for Merlin sakes Harry just ask her out already" Brenda thought

" Will you stop reading my mind?" Harry thought

" Well I couldn't help but over hear" Brenda thought sarcastically, " Just ask her out, Ron wouldn't mind, you're his best friend, he knows that you'll treat her right, plus... Ginny's been crushing on you for a while now, she's been giving you looks and has been hanging out with Dean to make you jealous"

" How do you know?" Harry thought

" I'm a girl, I know these things" Brenda thought, " I was hoping that you'd figure that out all by yourself"

" Does Hermione know?" Harry thought

" Of course, but she had her own problems with Ron and Lavender" Brenda thought

They finally made it into the tower and saw a group of seventh years clustered together

" What's going on?" Ron asked

" Katie! you're back, are you ok?" Hermione asked

The four went over to her

" I'm fine, they let me out on Monday and I spent a few days at home with my family" Katie said, " Leanne was just telling me about McLaggen and the last match"

" Yah, well, now you're back and Ron's fit, we'll have a decent chance of thrashing Ravenclaw, which means we could still be in the running for the Cup. Listen Katie... That necklace, can you remember who gave it to you?" Harry asked

Katie looked down and shook her head no, " The last thing I remember was walking into the ladies' room in the Three Broomsticks"

" So you definitely went into the bathroom then?" Hermione asked

" Well I know I pushed the door open" Katie said, " So I suppose whoever Imperiused me was standing just behind it. After that, my memory 's a blank until just about two weeks ago in St. Mungo's... well I got to go, I need to see McGonagall about my homework"

All the Seventh years followed her since they had class to get to

" So, whoever Imperiused Katie had to be a girl" Ron said

" Or somebody who looked like a girl, we made Polyjuice potion in our second year, somebody else could have made it just as easily as we did" Brenda said

" I think I'm going to have another go at the Room of Requirement, but this time with Felix" Harry said

" Harry no, that would be a waste of potion, and with you and Brenda helping out Dumbledore, you'll need all the help you can get" Hermione said

" Couldn't we make some more?" Ron asked, " It'd be great to have a stock of it... Have a look in the book"

" We can't make it" Brenda said before Harry could open the book

" Why not?" Ron asked

" Because it takes six months to make and one little mistake can get you in trouble... I looked at it a few years ago thinking it would be great, but then I read how complicated it is and one little mistake can be fatal" Brenda said

" When were you going to make this?" Ron asked

" During the summer" Brenda said

" Snape lets you in his potions lab?" Ron asked

" Of course not, I swear I told you about my secret potions lab, Snape doesn't even know about it" Brenda said with a grin

" Brenda don't you think there's a good reason why Snape won't let you in his potions lab?" Hermione asked

" Dangerous potions maybe, maybe he's afraid I'll blow something up" Brenda said

" Exactly, and yet you're creating potions behind his back" Hermione said

" And I've been doing it since third year and nothings happened" Brenda said, " Nor will anything happen"

" Just be careful" Hermione said, " There must be a reason to Snape's actions"

Brenda nodded

During the following week Harry told Dean that he was done since Katie was back and the first practice since Katie was back was terrific, everybody was flying really well

Harry kept arguing with himself over Ginny, he really liked her but he didn't want his and Ron's friendship to end, Harry kept thinking to Brenda about it and Brenda kept telling Harry to ask her out already

April turned into May and it was getting closer to the Quidditch match and people were getting anxious

The twins still searched the map to see what Malfoy was up to and half the time they couldn't find him

One night on the way to dinner, Harry and Brenda were running a bit late because they were checking their maps for Malfoy, they couldn't find him so they assumed he was in the Room of Requirement but then Harry found Malfoy's dot

" He's in the Boys' bathroom with Moaning Myrtle" Harry said

" What's Moaning Myrtle doing in the Boys' bathroom?" Brenda asked

Harry shrugged

" Let's go check it out" Brenda suggested

Harry nodded and they headed towards the Boys' bathroom quietly

The door was closed and Harry leaned his ear on the door but couldn't hear anything

Harry silently pushed the door open

Draco Malfoy was standing with his back to the door, his hands clutching either side of the sink, his head was bowed

" Don't" Myrtle said from one of the cubicles, " Tell me what's wrong... I can help you"

" No one can help me" Malfoy said, His whole body was shaking, " I can't do it... I can't... It won't work... and unless I do it soon... he says he'll kill me"

To the Potters' horror Malfoy was crying, tears were streaming down his pale face into the sink. Malfoy gasped and gulped for air and looked up into the mirror and saw his two archenemies Harry and Brenda Potter with shock written all over their faces

Malfoy glared and turned around taking his wand out

Harry and Brenda saw this and did the same

Malfoy threw the first hex and it looked like he knew the Duplico spell as well since his wand shot out two of the same hexes at the same time

The hexes missed the Potters by inches only because they moved out of the way

" Levicorpus" Harry thought and flicked his wand, but Malfoy blocked the jinx and raised his wand for another round

" NO NO STOP IT" Moaning Myrtle squealed, " Stop STOP"

Moaning Myrtle broke a mirror with her screams and the leg-locker jinx that Brenda shot backfired off the wall behind Malfoy's ear and smashed into a sink and dented it

Malfoy looked enraged by this point, " Cruci"

Malfoy didn't finish as Harry and Brenda shouted their curses at the same time

" EXPELLIARMUS" Brenda shouted and Malfoy's wand shot out of his hand

" SECTUMSEMPRA" Harry yelled

All of a sudden blood spurted from Malfoy's face and chest. It was like he was slashed with an invisible sword. Malfoy staggered backwards and collapsed onto the floor which was wet with water and now blood

" No" The Potters gasped then ran to Malfoy to see if they could heal him, Brenda sat down in the water and blood, she didn't care at this point and lifted Malfoy's head up and put it in her lap, she figured it was better if he was elevated, it would help him breathe easier

" No... I didn't mean... No" Harry couldn't come up with the words

Malfoy was shaking uncontrollably in a pool of his own blood

" MURDER IN THE BATHROOM! MURDER IN THE BATHROOM!" Moaning Myrtle screamed

Five seconds later Snape barged into the bathroom and when he saw the scene his face turned paler then usual and he was angry... he looked furious

He pushed Harry out of the way, knelt over Malfoy, drew his wand, and traced it over the deep wounds the curse made, muttering an incantation that sounded like a song

" What is he saying?" Harry thought

" I don't know, it sounds like a song but I can't make out the words" Brenda thought back still holding Malfoy's head up

The spell was making the flow of Malfoy's blood ease up and his wounds looked like they were being stitched back together

The Potters were still horrified at what happened and Moaning Myrtle was doing more than moaning, she was sobbing

Snape had to say the spell three times before he was satisfied. After he was done with the counter curse, he lifted Malfoy and had him stand up

" You need the hospital wing. There may be a certain amount of scarring, but if you take dittany immediately we might avoid even that... come, I'll get you a blood replenishing potion as well" Snape said

Snape supported Malfoy across the bathroom and turned at the door and said in an angry voice, " You Potters... you wait here for me"

" He sounded angrier then when I apparated to Surrey and cast the Patronus" Brenda thought standing up but it sounded like a squeak to Harry

They looked down at the floor, there were blood stains floating over the water on the floor

The Potters were silent for ten minutes, the only sound was of Myrtle's wailing

The Potters were staring at the bloody floor when Snape came back into the bathroom

Snape looked at Moaning Myrtle and told her to get out which she did

" We didn't mean for that to happen" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

" SILENCE" Snape roared, " I am sick of you two saying the same thing at the same time, one at a time, if you must talk"

" We didn't know what that spell did" Harry said

Snape ignored Harry's explanation, " Apparently I underestimated you two... who would have thought that the famous Potters knew such Dark Magic? Who taught you that spell?"

" We... read it somewhere" Brenda said, " It... it was a library book"

Snape glared at Brenda

" I can't remember what it's called" Brenda said lamely

" Liar" Snape spat then turned to Harry

" Uh-oh... block your mind Harry, block your mind" Brenda thought

Harry knew what was going on and he tried to block his mind but it didn't work, the Advanced Potion Making book was at the forefront of his mind

" Bring me your schoolbag," Snape said to Harry, " And all of your schoolbooks. All of them. Bring them to me here. NOW!"

Harry and Brenda were about to leave

" Ms. Potter you stay here" Snape said harshly which made Brenda cringe

Harry stopped and looked at Brenda

" Just go" Brenda thought

" Brenda" Harry thought

" Go" Brenda thought, " I'll be fine"

Harry nodded slightly and left

Brenda turned to face her dad but she still didn't like the look on his face which was still angry

Snape drew out his wand and cast a scourgify on Brenda so the blood and water was gone from her robes

" Um... thank you" Brenda whispered

Snape nodded slightly

There was an awkward silence in the bathroom, mostly because Brenda was in the Boys' bathroom and her dad was furious at her and her brother and she was alone with said dad

Finally Severus broke the silence

" Did you cast the spell?" Severus asked

Brenda didn't say anything

" I already know the answer Brenda, I want you to admit it" Severus said

" No... sir" Brenda whispered

" What was the last thing you cast?" Severus asked

" Expelliarmus" Brenda whispered

Severus nodded, " So, not only was it two against one... but also he was defenseless when your brother cursed him" Severus was getting angrier by the second

" He was using Duplico, that's a spell Voldemort" Brenda started

" WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT SAYING HIS NAME?" Severus roared

" I'm sorry, but... that's the spell... you know who created" Brenda said

" That doesn't mean the spell is evil nor is Draco" Severus said, " You know better than to have duels outside of class Brenda Lilian Potter, this was the reason. If I didn't get here when I did, Draco could have died, would you want that on your conscience?"

" No" Brenda said

" Do you realize you and Harry both could have gone to Azkaban?" Severus asked

Brenda gasped

" I'm sorry, we didn't know what that spell did" Brenda was in tears now

" It wouldn't matter, another rule you should know by now. You never say a spell you don't know" Severus spat

" Yes sir" Brenda whispered

Finally before Severus could say anything else Harry finally came back with his book bag and saw tears running down Brenda's cheeks

" What happened?" Harry asked glaring at Snape

" Nothing" Brenda whispered

" Did you get all of your books?" Snape asked

Harry nodded

" Hand it over" Snape said and Harry did

Snape went through Harry's book bag, one book at a time going through them then stopped at the Advanced Potion Making

" Harry" Brenda thought

" Calm down" Harry thought

" This is your copy of Advanced Potion Making is it Mr. Potter?" Snape asked

" Yes" Harry said breathing hard

" You're quite sure of that are you Mr. Potter?" Snape asked

" Yes" Harry said more defiantly"

" Harry" Brenda thought as a warning

" This is the copy of Advanced Potion Making that you purchased from Flourish and Blotts?" Snape asked

" Yes" Harry said firmly

Snape nodded, " Then why does it have the name Roonil Wazlib inside the front cover?"

" Harry" Brenda thought

" That's my nickname" Harry said

" Your nickname" Snape said

" Yah" Harry said

" Hmm, how come I never heard Brenda call you that?" Snape asked

" Because I think it's stupid" Brenda said

Snape looked both at Brenda then at Harry then back at the book

" You two are liars, and Mr. Potter you're a cheat, I do not believe this is your book... Roonil Wazlib? Do not insult my intelligence" Snape said, " You two are going to serve detention with me every Saturday until the end of term... the first one, at 10:00, my office"

" But sir" Brenda said desperately, " Quidditch... the last match"

" 10:00" Snape said then smiled, " Poor Gryffindor... fourth place this year, I fear"

The Potters were shocked

" Brenda I suggest you pack all your things, you're grounded until the end of term... starting tonight" Snape said, " Maybe you two being separated might do this school some good" And walked out

Brenda let out a defeated sigh five minutes later

" You going down to dinner?" Brenda whispered

" No, lost my appetite" Harry whispered

" Yah, me too" Brenda whispered, " Well I guess I'll start packing"

They headed up upstairs towards the Gryffindor Tower and Brenda headed up to the Girl's dorms to start packing all of her things

" What would happen if you don't go down there?" Harry asked

" Harry you forget, teachers who have been at this school for five years or longer can get in to all houses... you think of the consequences" Brenda said shrinking her trunk and putting it in her pocket

" I just think it's unfair that you have to be grounded, you didn't even cast the curse" Harry said

" No, I just disarmed him before the curse was cast" Brenda said and sighed, " I got to go"

" Should we think to each other?" Harry asked

" I... I don't think so, that'll just anger him more... I'll see you in class" Brenda said

Harry sighed and nodded

Brenda headed out of the Girls' Dorm and down to the Common Room where Ron, Hermione and Ginny were talking

" Hey how come you two weren't at dinner?" Ron asked spotting Brenda

" Not hungry" Brenda said defeated

" Brenda what's wrong?" Hermione asked

Before Brenda could answer, Harry came down and told Ron and Hermione what happened

" Well I'm not going to say I told you so" Hermione said

" Leave it Hermione" Ron said angrily

" I better get down to the apartment before he gets... angrier" Brenda said

" But for the rest of the term?" Ron asked, " He cannot do that"

" Well he did" Brenda said, " Let it go"

" No, we have to talk to McGonagall about this, she'll set Snape straight" Ron said

A minute later McGonagall came in the Common Room

" Potters I need to speak with you" McGonagall said sternly

Ron smiled, " See what did I tell you? Probably to tell you that you can still play Quidditch"

Harry and Brenda followed McGonagall out of the Common Room and they got an earful and told them that they were lucky they weren't expelled and that detention every Saturday until the end of term is a fair punishment and so is Brenda being grounded

" I liked Ron's theory better" Brenda thought

" Yah, me too" Harry thought

" Ok, Mr. Potter return back to the Common Room, Ms. Potter you know where you need to be" McGonagall said

" Yes Professor" Harry and Brenda said together

" But we have to arrange our Quidditch players" Harry said

McGonagall nodded and left

The Potters headed back inside

" Ginny I need you to be the Seeker for this match, and we'll need Dean to play Chaser, then we need one more Chaser" Harry said

" Um... the next best chaser we had was Demelza Robins" Brenda said, " When she comes, tell her she's going to play chaser... I got to go"

Harry nodded and the four friends hugged then Brenda left and headed down to the apartment

" Ooh Severus is not in a good mood Brenda" Grandfather Severus said

" Tell me something I don't know... Lily Pad" Brenda said gloomy

Grandfather Severus opened and Brenda entered the apartment and looked around

" Where's dad?" Brenda asked

" He's making sure Draco Malfoy is ok, you and your brother sure did a number on him" Grandfather Severus said, " Severus told me to tell you to get in your room and stay there and that he'll deal with you later"

Brenda cringed at that

" So how long is it for this time?" Grandfather Severus asked

" Till the end of term, and probably the summer as well" Brenda said heading towards her bedroom

Brenda was doing her homework when Severus entered her bedroom

" I need to see all of your books and notebooks" Severus said

" Hello to you too" Brenda thought to herself but went to her trunk where her book bag was at and gave it to Severus, then gave Severus her other books she was using to do her homework with

Severus was quiet as he went through Brenda's books

After he went through her school things, he started going through her recreational books

" What exactly are you looking for?" Brenda asked after a half hour, she wanted to get back to her homework

" Any more dark spells you learned" Severus said flipping through a book

" Well I don't write in my books, I write in notebooks" Brenda said

" I'm also making sure you don't have any spell books with dangerous spells in them" Severus said

" Well then you should do this to your own house as well because we were only defending ourselves from the cruciatus curse Malfoy was about to cast" Brenda said

" Yet he is the one in the hospital wing and you're the one with not a scratch on you" Severus said putting another book down

" You do realize this is going to take you all night to go through every single one of my books right?" Brenda asked

" I'll get done faster if you be quiet" Severus said

" Well then can I have my school books back? If you haven't noticed I was doing my homework before you came into my room without knocking" Brenda said

" You shouldn't be talking to me that way young lady, you're already on very thin ice, so thin that it's almost to the point of breaking" Severus said

" And if the ice breaks? What will happen?" Brenda asked challengingly

Severus was quiet for a moment and went back to looking through the books, " Put it this way... you won't be sitting comfortably for a month"

Brenda was quiet with a glare that made Severus smirk

" Can I please have my school books back?" Brenda asked still glaring

" Stop glaring at me and ask nicely then maybe I'll give you your school books back" Severus said not taking his eyes off the book he was looking through

Brenda did not stop glaring, she took her wand out and packed her school things up into her now empty backback and walked out of her room and apartment

" BRENDA LILIAN POTTER GET BACK HERE" Severus yelled before Brenda opened the apartment door

" You are being a git, so I'll do my homework somewhere else and I'll leave you to your project in peace, but you won't find a thing" Brenda snapped with a glare and walked out and headed up towards the Astronomy Tower

Severus was angry but he decided to worry about her later, he still had to finish looking at the books which was easier without Brenda there

Brenda came back to the apartment a minute before curfew

" Cutting it a little close aren't you?" Grandfather Severus asked

Brenda shrugged and said the password then walked inside and went straight to her room, thankfully Severus was out of there and all of her books were right where she had them

" Grandfather Severus, where's Dad at?" Brenda asked

" He's in his potions lab" Grandfather Severus said

" Let me guess, he's not going to let me help" Brenda said with a sigh

" Got it right on the nose" Grandfather Severus said

Brenda rolled her eyes, " He's being a git, I hope he knows that"

" He's been called worse and git doesn't affect him" Grandfather Severus said

" But call me Snivillus like your father and Godfather did then you're going to be in big trouble young lady, not that you're not in trouble now, but you'll be in more trouble" Severus said coming in Brenda's room uninvited again and he crossed his arms and glared down at her

Brenda glared right back at him and crossed her arms as well, " I am not apologizing for calling you a git, because you were being one"

" You need to work on your listening skills young lady" Severus said

" And you need to work on your people skills" Brenda said

" I am tired of you not listening to me and respecting me, I am your guardian and you will respect me" Severus yelled

" You think I don't respect you?" Brenda asked shocked, " I always listen to you, I follow that stupid schedule every summer and down here, I pretend that we're not a family every day and tolerate your snarkiness to the Gryffindors, I came down here every single time you told me too when I was grounded and not and I dodged the Slytherins every day, I stand up for you in the Gryffindor Common room because I know the real you, I turned down Sirius's offer to live with him so I could stay with you in my third year, don't you dare say that I don't respect you" Brenda was in tears now and Severus looked shocked

They were silent for a few minutes until Severus cleared his throat

" You should get to bed... it's past ten already" Severus said

Brenda nodded and accioed her pajamas to her silently and headed towards the bathroom to change

When she came back out the covers were drawn and Severus was sitting on the end of the bed

Brenda looked at her dad wearily, she didn't want to be spanked

" I checked all your books and there are no dark spells in them" Severus said

Brenda nodded

" Do you want to tell me where Harry found that spell?" Severus asked

" I have a feeling you know where he found it" Brenda said crossing her arms

Severus was silent for a moment, " That I do, and it is irresponsible for him to keep that book, and it was irresponsible for you to lie to me about it"

Brenda nodded with silent tears coming down her face

" Sorry" Brenda whispered

" I'm sure you are, but all actions have consequences, even if those actions was a mistake" Severus said

" Are you going to spank me?" Brenda asked

" No... you didn't cast that spell, you just knew the spell and disarmed Draco, so you're just grounded, you know the rules... but this time you're going to help me in the potions lab... and before you smile, it is not going to be fun for you" Severus said

Brenda's half smile turned back into a frown

" I have to make a bunch of potions for the Hospital Wing and you are going to clean the cauldrons when I'm done making the potions" Severus said

Brenda silently groaned and thought to herself, " Two detentions with the same person, one with the teacher side and one with the dad side"

" You will be cleaning the cauldron's twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'll be making the potions Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays" Severus said

Brenda nodded

" Good, now lets get you to bed" Severus said and he stood up and Brenda headed towards the bed and got in it

" Is Malfoy going to be ok?" Brenda asked

Severus was silent for a minute, " He'll be fine, once he gets lots and lots of rest"

" It was an honest mistake" Brenda said

" Yes I know, but it could have been avoided" Severus said

Brenda nodded in understanding

" Get some sleep" Severus said finishing tucking her in and turning out the light

" Good night dad" Brenda said

" Good night Brenda" Severus said

The next day everybody knew what the Potters did

" I guess Moaning Myrtle isn't just a moaner, but a gossiper as well" Brenda said during breakfast

" She's not the only one, Snape is telling all the staff" Harry said

" I thought they already knew that, McGonagall knew last night" Brenda said

" She had to know last night, she's out head of house" Harry said

" Good point" Brenda said

" Well I told you that you shouldn't be using that book because there is something wrong about that Prince person" Hermione said, " And I was right"

" Ok, Hermione, you were right, just drop it all ready" Brenda said

" I don't think you are right" Harry said

" Harry, that spell was in that book" Brenda said

" How can you still stick up for that book with that spell?" Hermione asked

" Stop putting the book down will ya?" Harry asked, " The Prince only copied the spell out, it's not like he was telling somebody to use it... for all we know, he was writing it down because it was used on him once upon a time"

" Snape knows about the book Harry" Brenda whispered

" I kind of figured as much, but what can he do about it? He isn't the Potions professor anymore" Harry said

" He could tell Slughorn" Brenda said

" Well let me worry about that when or if that time comes ok?" Harry asked snippy

Brenda glared at her brother, " Fine, have it your way then" Then she walked away from the table and headed towards the first class

When the other three arrived to class, it looked like Harry and Hermione weren't talking either, and they continued to ignore each other for the rest of the day and night

The Golden four were ignoring each other for the rest of the week, Harry and Brenda were being taunted by the Slytherins mostly because of Quidditch, and they were angry at the Potters for what they did to Malfoy

Harry and Brenda booked practice every night to ready their two newbies and they were very good, Brenda had to beg her dad to actually let her go help prepare the chasers and she only could if she did lines on Saturday as well

" It's just a good thing we don't have McLaggen" Brenda thought to herself

That was the only time Harry and Brenda talked, the rest of the time, they ignored each other because of Harry snapping about the book

Finally it was the big day and everybody but the two Potters were looking forward to it, they were the only ones who did not dress up in Gryffindor colors and the only ones who were not going to have fun that day, they were going to serve detention with the bat of the dungeons

Harry and Brenda wished their team good luck before the Gryffindor team had to be on the Quidditch Pitch then they headed towards Snape's office

Brenda knocked on the door

" Enter" Snape said

Harry and Brenda entered and saw many many dusty looking boxes

" Mr. Filch has been looking for someone to clear out these old files" Snape said, " They are the records of other Hogwarts wrongdoers and their punishments, your detention will consist of copying out the crimes and punishments afresh, make sure they are in alphabetical order, replace them in the boxes and you will do this without magic"

" Yes sir" Harry and Brenda said gloomy

" You should start on boxes 1,012 through 1,056... you two might find some familiar names in there, which might make the day go faster for you... or slower whichever way you see it" Snape said, " Oh, and no thinking to each other and no talking to one another either"

Harry and Brenda sighed and got to work

The boxes that they were to do were mostly of James Potter and Sirius Black's punishments

Both Harry and Brenda were getting angry but they copied each and every punishment their father and godfather got

They were told to stop at 12:30

" Mark the place where you're at and you will continue next weekend" Snape said, " Brenda it's time for you to get back to your room"

" Can't I come back later?" Brenda asked

" You have lines to do young lady" Snape reminded her

" I'll do... more lines if I can find out how Gryffindor did and maybe stay after if we won?" Brenda asked

Snape glared, " Be back at 7:00"

Brenda smiled, " Thank you"

Harry and Brenda left Snape's office and headed up to Gryffindor tower, they couldn't hear any cheering or anything out in the corridors so they figured the game was over

Harry said the password and they looked on the Fat Lady's face but her face was blank

" You'll see what happened" The Fat Lady said and opened up and the common room was loud with celebration

" WE WON!" Ron yelled when he saw them, " WE WON... 450 to 140! WE WON"

Brenda started screaming with excitement and jumping up and down with Ron and Ginny was coming towards them

When Ginny got close enough, Harry did a random thing, he took her in his arms and kissed her, the common room got quiet

It was about a minute before they broke apart and he saw that everybody was in awe

Hermione was beaming along with all the other girls

" Told you girls know these things" Brenda thought then said, " It's about time"

Harry looked at Brenda then at Ron

Ron sighed and sounded put out, " Well if you must"

Harry smiled his thank you then looked at Ginny who was smiling big like she's been waiting for five years for that, which she has

Harry indicated for he and Ginny to leave the common room and she agreed

" So Ron, how long did you see that coming?" Brenda asked

" You kidding? Ginny's always had a crush on him, I guess my little sister's growing up" Ron said

" Well she is only a year younger than you" Brenda said

" Yah, it's just scary you know?" Ron asked

" Yah, especially when they get married and then Fred and I get married, think about how weird that would be" Brenda said with a goofy grin

" Hey, don't talk about marriage already, I'm barely ready for Ginny to date Harry" Ron said"

Brenda laughed and the party started up again

That night Brenda was back at the apartment at 7:00

" So how was the party?" Severus asked from his chair with a book in his hands

" It was fun" Brenda said with a smile on her face as she got parchment out for lines then sat at Severus's desk

" Anything interesting happen?" Severus asked

" Like what?" Brenda asked

" I don't know, you won't stop smiling, so something must have happened" Severus said

Brenda kept on smiling, " Harry and Ginny are together"

" Another Potter with another Weasley... That's going to be strange if you two couples get married" Severus said with a smirk

" Yah I know, Ron didn't want to talk about that, he surprisingly took it well" Brenda said writing her fifth line, " How many of these things do I need to do?"

" Forty, twenty for going to the practices and twenty for going to the party" Severus said not looking up from his book

Brenda nodded and finished in a half hour

" Can we play a game of chess?" Brenda asked when Severus was done looking over the lines

" Yes, go get your pajamas on, because it'll be past ten when we're done" Severus said

Brenda nodded and did as she was told

Severus got out the chess set and set it up and waited for his daughter to return

They played four games of chess in two and a half hours, Severus won three games and Brenda won one game

" Well at least I can beat Ron" Brenda said

Severus smirked, " Now you're next goal is to beat me" Severus looked at the clock, " But not tonight"

Brenda nodded and headed towards her room to be tucked in, she still thought it was childish but she kind of liked it since she didn't have that when she was little

" So how's Malfoy doing?" Brenda asked

Severus sighed, "Draco is doing all right, he'll be back in classes on Monday, and thankfully there is no scarring"

Brenda nodded, " That's good"

The next day it was all over the school that Harry Potter was going out with Ginny Weasley, they were also talking about how it's funny that both the Potters were dating Weasleys

" So how was your talk with Ginny?" Brenda asked while heading towards class

" It was nice, I told her how I've been having feelings for her for a while now and she told me how she never stopped crushing on me" Harry said

" Do I have your permission to write to Fred about that?" Brenda asked, " I'm writing him today"

" You guys write back and fourth to each other a lot" Ron said

" Well I have to, he isn't here and he's my boyfriend, duh" Brenda said

" Doesn't Angel get tired of flying back and forth practically every day?" Ron asked

" She rests a lot" Brenda said, " We use her every other time, we switch off with her and either a school owl or an owl in Diagon Alley"

" Yah but writing every other day?" Ron asked, " What could you two possibly talk about?"

Brenda just smiled without saying anything as they sat down for class

" Women, I don't understand them" Ron said to Harry

" I can literally get inside Brenda's head and I still don't understand her" Harry said

Two days later not only did Brenda get a letter from Fred, but Harry got one from both Fred and George saying that he better be good to their little sister or they're coming after him with all of their products

Harry looked worried at that

" Don't worry Harry, I know you'll be good to Ginny, you're always good to Ginny just be yourself" Brenda said

" Yah Mate, just... don't snog with her so much like Fred and Brenda do" Ron said teasingly then got serious, " Seriously"

Harry laughed

A few weeks went by and they were still working on those punishments for detention, They finally got out of the punishments that their father and godfather had gotten, there were quite a few

Harry had yet to retrieve the Prince's potion book and Harry's grade in Potions was suffering for it, Slughorn blamed it on Harry being lovesick, but Snape was no fool and was on the look out for it and was asking Brenda if she knew what Harry did with it, but Brenda did not know what Harry did with it because he wouldn't tell her for that reason

One Saturday after detention, Snape gave Brenda the afternoon off from being grounded, because she was being very good with her punishment

" I want you back by 7:00 though" Severus said

" Yes sir" Brenda said with a smile, she couldn't believe it, an afternoon with her friends, on a Saturday no less, she felt like she died and gone to heaven, that's how wonderful she felt

The Potters headed towards Gryffindor Tower and Hermione started talking about the Prince again

" I want to talk to you two... mostly you Harry" Hermione said

" What about?" Harry asked

" The so called Half blood Prince" Hermione said

" Not this again, why can't you just drop it?" Harry asked

" I'm not dropping it" Hermione said firmly, " Not until you have heard what I have to say... or in this case show... the half blood prince, is not a prince at all... well as in a title... but as in a name then yes"

" What do you mean?" Harry asked

" This" Hermione said and she slammed down an old looking picture, " Eileen Prince, Captain of the Hogwarts Gobstones Team"

The picture was of a skinny fifteen year old looking girl who didn't look pretty at all but cross kind of like a mixture of Petunia Dursley and Severus Snape on a bad day

" You think she's the half blood Prince?" Harry asked not believing it

" Why not?" Hermione asked, her father could have been a wizard and could have had the last name of Prince and her mother could have been muggle, and that would make her a half blood and her last name would be Prince, therefore the Half blood Prince"

" It's not her" Harry said

" How do you know?" Hermione asked

" Because the handwriting, it doesn't look like a girl's handwriting" Harry said

" You can never tell by handwriting Harry" Brenda said

" Sure you can" Harry said

Brenda lifted an eyebrow then took out a piece of parchment and wrote Gryffindor on it, " Ok now you write Gryffindor"

Harry took the quill and wrote Gryffindor, they were exactly the same

" So? We're twins" Harry said

" Harry, you're a boy and I'm a girl and you basically said that boys and girls have different styles of handwriting, being twins has nothing to do with it" Brenda said nice and slowly

Harry glared at his sister but that only made her laugh harder

" You really have been hanging around Snape too long" Harry whispered

Brenda rolled her eyes

" So where did you get this picture anyway?" Harry asked

" The library" Hermione said

" They have a whole collection of old Prophets, it's pretty interesting" Brenda said

" Well I'm going to go back there and see if I can find any more information on Eileen Prince" Hermione said, " Brenda want to join me?"

" Hmm, tempting but not this time, I am dying to go flying" Brenda said

" What exactly are you looking for?" Harry asked

" I'm looking for old potions records" Hermione said leaving Gryffindor Tower

" I doubt it's her" Harry said

Brenda sighed, " Harry, you don't know that, for all we know, it could be, Eileen is the only Prince we found"

" Let's stop talking about it and go flying" Harry said

Brenda smiled and nodded

Before they could get their brooms though, third year Jimmy Peakes came up to the Potters and gave them a scroll of parchment

" Thanks Jimmy" Brenda said smiling

Jimmy smiled and left

" It's from Dumbledore" Harry said opening up the parchment

" You don't think he found another..." Ron started

" Well we should go and see shouldn't we?" Brenda said with a smile

" What about flying?" Ron asked

" Ron what's more important?" Harry asked

" Destroying Vold... you know who" Ron said

Brenda nodded

" All right, but later all right if it's not..." Ron started

Brenda nodded and the two left heading towards Dumbledore's office but they bumped into Trelawny

" Oh so sorry dears, I was just on my way back from seeing Dumbledore, apparently I was kicked out of... a room" Trelawny said

" Room of Requirement?" Harry asked

" How do you know of that?" Trelawny asked

" Some of us students know about that, who kicked you out?" Brenda asked

" I don't know, but whoever it was, he sounded happy, like he was celebrating" Trelawny said

" How do you know it was a he?" Brenda asked

" The voice was deeper than a girls can get" Trelawny said, " Dumbledore said not to worry about it... of all my years at Hogwarts, nobody has kicked me out of that room"

" How long have you been teaching?" Brenda asked

" Hmm, about seventeen years it has been" Trelawny said, " I can still remember my interview... I was in Hogshead which I do not advice... anyway Dumbledore questioned me... he seemed ill-disposed toward Divination... and I remember I was starting to feel a little odd, I had not eaten much that day since I had low funds... but then"

" But then she had her vision" Brenda thought

" But then we were rudely interrupted by Severus Snape" Trelawny finished

" What?" Brenda and Harry gasped

" Yes, there was a commotion outside the door and it flew open, and there was that barman standing with Snape, who was saying that he came the wrong way up the stairs, I think he was lying and he was evesdropping for some pointers since he was also trying to get a job at Hogwarts" Trelawny said

Harry and Brenda's faces were white with shock

" It... it can't be" Brenda thought

" It was" Harry thought, " It was Snape who overheard the prophecy and carried the news of the prophecy to Voldemort. Snape and Pettigrew together sent Voldemort hunting after our parents and us"

" No" Brenda thought but she knew it was Snape

" Professor we got to be going now" Harry said

" Oh... all right dears" Trelawny said

Harry and Brenda ran up towards Dumbledore's office and ran up the spiraling staircase three steps at a time and knocked

" Enter" Dumbledore said in a calm voice

Harry and Brenda barged in and saw that Dumbledore had a traveling cloak in his arms

" Well I promised you could come with me" Dumbledore said

" What?" Harry asked

" If you wish of course" Dumbledore said

" If... you've found one?" Brenda asked, " You found a Horcrux?"

" I believe so" Dumbledore said with a smile

" So which one is it?" Harry asked

" I am not sure, but we can rule out the snake" Dumbledore said, " I believe it to be hidden in a cave on the coast many miles from here, I have been trying to locate it for a very long time"

" The cave that Tom Riddle went to when he was a boy? The one where he terrorized those children?" Brenda asked

" Yes" Dumbledore said, " I'm not saying there is anything there, I just have my suspicions"

The twins nodded

" I must warn you though, this journey may be very dangerous" Dumbledore said

Harry and Brenda rose their eyebrows and smirked at Dumbledore

" More dangerous then getting the sorcerers stone, facing a basilisk, facing dementors, the triwizard tournament, and going to the ministry" Dumbledore said

" We're coming" Harry and Brenda said at the same time and they both had anger on their face because of what Trelawny said

" I freaking lived with the guy since the summer of first year" Brenda thought to herself seething

" What's happened" Dumbledore asked seeing the anger on the twins' faces

" Nothing" The Potters said

" Then what's upset you two?" Dumbledore asked

" We're not upset" Brenda said

" I think that's a lie" Dumbledore said

" FINE" Brenda yelled, " Snape"

" Brenda you shouldn't be angry at Professor Snape because you're grounded" Dumbledore said

" That's not the reason why we're angry" Brenda said

" We're angry becuase Snape was the one who told Voldemort about the prophecy, it was him, he listened outside the door, Trelawny told us" Harry said

It looked like Dumbledore's face got a bit paler, " When did you find out about this?"

" Just now" Brenda said trying not to yell

" AND YOU LET HIM TEACH HERE AND HE WAS THE ONE WHO TOLD VOLDEMORT TO GO AFTER OUR PARENTS AND US" Harry yelled

" AND YOU'RE THE ONE WHO LET HIM FREAKING ADOPT ME. I WAS LIVING WITH THE GUY WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR PARENTS MURDER" Brenda yelled

" I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU LET MY SISTER LIVE WITH A DEATH EATER" Harry yelled

The decorations Dumbledore had in his office began to shake, it took all of the Potters' willpower to not release all of that rage and shoot off uncontrollable magic

" Please listen to me" Dumbledore said quietly after he did some thinking, he didn't want to set off the twin Potters

Harry and Brenda glared at the Headmaster

" Professor Snape made a terrible" Dumbledore started

" Don't you dare call that a terrible mistake sir, he was listening at the door" Brenda spat still glaring

" Please let me finish" Dumbledore said

" Fine" Brenda spat

Dumbledore sighed then went on, " Professor Snape made a terrible mistake... he was still in Lord Voldemort's employ on the night he heard the first half of the prophecy. Naturally, he hurried to tell his master what he had heard, for it concerned his master most deeply. But he did not know... he had no possible way of knowing... which set of twins Voldemort would hunt from then onward, or that the parents he would destroy in his murderous quest were people that Professor Snape knew, that they were your mother and father"

" Ha" Harry said, " He hated our father and he hated Sirius, I bet he was laughing with glee when they died"

" You have no idea of the remorse Professor Snape felt when he realized how Lord Voldemort had interpreted the prophecy, I believe it to be the greatest regret of his life and the reason that he returned" Dumbledore said

" But Da... Professor Snape is very good at Occlumency" Brenda said, " Voldemort is convinced that Snape is on his side, how are we to know that Snape is actually on our side and not on Voldemorts?

Dumbledore didn't say anything for a minute and a half then he smiled, " I am sure, I trust Severus Snape completely, enough to keep you Brenda out of harms way"

" Who's to say that wasn't a ploy to actually have Voldemort get to us sooner?" Brenda asked, " He could have been waiting for the right moment to come into my room at night and take me to Voldemort"

" Yet when Peter Pettigrew had to stay at Snape manor he took you to the Weasley's" Dumbledore said

Brenda was quiet

" Well I don't trust him" Harry said, " He's up to something with Draco Malfoy right now, right under your nose, and you still trust him?"

" We discussed this" Dumbledore said, " I have told you my views"

" Well what if something happens tonight?" Harry asked, " Trelawny said that she heard cheering in the Room of Requirement, I bet Malfoy is planning something for tonight"

" He would know you are going to be gone because Snape would have to know that I'm going to be gone because I'm supposed to be in the apartment by 7:00" Brenda said

" I have double protection on this school when I'm gone, I would never leave this school unprotected" Dumbledore said sternly, " Now I do wish not to discuss the matter any further... now do you two wish to accompany me tonight?"

" Yes" Harry and Brenda said

" Very well then, I take you two with me on one condition... you must obey any command I might give you at once, and without question" Dumbledore said seriously

Harry and Brenda nodded in understanding

" I mean that you must follow orders such as run, hide, go back etcetera... do I have your words?" Dumbledore asked seriously

" Yes sir" Harry and Brenda said

" Even if I tell you to leave me and save yourselves?" Dumbledore asked

Harry and Brenda were quiet for a minute but finally nodded

" Good, now then you should go and get your invisibility cloaks and meet me in the entrance hall in say about five minutes" Dumbledore said

Harry and Brenda nodded and left the office

" Come with me down into the apartment, I don't want to be alone with Snape" Brenda thought

Harry nodded and they hurried towards the apartment and Brenda said the password, she didn't care that Harry heard it

" Severus is going to be angry at you Brenda that Harry knows the password" Grandfather Severus said

" Funny but that's the last of my worries" Brenda said and went into her room to look through her trunk

" I like how he lets you have Gryffindor colors in here" Harry said looking around

" Yah, it used to be Slytherin colors, until I was sleeping on the couch" Brenda said and grabbed her her Felix Felicis, she already had her invisibility cloak and her marauders map with her, she doesn't go anywhere without them nowadays

" So you think something's going to happen?" Harry thought

" Yes" Brenda thought, " Lets go warn the Gryffindors"

They left the bedroom and the apartment, Snape wasn't in the apartment which was a good thing

They ran up the stairs from the dungeons and ran up to Gryffindor Tower and Harry ran to get his Felix Felicis

" What's going on?" Ron asked

Brenda told Ron and Hermione what they found out

Harry came back down, " Did you tell them?"

" Yah" Brenda said

" Ok we know that Malfoy is up to something and we have a good feeling that something is going to begin tonight since he was celebrating in the Room of Requirement" Harry said then took out his Marauder's map and gave it to Hermione, " Here, You've got to watch him and Snape too"

" Use anyone else who you can rustle up from the DA, use those contact Galleons" Brenda said, " Dumbledore said he's put extra protection in the school, but with Snape involved... well Snape would know how to deactivate it since he's in the order, he won't be expecting us to be on to him though"

" You guys" Hermione started

" We don't have time to argue, we're already late as it is, take these as well" Harry said and he and Brenda gave Hermione and Ron their Felix Felicis

" Brenda I thought you were..." Ron started

" This is more important" Brenda interrupted thrusting her bottle to Ron

" Share these with anybody you can" Harry said

" No, you two need to take it" Hermione insisted

" We're with Dumbledore, you will need it more than us" Brenda said, " We'll see you later"

The two left the other two before Hermione or Ron could say anything else

They ran down and to the Entrance Hall where Dumbledore was waiting

" Sorry Professor, we had to go down to the dungeons for mine before we went up for Harry's" Brenda said

Dumbledore smiled and nodded in understanding, " I would like you two to wear your cloaks now please"

The twins nodded and put their cloaks on

" Very good, let's go" Dumbledore said and they headed outside and down towards Hogsmeade

" What if somebody asks you where you're going?" Harry asked

" I'll say I'm off to Hogsmeade for a drink" Dumbledore said, " I sometimes come down here to visit with Rosmerta or the bartender at the Hogshead... well that's what it looks like I'm doing"

" We're apparating right?" Brenda asked

" Yes, I trust you two know how?" Dumbledore asked with a grin, he knew Brenda knew how, but he wasn't quite sure Harry knew how

" Yes we know how, but we don't have a license" Harry said

" Not like we need one though" Brenda said with a smirk

" No matter, I will assist you two again" Dumbledore said, " We don't want to do it illegally"

" And have the whole ministry on our tails again" Brenda said

Dumbledore nodded and they kept walking towards Hogsmeade

It was getting darker as they walked towards the village and lights turned on in the buildings

" We're going to the Hogshead" Dumbledore whispered, " There's not many people that go there"

They quietly headed towards the Hogshead but it was completely empty

" Feel sorry for the bartender who works at this place" Brenda thought

Harry agreed

" We do not need to go in, both of you grab on to my arm and together we will apparate" Dumbledore said, " On the count of three... one... two... three

They spun around and the next thing they knew, they were looking at an ocean and were breathing salty air

Harry and Brenda looked at their surroundings, they were standing on a cliff and there was an even taller cliff behind them

" They brought kids from an orphanage here?" Brenda asked, " What kind of guardians ran that orphanage?"

" Not here precisely" Dumbledore said, " there is a village about halfway along the cliffs behind us and that is where the orphans were, I believe that only Tom Riddle and his victims visited this spot"

" So where's the cave?" Harry asked

" A little further on, come on" Dumbledore said

They had to go down the slope of the cliff that was very hard to do, Dumbledore had a bit of trouble because of his hand but everybody made it down all right

" That's going to be a bugger to climb back up" Harry whispered

" Yah" Brenda agreed

" Here we are" Dumbledore said

" Where's the cave?" Brenda asked

Dumbledore lit up his wand with a Lumos and pointed his wand at the cave entrance, " You're not afraid of getting wet are you?"

" No" Harry and Brenda said together

" Then take off your invisibility cloaks, there's nobody here to see you and lets take the plunge" Dumbledore said with a grin then he jumped in and put his wand in his mouth

" I think he likes to swim" Brenda thought then folded her cloak and put it in her pocket, Harry did the same

" Ladies first" Harry said with a grin

Brenda rolled her eyes and jumped in the freezing cold water and put her wand in her mouth then followed Dumbledore

A minute later Brenda heard the splash that told her Harry jumped in as well

By the time the Potters were half way to the cave they were numb from head to foot and Dumbledore was just a few feet away from getting out of the water

" How are you two doing?" Dumbledore asked once he was out

Brenda gave Dumbledore a thumbs up, her wand was still in her mouth

Harry did the same thing

Brenda finally made it to shore and a minute later Harry made it to shore

" Well this is the entrance to the cave" Dumbledore said

" How can you tell?" Brenda asked

" Magic" Dumbledore said simply

The Potters shuddered from either the cold or the magic in the cave

" This is merely the entrance to the cave" Dumbledore said, " We have to go through this"

" But that's a solid wall" Brenda said, " How do we go through a solid wall? This isn't like platform 9 3/4"

" We don't go through the solid wall, we have to open it" Dumbledore explained and he went to the wall and ran his fingers with his blackened hand over it, he was saying some odd words as we went, " Ah-ha here we are, we must go through here"

" How did he figure that out with just touching it?" Harry thought

" I haven't the slightest idea" Brenda thought

Dumbledore wasn't done doing magic yet, he stepped back and pointed his wand at the wall and an arched outline appeared there

" Wow... y- you did i-i-it" Harry stuttered from the cold and Brenda sneezed three times

" Oh I'm sorry, I forgot" Dumbledore said and he waved his wand at the Potters and their clothes dried like they just came out of a dryer or blazing fire

" Thank you" Harry and Brenda said with a smile

Dumbledore nodded then returned back to the door and stared at it for some time

" Talk about complicated, first you have to find the cave, then you have to find the door, and now you have to find the key" Brenda thought

" Wonder what it could be, a password? A real key?" Harry thought

" A spell of some kind?" Brenda thought

They were standing in silence for five minutes

" AH-HA" Dumbledore said triumphantly

" What?" Harry and Brenda asked alarmed

" The key is blood" Dumbledore said and he took out a knife from his robes and before Harry and Brenda could stop him, he cut himself and blood splattered on the wall, " Sorry but your blood is worth more than mine"

The door opened and Dumbledore healed himself

" I'll go first then you two follow" Dumbledore said, " And have your wands ready"

The twins nodded and lit up their wands then Dumbledore led the two to a large cavern with a large black lake, so large that they couldn't see the end of it, the water was still and their was a greenish glow which looked like the middle of the lake, and that and the three wands was the only light

" Follow me" Dumbledore said, " Be careful not to step into the water... stay close to me"

The way they walked they had to be single file, Harry made Brenda go in front of him so he could watch her back and she rolled her eyes but did as she was told like she always does

They were silent for ten minutes

" Professor do you think the Horcrux is here?" Harry asked

" Yes I'm quite sure it is" Dumbledore said, " The question is though, how do we get it?"

" Couldn't we just try a summoning charm?" Brenda asked, she wanted to get out of their as soon as possible, she still didn't like the dark and she sometimes still had to use a night light

" Sure, why don't you do it?" Dumbledore asked

" Me?" Brenda asked, " Um... ok... ACCIO HORCRUX"

All of a sudden there was a noise that sounded like an explosion and something very large and white jumped out of the water and splashed back down and vanished under the surface

" What in Merlin's name was that?" Brenda asked trying to get her heart rate back to normal

" Something that I think will respond if we attempt to seize the Horcrux" Dumbledore said

" Di... Did you know that would happen sir?" Harry asked

" Well I thought something would happen, I figured it wouldn't be that easy to get a Horcrux" Dumbledore said, " It was a very good idea to try to summon it, now we know what to expect should we try to do that again"

" But we still don't know what that thing is" Brenda said

" You mean what those things are, I expect there's more than one" Dumbledore said and they kept walking

" Professor, are we going to have to go in the lake?" Brenda asked

" Only if we are most unfortunate" Dumbledore said

" So you don't think the Horcrux is at the bottom?" Harry asked

" Oh no, I think the Horcrux is at the middle" Dumbledore said

" So we have to cross the lake to get to it?" Harry asked

Dumbledore nodded

They kept walking for another few minutes then Dumbledore stopped automatically which made Brenda bump into him and lose her balance, she almost fell in the water but Harry caught her

" So sorry Brenda, should have given you warning" Dumbledore said, " You two stand back against the wall, I think I found the place"

Harry and Brenda looked at each other confused but they shrugged and did as they were told

Dumbledore moved towards the edge of the rock they were on and started pulling at the air

" What in the world?" Harry thought

" I think he finally lost it" Brenda thought, " That or he actually found something"

They waited and sure enough Dumbledore was pulling a rope that was connected to a little boat

" Wow he's good" Brenda thought

Harry nodded

" Professor, how did you know that was there?" Harry asked

" Magic always leaves traces" Dumbledore said, " Sometimes very distinctive traces"

" Um... is this boat safe?" Brenda asked

" Oh yes, I think so. Voldemort needed to create a means to cross the lake if he wanted to move his Horcrux or visit it without attracting those creatures in the lake" Dumbledore said

" So the things in the water won't do anything to us if we cross in Voldemort's boat?" Harry asked

" I don't think so" Dumbledore said

" This boat doesn't look like it can hold all three of us, I don't think it will hold two of us" Brenda said

" It will hold two of us, but I doubt it will hold three of us" Dumbledore said

" Brenda's staying here, I don't want her to get hurt" Harry said

Dumbledore nodded and got in the boat, he was going to let the siblings argue with this

" But I'm smaller, why don't I go with you sir and Harry stays behind?" Brenda asked

" Brenda I don't want to see you hurt" Harry said

" And do you think I want to see you hurt?" Brenda asked

" Brenda, just stay" Harry said, " What we might see might give you nightmares"

Brenda glared at her brother and crossed her arms, " Fine, but next time if we go Horcrux hunting, I get to do the dangerous thing"

" Yah we'll see" Harry said getting in the boat and it automatically started moving

" Harry, you may be older than me, but we're still twins, you can't always boss me around" Brenda thought with a glare

" I'm just trying to look out for you, I don't want anything to happen to you" Harry thought because they were now to far away to talk

Brenda backed as far away as she could to the wall and sat down with her knees to her chin, she really didn't like this darkness and there wasn't much light with just her wand, she started playing with her necklace and her ring to calm herself down, her necklace still gave her good luck and she rarely took it off and her ring reminded her of her love Fred which always made her smile. She saw Harry and Dumbledore make it to the little island in the middle and look into the green glow

" Must be a pensieve or something" Brenda thought to herself

She saw Harry and Dumbledore touch the pensieve a few times but nothing happened then Dumbledore started waving his wand at it and still nothing happened

" Harry, what's going on?" Brenda thought

" We're sure the Horcrux is in the basin but we cannot touch it, it's filled with some kind of potion as well, but Dumbledore cannot figure it out" Harry thought, " I'll keep you updated"

" Ok" Brenda thought

The next thing Brenda saw was that Dumbledore conjured a crystal goblet

" HE'S GOING TO DRINK THE UNKNOWN POTION?" Brenda thought, " Harry tell him no"

" I can't" Harry thought, " This is the only way and he reminded me of the condition we made"

" But what if the potion kills him?" Brenda thought

" It won't" Harry thought

" Harry this is Voldemort we're talking about" Brenda thought panicking

" Brenda calm down, Dumbledore knows what he's doing" Harry thought

" I'm not the only one who needs to calm down, you're fretting too, I can tell" Brenda thought

" Dumbledore made up his mind and he's about to drink it" Harry thought, " I might have to help him in a bit, I'll update you in a bit"

" Ok" Brenda thought with a sigh

Brenda watched Dumbledore dip the goblet into the potion and drink it, she watched him do that four times and then Dumbledore fell

" Harry what's going on, is he all right?" Brenda thought getting up to try to see better

" His breathing is heavy" Harry thought

" Make him stop" Brenda thought

" I can't, he has to keep going" Harry thought, " I have to fill it for him, I'll keep you updated"

" Ok" Brenda thought again

Brenda watched Harry refill the goblet and she heard Dumbledore yelling for it to stop and she saw that Dumbledore was in pain

" I reached bottom" Harry thought and he was scared

" How's Dumbledore?" Brenda asked

" In pain, I got to get him some water" Harry thought

" Aquamenti" Brenda thought

" Yah, thanks" Harry thought and he shot the charm inside the goblet and set it towards Dumbledore's lips but it was empty

" It's empty" Harry thought

" This place is strange, keep on trying" Brenda thought

Harry tried again and again and he looked frantic

" It's not working... I'm going to try something else" Harry thought and he dipped the goblet in the lake and filled it with water then Harry tripped and the water dumped all over Dumbledore's face

" HARRY" Brenda screamed

Harry looked down and their was a deathly white hand on his arm

" THEY'RE INFERI" Brenda yelled

She saw Harry cast a few spells that had little to no affect on the inferi

" Harry use incendio, use incendio" Brenda thought panicking, she wondered if she was close enough to cast her own spells

Brenda took the chance and aimed her wand at an inferius" INCENDIO" Brenda yelled and she hit her target

Harry and Brenda both used incendio but they could only hit one at a time and there were a lot that were coming after Harry, to Brenda's horror the inferi got a hold of Harry and picked him up and they were taking him back into the lake

" HARRY" Brenda yelled and she started targeting the inferi who were carrying her brother, but more joined the group and Brenda couldn't get them all

All of a sudden there was a ring of fire around the island and the inferi had no place to go and they were panicking and dropped Harry

" Come to me" Dumbledore said who was finally standing up

Harry ran over to Dumbledore and they got back in the boat and it headed towards shore and Brenda who sighed in relief that they were safe

Dumbledore announced how weak he was once they were on the rock where Brenda was waiting

" Lean on us sir, we'll get us back" Harry said and they started walking to the entrance

" The doorway shut itself, my knife is in" Dumbledore started

" No need, I cut myself when I fell from the inferi... just tell me where" Harry said

Dumbledore pointed and Harry wiped his arm on the rock

The entrance opened right away and they slowly walked towards the water and slowly got in and slowly swam to a rock

" We can apparate you back sir" Brenda said

" I am not worried" Dumbledore said, " I am with you"

Harry and Brenda both took an arm and at the same time turned and made it to Hogsmeade

Harry and Brenda smiled when they apparated to Hogsmeade, that was their first time side along apparition where they're in control and they actually did a good job and they didn't splinch

" We'll pass that apparition test for sure" Brenda said with a grin

" You did good" Dumbledore said tiredly then he sunk to the ground

" Sir" Harry gasped

" Sir are you all right?" Brenda asked

" I've been better" Dumbledore said weakly then grinned, " That potion... was no health drink"

" We need to get you to the school, to see Madame Pomfrey" Brenda said

" It's... Professor Snape I need" Dumbledore said, " But I don't think I can walk very far yet"

" Right, I'm going to knock on a door, find you a place you can stay then run up to the school to get Madame" Harry started

" Severus" Dumbledore said firmly, " I need Severus"

" Then I'll go get him" Brenda said, " Harry you find him a place to stay"

Harry nodded

Before Brenda or Harry could move there was running and the running was coming towards them, it ended up being Madame Rosmerta

" I saw you apparate, thank goodness, I couldn't think what to do but... what's wrong with Albus?" Rosmerta asked

" He's hurt" Harry said

" Madam Rosmerta, can he come into the Three Broomsticks while I go up to the school and get help for him?" Brenda asked

" You can't go up there alone!" Rosmerta gasped, " Don't you realize... well haven't you seen?"

" What's wrong?" Dumbledore asked

" The.. the Dark Mark, Albus" Rosmerta said and pointed to the sky, in the direction of Hogwarts

Brenda gasped as she saw the dark mark in the sky above the school

" When did it appear?" Dumbledore asked as he struggled to his feet with the help of the Potters

" Minutes ago" Rosmerta said

" We must return to the castle at once" Dumbledore said firmly, " Rosmerta... we need transport... brooms"

" I have a few in the pub, shall I go get them?" Rosmerta asked

" I'll get them" Brenda said and she took out her wand, " ACCIO ROSMERTA'S BROOMS"

A moment later three brooms shot out in front of the group

" Rosmerta, please send a message to the Ministry" Dumbledore said as he got on the broom nearest him, " It might be that nobody within Hogwarts has yet realized anything is wrong... Harry, Brenda, put on your invisibility cloaks"

Harry and Brenda did as they were told and then mounted their brooms

Rosmerta was already going back to her pub to notify the ministry as the three kicked off the ground and started flying towards Hogwarts

The three were quiet on the way to Hogwarts, they were all thinking the worst, Harry and Brenda were most likely thinking the same thing. The twins saw Dumbledore say something in a strange language

" He's taking down the enchantments he set" Brenda thought

They dismounted at the side of the castle

" Professor what does the dark mark mean?" Harry asked

Dumbledore didn't answer, " You two, go wake Severus" Dumbledore whispered, " Tell him what has happened and bring him to me... do nothing else, speak to nobody else and do not remove your cloaks. I shall wait here"

" But" Harry started

" You swore to obey me... now go" Dumbledore said firmly yet quietly

" Yes sir" Harry and Brenda said together

They hurried up the stairs to go inside but the next thing they heard was an EXPELLIARMUS and they were frozen up against a wall

" What the?" Brenda thought

" Expelliarmus is not a freezing charm" Harry thought

They saw Dumbledore's wand fly out of his hand and then the Potters understood what Dumbledore did

From where they were they saw Draco Malfoy come out of the shadows and they saw that Dumbledore did not look alarmed

" Good evening Draco" Dumbledore said calmly

" Who else is here?" Malfoy asked

" It's just me... but I might ask you that instead" Dumbledore said

" I have back up. Death eaters here in your school tonight" Malfoy said

" Well" Dumbledore said, " Very good, you found a way to let them in did you?"

" Yah, and it was right under your nose too" Malfoy said in a snobby way

" Ingenious" Dumbledore said, " But where are they now?"

" They met some of your guards. They're having a fight down below. They won't be long... I went on ahead... I have a... I have a job to do" Malfoy said, the stutter wasn't missed

" Well then you must get on and do it, my dear boy" Dumbledore whispered

It was silent for a while and all that Malfoy did was stare at Dumbledore

" Draco you are not a killer" Dumbledore finally said

" How do you know?" Malfoy asked, if the circumstances were different Brenda would laugh because it sounded childish, Malfoy thought it was childish sounding too because he flushed, " You don't know what I'm capable of"

" Oh yes I do" Dumbledore said, " If I'm not mistaken, you almost killed Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley. You have been trying to kill me all year. Forgive me for saying this but, they have been feeble attempts... so feeble that I ask you if your heart was really into it"

" IT HAS BEEN IN IT" Malfoy yelled out of frustration, " I've been working on it all year, and tonight..." Malfoy stopped

There was yelling in the castle and both Potter's hearts were beating fast

Dumbledore changed the topic, " So how did you get your friends into here?"

" I had to mend a broken vanishing cabinet that no one used for years that I found in the Room of Requirement" Malfoy said

" I see, so there is a pair then" Dumbledore said

" In Borgin and Burkes" Malfoy said, " The two make a passage between them"

" Very clever, and right under my nose as well" Dumbledore said

" Yah" Malfoy said triumphantly

" But... there were times when you thought you wouldn't succeed in mending the cabinet" Dumbledore said, " That's why you tried sending me a cursed necklace or poison me with mead that I might or might not drink"

" Well you didn't know who was behind it all" Malfoy said

" As a matter of fact Draco, I did" Dumbledore said, " I was sure it was you"

" Then why didn't you stop me then?" Malfoy demanded harshly

" I tried Draco, Professor Snape has been keeping an eye on you on my orders" Dumbledore said

" He wasn't doing your orders, he promised my mother" Malfoy said

" Of course that is what he would tell you but" Dumbledore started

HE'S A DOUBLE AGENT YOU STUPID OLD MAN, HE ISN'T WORKING FOR YOU, YOU JUST THINK HE IS" Malfoy yelled

" We must agree to differ on that, Draco. It so happens that I trust Professor Snape" Dumbledore said

" Well, you're losing your grip, then" Malfoy sneered, " He's been offering me plenty of help... wanting the glory for himself... but after tonight he won't be the Dark Lord's favorite anymore, he'll be nothing compared to me... nothing"

" Well it's been several long minutes now and you still haven't achieved your goal, we are also quite alone and I am defenseless, yet you still haven't commited... now about tonight... I'm puzzled how it happened, of course you knew I'd be gone because of Professor Snape right?" Dumbledore asked

" Yes, he said you were going to get a drink" Malfoy said

" And you decided to spring a trap for me when I returned?" Dumbledore asked

" We decided to put the Dark Mark over the tower to get you to hurry up to see who's been killed, and it worked" Malfoy said with a sneer

" Well, yes and no... I take it somebodies dead right?" Dumbledore asked

" Yes, one of your people, I don't know who it is, it was dark and I just stepped over the body... I was supposed to be waiting here when you got back, only your Phoenix lot got in my way" Malfoy said

" Yes, they do that" Dumbledore said with a hint of a grin

There were more shouts from inside and they seemed to be getting closer

" There's very little time... Draco you have two options, you can either kill me right now, or we can forget this whole thing and you can come over to the light side" Dumbledore said

" I don't have options, he'll kill me... he'll kill my whole family" Malfoy said

" I can help you Draco" Dumbledore said

" No you can't" Malfoy said, " Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice"

" He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the light side and we can hide you and your family better than you can possibly imagine" Dumbledore beckoned, " Come over to the light side Draco, you are not a killer"

Before anything else was said Severus Snape came out of the castle and saw the scene between Dumbledore and Malfoy

" No, I got to do it" Malfoy said

Snape looked at Malfoy then at Dumbledore then looked in the castle and more death eaters were coming out to watch

Snape went down the stairs and pushed Malfoy out of the way, Snape held Dumbledore's gaze and it was a gaze of revulsion and hatred on his face

" Severus" Dumbledore pleaded

" He actually... he actually pleaded" Brenda thought

" He never pleads" Harry thought

" Severus... please" Dumbledore pleaded

Snape raised his wand and pointed it at Dumbledore

" No, no no" Brenda thought to herself, " It can't be"

" AVADA KEDAVRA" Snape yelled and a jet of green light shot from the end of Snape's wand and hit Dumbledore in the chest

The Potter's couldn't even scream as they were forced to watch as Dumbledore was blasted in the air and to the ground, never to move, smile or have a twinkling eye again

" No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no" Brenda kept thinking to herself, her dad... guardian... whatever... her dad couldn't have done that... she couldn't believe it, her dad killed Dumbledore out of cold blood

" Quickly, we need to get out of here" Snape said to Malfoy and the other Death eaters who watched the scene

One by one, Harry and Brenda watched the death eaters go through the door and then they realized they could move again

They threw off their invisibility cloaks and hid them, then ran the direction Snape went, they knew Dumbledore was dead and they'll go to him later, but at that moment both the Potters wanted Snape

They went inside the castle and they had to dodge hexes and curses from different witches and wizards

Brenda saw Snape and Malfoy going down a corridor and she pulled Harry towards them

" IT'S OVER. TIME TO GO" Snape yelled to his death eater buddies

One of the death eaters saw them and was speeding towards them, it was Fenrir Greyback, they saw pictures of him in the Prophet before

Fenrir got to Harry first and jumped on him

" PETRIFICUS TOTALUS" Brenda yelled at Fenrir and Fenrir went limp on Harry then Brenda levitated him with an LEVICORPUS and flew him into a wall, " He'll feel that in the morning... you ok?" Brenda helped Harry up

" Yah, lets go" Harry said, " Look out"

Harry pulled Brenda down as a jet of green light headed their way

" That was a close one" Harry said and they kept running when the coast was clear

They saw Ginny facing a death eater who was trying to use the cruciatus curse at her

" Oh no she doesn't" Harry said and yelled, " LEVICORPUS"

The death eater flew up in the air and Harry flew him into a wall

They saw that the Order was there and Ron, Hermione and Ginny were fine

" Where did you come from?" Ginny asked but they didn't answer because they had to get to Snape

On their way after Snape they saw McGonagall fight a death eater and the death eater was afraid of her, it would be amusing if this wasn't a serious situation, the death eater ran into someone, it was Neville

" Neville are you ok?" Brenda asked helping him up

" Yah, I'm fine" Neville said, " Snape and Malfoy went that way, Brenda he's..."

" Yah I know" Brenda said

" We got to go, good luck" Harry said

Neville smiled and nodded

Brenda and Harry were shooting curses at the death eater who toppled Neville over and he howled in pain

They kept turning in the corridors and they eventually ran into Ernie Macmillan

" We heard a noise, and someone said something about the Dark Mark" Ernie began

" Out of the way" Harry yelled

" GET BACK IN YOUR HOUSE... NOW" Brenda yelled glaring at the younger students

That scared the Hufflepuffs and they did as they were told

They ended up at the Entrance Hall and saw that the Hour Glasses were shattered and the rubies in them were scattered everywhere making it hard to run

They made it out of the castle and were running across the grounds to get to Snape and Malfoy before they apparate away

They saw Hagrid fighting a bunch of death eaters who were cursing him with the killing curse but it wasn't working

" Must be nice to have giant blood running in his veins" Brenda thought

They ran faster trying to get to Snape and finally they were close enough to see the two

" STUPIFY" Brenda yelled aiming at Snape's head but it missed by an inch

" RUN DRACO" Snape yelled and then turned to face the furious Potters who were twenty yards away

Snape stared down both Brenda and Harry and then they all raised their wands

" Cruci" Harry started but Snape blocked the curse and knocked them both backwards and off their feet

They rolled and stood back up

" CRUCIO" Brenda yelled but Snape blocked that one too

" No unforgivables Potters" Snape said sternly over the raging fire that the death eaters started at Hagrid's, " You haven't got the ability or the nerve... especially you Brenda"

" Incarc" Harry roared but Snape blocked that spell too and even before Harry could finish

" FIGHT BACK YOU COWARD!" Brenda yelled

" Coward did you call me Ms. Potter?" Snape asked, " Your father never attacked me unless it was four on one, what would you call him I wonder"

" Clever, because my dad never joined Voldemort and he was brave because he was on the side of good and even sacrificed himself so we could live, you joined the death eaters because you were picked on, oh real clever Snivillus" Brenda spat

Snape glared

" STUPIFY" Harry yelled but Snape blocked that as well

" Blocked again and again and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed Mr. Potter" Snape said

Brenda silently disarmed Snape and shot a silent stupify at him

Snape dodged the hex and wandlessly and silently accioed his wand back

" Very good Ms. Potter, at least somebody learned a few new tricks in my class" Snape said and slow clapped

" Well I lived with the evil git of the dungeons himself" Brenda said and cast Stupify again silently but it missed Snape by an inch

" Evil git of the dungeons, now that's a new one" Snape said sarcastically, " Who told you that one?"

" Came up with that on my own... and your grandfather liked it" Brenda said this time casting incendio silently but Snape dodged that and shot aquamenti at it

" Careful now, don't want this whole place to catch fire" Snape said then yelled to the death eaters at Hagrid's hut, " COME ON YOU LOT, WE GOT TO GO BEFORE THE MINISTRY SHOWS UP"

" IMPEDI" Harry started but before he could finish a hex was set their way and they fell over in pain

" NO LEAVE THEM FOR THE DARK LORD" Snape yelled, " Those were our orders"

After the Death eaters left Harry and Brenda slowly got up panting and glaring daggers at Snape

" It's my turn to use that spell" Brenda thought, " SECTUMSEMPRA" she yelled since she didn't know how to cast that silently

Snape repelled that curse too and this time Snape's face was not mocking like it was before, but this time it was full of rage which made Brenda step back a step

" LEVI" Harry started

" NO POTTERS" Snape screamed and sent the Potters flying backwards and their wands flew out of their hands

Snape went towards the two, " You dare use my own spells against me Potters? It was I who invented them... I...The Half Blood Prince! And you'd turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father, would you? I don't think so... no"

While Snape was telling them that, Harry and Brenda ran to get their wands but Snape shot a hex that made them fly out of their reach

Harry and Brenda turned around full of rage

" KILL US THEN" Brenda yelled, " KILL US LIKE YOU KILLED HIM! You've been wanting to for years, and you thought it was perfect when you became my guardian, you've been waiting for the right time to kill us, and you had one of us living with you so you thought it would be easy, well IT DOESN'T GET EASIER THEN THIS YOU COWARD"

" DON'T" Snape yelled, " CALL ME A COWARD"

" I TRUSTED YOU." Brenda yelled with anger and hurt in her eyes

Snape raised his wand but before he could do anything Buckbeak came to the rescue and chased Snape away from the Potters

They watched as Snape dissaparated off the grounds

" ACCIO WANDS" Brenda yelled since she was the only one who was good at wandlessly accioing the wands, and it was one of the few things she knew how to wandlessly do

They came flying towards their rightful owners

" Let's go find Hagrid" Harry said

Brenda nodded, the night was finally catching up to her and she was real close at breaking down and crying

They ran towards Hagrid's hut and saw Hagrid come out of the hut carrying Fang

They fell down and sighed in relief, they were aching all over and they were running so hard and fast there breathing was painful

" Are you two all right?" Hagrid asked worriedly

" We're fine... are you?" Harry asked

" Takes more than that to finish me off" Hagrid said, " They shot killing curses at me and they bounced right off, I guess I'm the half giant who lived" He joked then put Fang down and picked both twins up off the ground and put them on their feet

" We... we should put out your house, the charm is aquamenti" Brenda said

" Knew it was something like that" Hagrid said and he took his pink umbrella and yelled, " AGUAMENTI"

Harry and Brenda pointed their wands and shouted, " AGUAMENTI"

They put out the fire in two minutes

" Well it's not that bad, I'm sure Dumbledore can fix it" Hagrid said, " So what's happened Harry? I saw Death eaters running down from the castle, what was in Merlin's name Snape doing? Was he chasing them?"

" Hagrid... He killed..." Brenda started

" Killed? Snape? Killed who?" Hagrid asked

" Dumbledore" Harry said, " Snape killed... Dumbledore"

" What?" Hagrid asked

" Severus Tobias Snape killed Albus Brian Wolfric Dumbledore" Brenda said firmly

" Dumbledore?" Hagrid asked

" Is dead" Harry said

" Don't say that, he can't be, why would you say that?" Hagrid asked

" Because we saw him do it" Brenda said

" You couldn't have" Hagrid said not wanting to believe that

" WE SAW IT" Brenda yelled with tears in her eyes

" Come on lets get you two to the castle, you must have taken a blow to the head or something" Hagrid said, he didn't want to believe them

They stopped arguing, it was no use, he'd know sooner or later

They headed towards the castle and they saw people start moving towards where Dumbledore's body lay

" What are they all staring at?" Hagrid asked

They walked towards the group and people were murmuring and crying

" What's wrong?" Hagrid asked and then gasped when he saw the body, " No"

Harry and Brenda fought their way through the front and knelt down beside Dumbledore, it looked like he was sleeping, but they knew better

Brenda straightened Dumbledore's glasses and Harry wiped away some blood from Dumbledore's mouth with his own sleeve

Harry felt something hard under his knees and when he picked it up, it was the locket... but it felt wrong

Harry held the locket up to Brenda and Brenda looked it over and her eyes were wide, " This is the wrong locket, this is not Slytherins'" She thought

" Open it" Harry thought

Brenda nodded and inside was a piece of parchment that read, " To the Dark Lord. I know I will be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. R.A.B."

Brenda and Harry gasped, they have faced danger for nothing, in their hand was not a Horcrux, Dumbledore drank and weakened himself with that potion for nothing

" All for nothing" Brenda whispered with tears in her eyes

Somehow Harry and Brenda found themselves in the Hospital Wing, after seeing that they went in the cave for nothing, nothing else registered for a while, until they saw Bill and the order members

" What happened?" Brenda asked

" Fenrir Greyback attacked him" Ron said

Madam Pomfrey was tending to Bill's wounds

" Cant you fix him with a spell or something?" Harry asked

" Not for a werewolf bite" Pomfrey said

" Greyback wasn't transformed, he's not going to be a real..." Ron started then looked fearfully at Lupin

" I don't think Bill will be a true werewolf" Lupin said, " But that won't mean there won't be any contamination... he might have some wolfish characteristics from now on, like enhanced hearing, enhanced smelling and eyesight... actually those aren't too bad"

" Dumbledore might have something that would work" Ron said, " Where is he anyway?"

" Ron... Dumbledore's dead" Ginny said

Lupin gasped, " No, it can't be" He looked from the Potters to Ginny looking for a clarification that it was all a joke, but the three looked serious

" How... how did he die?" Tonks asked

" Snape killed him" Brenda whispered

The order gasped

" We saw it, we were there, we were under the Astronamy tower where the Dark Mark was... Dumbledore was weak but we think he realized it was a trap and he put us in a body bind, we were under our invisibility cloaks so we weren't seen and Malfoy came through the door we were about to go through and disarmed Dumbledore" Harry said

Dumbledore and Malfoy were talking and we found out Malfoy was the one who gave Katie that cursed necklace and spiked Slughorn's meade with poison, it was all to kill Dumbledore, Dumbledore was trying to get Malfoy to join the light side and I think he was making progress but then... Snape came out along with other death eaters and... Brenda started, " And he cast the killing curse" She whispered the last part

Everybody gasped and some of the girls burst in tears

" Shh, listen" Ginny whispered

Everybody stopped and some where shaking but they heard it, it was a lament of a phoenix and it was echoing across the grounds, it was a song of grief and pain and sorrow, but it was beautiful

Everybody was listening to the song when McGonagall came in and she looked like she was fighting a lot

" Molly, Arthur, Fred and George are on their way" McGonagall said

Everybody stopped listening to the song

Mr. and Ms. Potter may I speak with you please?" McGonagall asked

Harry and Brenda nodded and they stepped outside the Hospital Wing

" What happened? According to Hagrid, you two were with professor Dumbledore before he... well when it happened, he says professor Snape was involved in some way" McGonagall said

" He sure was" Brenda whispered

" What?" McGonagall asked

" Snape killed Dumbledore" Harry said

McGonagall gasped and swayed some but the Potters steadied her

" Snape?" McGonagall asked, " We all wondered... but he trusted... always... Snape... Oh I can't believe it"

" Join the club professor" Brenda said sadly

McGonagall nodded and the three went back inside the Hospital Wing

" But how... how did he fool Albus Dumbledore?" McGonagall asked

" Snape was an accomplished Occlumens" Lupin said with a harsh voice, " We always knew that"

" But Dumbledore swore he was on our side" Tonks said, " He was so sure that he left Brenda in his care... Dumbledore must know something about Snape that we didn't... I wonder what Snape told Dumbledore that convinced him that Snape was good"

" We know that" Harry said

Everybody turned to face the Potters

" You tell Harry, I can't" Brenda whispered

Harry nodded in understanding, " Snape passed Voldemort the information that made Voldemort hunt down our parents. Then Snape told Dumbledore he hadn't realized what he was doing, he was really sorry he'd done it, sorry that they were dead"

Everybody in the room starred at Harry

" Dumbledore believed that?" Lupin asked shocked, " Dumbledore believed Snape was sorry that James was dead? Snape hated James"

" And we think he didn't care for our mother either, he called her a mudblood" Harry said

Everybody was quiet for a few minutes

" How exactly did this happen?" McGonagall asked, " Dumbledore said he would be leaving the school for a few hours and he put up enchantments and told us we should patrol the corridors just in case, every area was covered, even the secret passageways, how did Death Eaters get in?"

" Vanishing cabinets in the Room of Requirement, there are two of them and Malfoy found one and bought the other one, the two form a magical pathway" Brenda said

They started talking about what had happened when they heard about the death eaters in the school, McGonagall sent Flitwick to get Snape and Hermione and Luna were at the apartment spying on him, Snape came out and said that Flitwick fainted and that they should take care of them, Hermione felt guilty that she let Snape get away

They talked about what happened for a while and then they quieted and they still heard Fawkes's lament going on

Five minutes later the rest of the Weasley clan minus Percy came in along with Fleur

" Molly, Arthur, Fred, George" McGonagall said but before she got any further, Mrs Weasley ran to her eldest son and hugged him as best as she could

Fred ran towards Brenda and enveloped her in a hug

" Are you ok?" Fred asked

" Seen better days" Brenda said sadly, " I'll tell you what happened later... go see your brother"

" You said Greyback attacked him? But he wasn't transformed, so what will happen?" Mr. Weasley asked

" We don't know, maybe some wolfish characteristics " Lupin said, " This never happened before"

" And what about Dumbledore?" Mr. Weasley asked, " Is he really?"

McGonagall nodded

" Dumbledore's gone" Mr. Weasley whispered shocked, Mrs. Weasley wasn't paying attention, only attention to her eldest son

" He was such a handsome boy, of course it doesn't matter how he looks... but he was going to be married..." Mrs. Weasley started

" What do you mean he was?" Fleur asked, " You think Bill will not wish to marry me anymore? You think because of these bites he will not love me?"

" That's not what I" Mrs. Weasley started

" He will" Fleur stated, " It will take more than a few bites for Bill to stop loving me"

" No, that's not what I meant, I meant now the way he looks, maybe you" Mrs. Weasley started

" What? That I stopped loving him?" Fleur asked, " I don't care how he looks, I care what's in his heart"

Mrs. Weasley smiled and it looked like Mrs. Weasley was starting to see Fleur in a different light

" You see" Tonks said glaring at Lupin, " She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care"

" It's different" Lupin said looking tense, " Bill will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely..."

" I DON'T CARE" Tonks yelled, " I'VE TOLD YOU THAT A MILLION TIMES"

" And I told you a million times that I'm too old for you, too poor and... too dangerous" Lupin said

" Remus you are being ridiculous" Mrs. Weasley said

" I am not" Lupin said, " Tonks deserves somebody young and whole"

" But she wants you" Mr. Weasley said with a smile

Hagrid came into the Hospital wing

" I... I moved him someplace safe, Professor McGonagall... Professor Sprout got the kids back in bed and Flitwick is lying down but he'll be alright in a while, and Professor Slughorn said the Ministry's been informed" Hagrid said

" Thank you Hagrid, I shall talk to the Ministry when they get here, Hagrid can you ask the heads of houses... Slughorn can represent Slytherin... that I want to see them in my office as soon as possible? I would like you to join us too" McGonagall said

Hagrid nodded and left

" Before I speak to them, Harry, Brenda will you come up to my office for a bit?" McGonagall asked

The Potter twins nodded and followed McGonagall not to her office but to Dumbledore's office... which would now be her office since she's the new Headmistress since she was the Deputy Headmistress when Dumbledore was alive

They sat down in the chairs and McGonagall got right to the point

" I would like to know what you and Professor Dumbledore were doing this evening when you left the school" McGonagall said

" We can't tell you that professor" Harry said

" But it might be important" McGonagall said

" It is" Brenda said, " Very important, but he didn't want us to tell anyone"

Professor McGonagall glared at the Potters, " Mr. and Ms. Potter, in the light of Professor Dumbledore's death, I think you must see that the situation has changed somewhat"

" We don't think so" Harry and Brenda said together

" Professor Dumbledore never told us to stop following his orders if he died" Harry said

" But" Professor McGonagall started

" No but's professor, if Dumbledore didn't tell you, then he had a very good reason behind it all" Brenda said firmly

Before anybody could say anything else the door opened and The heads of houses came in

" SNAPE" Slughorn yelled, he also looked shaken and pale looking, " I... I taught him, I thought I knew him"

" We all thought we did" McGonagall said, " I want to talk about what happens to Hogwarts before the minister arrives... personally, I am not convinced that the school should reopen next year. The death of the headmaster at the hands of one of our own is a terrible stain upon Hogwarts's history"

" I am sure Dumbledore would have wanted the school to remain open" Professor Sprout said, " I feel that if a single pupil wants to come, then the school ought to remain open for that pupil"

" But will we have a single pupil after this?" Slughorn asked, " Parents will want to keep their children at home and I can't say I blame them, Personally, I don't think we're in more danger at Hogwarts than we are anywhere else, but you can't expect mothers to think like that. They'll want to keep their families together... it's only natural"

The teachers talked for a little while longer and decided to let the governors decide if the school should open or close

" Now, what are we going to do about Dumbledore's funeral?" McGonagall asked, " I know that Dumbledore wished to be laid to rest at Hogwarts"

" Then that's what will happen" Harry and Brenda spoke up

" Yes, if the Ministry thinks its appropriate" McGonagall said, " No other Headmaster or Headmistress has ever been..."

" No other headmaster or headmistress ever gave more to this school" Hagrid growled

" Hogwarts should be Dumbledore's final resting place" Flitwick said firmly

" Yes" Spout said

" And in that case" Harry said, " The students shouldn't be sent home until after the funeral. They'd want to stay" Brenda started

" And say... " Harry started

" Goodbye" Harry and Brenda gasped together with unshed tears in their eyes

" Well said" Flitwick said, " Very well said, our students should pay tribute, it is fitting and we can arrange transportation home afterwards"

They all agreed to have the students stay and then the Potters left

" Harry, can you come down with me to the apartment? All of my things are there and I really don't want to go down alone" Brenda said

" Of course Brenda" Harry said and they walked down towards the dungeons and to the apartment

" Password" Grandfather Severus asked

Brenda glared at Grandfather Severus

" What's your problem?" Grandfather Severus asked

" Lily pad" Brenda spat and Grandfather Severus opened up

" Now will you tell me what's wrong?" Grandfather Severus asked

" Oh like you don't know, Snape killed Dumbledore" Brenda spat, " Your grandson killed Dumbledore. There happy? Another Gryffindor is dead"

" Why are you taking it out on me? I'm just a portrait" Grandfather Severus said

Brenda rolled her eyes and led Harry into her bedroom and waved her wand to get all of her things into her trunk and she waved her wand again just in case she missed anything

" Grandfather Severus... I have a question for you" Brenda said a little calmer

" What?" Grandfather Severus asked

" Who is HJP?" Brenda asked

Grandfather Severus smiled, " Harry James Potter, Gee Brenda, he's only been your brother for six years... all your life if you knew it"

" You know who I mean, don't play dumb, I am so not in the mood" Brenda said

Grandfather Severus frowned and nodded, " HJP stands for Henry James Prince, he was my grandfather and one of your great grandfathers, he was excellent at potions... and actually theres a potions lab in your bedroom at Snape manor, did you know that? Of course you did, I knew about that, Severus knows about that"

Brenda looked surprised

" There's not much you can get past Severus, but he doesn't know how to get to the lab and he doesn't know what you're making" Grandfather Severus said

" How is this Henry Prince related to us?" Harry asked

Grandfather Severus smiled, " I think it's time for a story of your heritage... Lets see... ok, first of all Snape manors real name is Spinners End and a long long time ago there lived a boy named Henry James Prince and he had your room Brenda and he made his potions in that lab, when he grew up he inherited that manor and called it Prince Manor because that was his last name and to him it sounded better than Spinners End, well Henry married and they had two kids, a boy and a girl, they were twins like you, the boy's name was Severus and the girls name was Jamison... Severus married my mother who's last name was Black and Jamison married Harold Potter and Potter loved his wife so much that he named his first son after her and the masculine name of Jamison is James... My father named me after himself. The first James Potter married and had a son and named him Harold James after his father... I married and we had a girl and we named her Eileen Elizabeth Prince, Eileen from my wife's mothers name and Elizabeth from my wife's name... The second Harold Potter married and had James Harold Potter... do you see the pattern here?"

" Yes" Harry and Brenda said

" Elieen married that muggle Tobias Snape and they had Severus the third which is your professor and James Harold Potter married your mother Lily Brenda Evans and had you two Harry James Potter and Brenda Lilian Potter... Lily is short for Lilian" Grandfather Severus said

Brenda rolled her eyes

" How come my name isn't Harold then?" Harry asked

" James really didn't like the name Harold but he wanted to stick with the family tradition and he really liked the name Harry which is a form of Harold, besides, nobody called their babies Harold anymore" Grandfather Severus said, " So there you go, that's your heritage" Grandfather Severus said

" Wait, who did everybody marry?" Brenda asked, " Who are we related to?"

Grandfather Severus smiled, " Well you're related to the Blacks, the Malfoy's the Prince's of course, go back far enough... the Weasleys I think, the Parkinsons, McGonagalls... mostly all purebloods are related to oneanother but you're mostly related to the Princes, Blacks and Malfoys... but if you wanted to marry any one of them, your relation goes far back enough"

Brenda smiled, " Well I'm not going to marry Snape"

" I'm not going to marry Bellatrix and Narcissa is already married and I'm not going to marry her" Harry said

" And I am not going to marry Draco Malfoy, he's a prat and he almost succeeded killing Katie Bell and Ron Weasley" Brenda said

" You're dating one of the Weasley twins anyway and you two are really close, I was just informing you" Grandfather Severus said, " So when is your dad going to be back?"

" My dad is dead" Brenda said

" How did that happen?" Grandfather Severus asked shocked

" Oh didn't you know? He died sacrificing his life so Harry and I could live, it only happened fifteen years ago" Brenda said

Grandfather Severus rolled his eyes, " Not James, Severus"

" Oh Snape?" Brenda asked, " I thought you said my dad"

" I did" Grandfather Severus said a little confused

" I only have one dad and he died when I was a baby" Brenda said

" Brenda don't be like that" Grandfather Severus said with a glare

" My dad is not a death eater, and doesn't kill innocent people... Snape was the one who told Voldemort where we were hiding, that is not fatherly love... now what our real father did now that was love, you tell your grandson that I disown him and the next time I see him, he's going to Azkaban prison for life, even if I have to drag him there myself" Brenda said through tears of rage

" I... I'll give him... I'll give him the message" Grandfather Severus said shocked

" You do that" Brenda whispered sadly

" Do you have everything?" Harry asked

Brenda waved her wand around once more and nodded, " Let's go"

They headed towards the exit but it wouldn't open

" Severus Prince" Brenda said firmly

Grandfather Severus went to the portrait and opened up

" I'm Grandfather Severus... Brenda" Grandfather Severus said

" You're no grandfather of mine, you're Snape's grandfather... not mine... see you around the school... maybe" Brenda said then the Potters walked out of the dungeon leaving a stunned portrait hanging with his mouth open

" Severus what did you do?" Grandfather Severus thought to himself

Harry and Brenda headed up to Gryffindor Tower and saw the Fat Lady crying and she let them in without the password

Harry and Brenda looked at each other and went towards their separate dorms to talk to Ron and Hermione

" Hi Brenda, what did McGonagall want to talk to you about?" Hermione asked sadly

" They're thinking about closing the school" Brenda said

" Yah... Lupin said they would" Hermione said, " So did you and Harry find a Horcrux?"

" We went to the spot and it was a challenge just getting to it... Dumbledore went through so much... he had to drink this potion that made him be in agony and at the bottom was a locket... but it wasn't Slytherin's locket, it was a fake, somebody already took the Horcrux and put a fake in it's place... he wrote a note and signed it R.A.B... we don't know who it could be... right now I just want to go to bed and wake up tomorrow and have all of this be one big nightmare" Brenda said getting ready for bed

Over the next couple of days after the event parents were taking their kids out of school and bringing them home, Hogsmeade has never been more crowded as people purchase rooms and wait for the funeral so they can pay their last respects, Bill finally woke up and he now liked rare steaks

Harry and Brenda kept thinking at night on what they must do, but they really didn't want to do it, Fred and George spent their nights in the Gryffindor Tower, with permission from McGonagall of course and it made Brenda feel better that Fred was with her through this terrible time, she didn't know how to... she couldn't even finish the thought it was so horrible and it made her cry at night just thinking about it

" How could I have missed it" Harry asked one night

" What?" Ron asked

" I was just thinking about what the portrait of Snape's grandfather said, he told us basically our heritage from what he knew about it, Eileen Prince married a muggle named Tobias Snape" Harry said

" So?" Ron asked

" Snape's just like Voldemort" Brenda said quietly, " Both have muggle fathers and pureblood mothers, ashamed of their parentage, gave themselves new names... Lord Voldemort and the Half Blood Prince... how could Dumbledore miss those similarities?"

" He really trusted Snape" Harry said

" Yah... well he wasn't the only one" Brenda said sadly and she got up, " I'm going to bed"

" I don't think she likes it when we talk about Snape" Hermione said

" But she saw Snape kill Dumbledore, she hates him as much as we do" Harry said, " You should have seen the rage on her face that night"

" And she still very sad, Snape was her dad for four years, guardian for two of those years, she learned to love and trust him like any daughter should" Hermione said

" I don't know how she could love a man like him" Ron said

" Well she did and now that her whole life turned upside down in just a few minutes, it's a lot to take in, it's still fresh in her mind and she feels very betrayed, hurt... and she's scared, she doesn't know what's going to happen to her during the summer because before Snape, she had no place to go" Hermione said

" She can stay with us like she does" Ron said

" Maybe" Hermione said, " But Dumbledore was all about blood protection and Snape was that since the Potters are related to the Prince's and Snape is a Prince... last name not title"

" Well all purebloods are related" Ron said

" Grandfather Severus said the Weasleys are very distant from the Potters, where it might not work" Harry said

Ron sighed, " Well then where can she go?"

" I don't know, the Dursleys won't let her stay there, they told her that at Kings Cross after first year when all she wanted to do was say hi... though I don't know why she wanted to do that" Harry said

" Family, Harry, she has even littler family then you and she wanted to meet them" Hermione said

That night Brenda cried herself to sleep, she was sad for her dad... no... Snape, she was sad for Dumbledore and she was sad for what she has to do that she really doesn't want to do

The next day was the funeral and the day that everybody left Hogwarts so all the students were packed and ready to go after the funeral, down in the Great Hall everybody was quiet and were wearing their best outfits but nobody was eating, they were all too sad, Harry and Brenda saw that Snape's place at the head table was occupied by the minister of magic

" I bet he's looking for us" Brenda thought

" Most likely" Harry thought

" Oh look, Percy finally arrived, I bet he's only here because Scrimgeour told him to come, I wonder if he even knows about Bill" Brenda thought

" He probably doesn't care" Harry thought

After breakfast that not many people ate, the students were led out of the castle by their heads of houses and into the grounds for the funeral, there was a large marble table in front of thousands of chairs. The students got to sit where they wanted and Brenda sat with Fred who put his arm around her in comfort

Brenda looked around and saw many people she wished weren't there

" Harry, the pink toad and the beetle are here" Brenda thought

" Well we all know what Skeeter is up to, but I wonder what Umbridge is up to" Harry thought

" She's actually not wearing anything pink" Brenda thought

Finally after everybody was seated the ceremony began with the merpeople singing, to anybody who didn't know the language it sounded like gibberish but to the select few who could understand their language above water it sounded very pretty and sad, Brenda was one of those few because of her wand and that she turned into a mermaid like Arial on the Little Mermaid when she was in the Triwizard tournament , it was then that she knew she could understand their language and it surprised her

" Are you ok?" Fred asked when he felt her jump

" I'm fine, I just never realized how beautiful the merpeople can sing" Brenda whispered

" You think that screeching is beautiful?" Fred asked shocked

" I turned into a mermaid in my fourth year, I guess I can still understand them" Brenda said

During the song a teary eyed Hagrid walked down the isle carrying Dumbledore's body that was wrapped in a purple cloth with stars and moons on it

Everybody was quiet as Hagrid put Dumbledore's body on the table

A minute later a white haired man went to the front and said words that didn't mean anything because it didn't define Dumbledore... it would be better if the guy said that Dumbledore's favorite candy were lemon drops and he always saw the good in people

" I don't think this guy knows Dumbledore at all" Harry thought

" It's the thought that counts, but he should say nitwit oddment blubber and tweak... that is what Dumbledore says a lot during dinner, Dumbledore was a child at heart and a brave commander in battle, that is what this guy should say, I think we should say the speech, we'd be better at it" Brenda said

Harry agreed

They didn't pay much attention to the funeral, they started thinking about Dumbledore and that nightmare a few days ago

They got out of their thoughts when some people screamed when bright white flames erupted around Dumbledore's body on the table where it lay, the next thing anybody knew, Dumbledore's body was in the tomb where he will forever rest. The next thing that happened was a shower of arrows that soared through the air but didn't hit the people, many people turned around and saw the centaurs turn around and go back in the forest

The funeral was now over and everybody was getting up to show their last respects to the wise old wizard that many of them had for either a headmaster or a teacher

Harry and Brenda looked at each other and without thinking to each other nodded then looked at their girlfriend and boyfriend

" This is going to be hard" Brenda thought

" You can do it Brenda" Harry thought

Brenda nodded and silently sighed, " Fred... I need to talk to you"

" Ok, what about?" Fred asked

" Um... can we go by the lake?" Brenda asked

Fred looked scared now, " Um... yah sure"

They walked towards the lake in silence and made sure they were alone

" What is it that you wanted to talk about?" Fred asked

Brenda sighed then looked Fred in the eye, " Fred... " She started

" Yes" Fred asked getting really scared

" Fred I... I can't be involved with you anymore" Brenda said real fast

Fred blinked confused, " What?"

" I... I'm breaking up with you" Brenda said

" But... But why?" Fred asked

" Because there's a good chance that I'm not going to see the end of this war and I don't want you to worry about me... we are not meant to be together" Brenda said

" Of course we are... I love you" Fred said taking Brenda by the shoulders

" How can you love somebody who risks her life every year? We are not meant to be together, and I think it's time to break up" Brenda said

" Well I don't" Fred said, " Does this have to do with... Voldemort?"

Brenda nodded, " Snape is a death eater and he knows we've been together, if we stay together Voldemort will come after you to get to me, I don't want to see you get hurt over my behalf"

" I'm not going to get hurt" Fred said

" Oh yah" Brenda asked starting to glare, " Look at your family history since your family met the Potters, first it was Ginny who got hurt in the chamber, then it was your dad who was bit by that snake, then it was Ron who was posioned and now it was Bill who was attacked by Greyback... who's next? You? Your mum? George, Charlie, Percy? Snape already knows we've dated, if we break up though, there's no reason for them to come after you"

" Brenda my whole family are blood traitors, whether I am your boyfriend or not, we're still targeted" Fred said

" Fred, you're safer away from Harry and me" Brenda said, " I don't want you to get hurt"

" I won't get hurt, you can trust me on that" Fred said

Brenda looked down and at her ring then looked up and looked Fred right in the eye, " No... I can't" She then took her promise ring off and put it in Fred's hand

" Brenda" Fred started

" No Fred... I cannot trust you not to get hurt, it's over, we are through... maybe... maybe if everything in the end comes out right... maybe we can get back together... but... don't hold your breath... I'll give you back the unicorn as well" Brenda said

" No, keep that... that's yours... nobody has to know it's from me" Fred said

Brenda nodded and left Fred standing by the lake holding the ring

Brenda and Harry bumped into each other while they were walking away from their boyfriend and girlfriend

" Did you?" Harry asked

" Yah you?" Brenda asked

" Yah" Harry said

" That was the hardest thing I ever had to do" Brenda said

" I know what you mean" Harry said, " Ginny seemed to take it well though"

" Fred didn't" Brenda said and didn't say anything after that

They started walking up towards the castle when they heard their names being called

" Oh great Scrimgeour again" Brenda thought

" What do you want minister?" Harry asked

" I want to have a word with you two" Scrimgeour said, " The word is that you two were with him when he left the school the night he died"

" Who said that?" Brenda asked

" That's just what I heard, oh and we found three broomsticks where Dumbledore was killed, the ministry can put two and two together you know" Scrimgour said

" Well it's good that the ministry can do math" Harry said, " But where we went with Dumbledore and what we did is my sisters and my business... he didn't want people to know"

" Such loyalty is admirable, of course" Scrimgeour said who seemed irritated, " But Dumbledore is gone"

Harry and Brenda glared at the minister, " He will only be gone from the school when none here are loyal to him" They said at the same time and smiled to themselves, they said something like that during their second year as well

" Potters, nobody can return from the grave, not even the Great Dumbledore" Scrimgeour said

" We're not saying he can. You wouldn't understand and we have nothing to tell you" Brenda said

Scrimgeour was about to say something else

" Don't waste your breath minister, we are Dumbledore's through and through, nothing you say will change our minds" Brenda said coldly

Scrimgeour was about to say something but then changed his mind and glared at the Potters then walked away, the Potters headed towards the castle again and Ron and Hermione caught up to them

" What did he want?" Ron asked

" Basically the same thing he wanted at Christmas" Harry said

They saw Percy catch up to Scrimgeour

" Can I run up to him and punch him?" Ron asked

" No Ronald" Hermione said

" But it'll make me feel better" Ron said

The four laughed a little at that but then Hermione frowned, " How can they close down Hogwarts? I can't bear the idea that we might never come back"

" Well maybe it won't close" Ron said, " We're not in any more danger here than we are at home, I still think Hogwarts is safer since it has more protection than home does... what do you two think?"

" We're not coming back even if it does open" Harry and Brenda said together

Ron looked shocked but Hermione didn't

" I knew you were going to say that. But what will you two do?" Hermione asked

" We're going back to the Dursleys' once more, because Dumbledore wanted us to have blood protection," Harry said, " It's going to be a short visit and then we're gone for good"

" Hold on... We?" Ron asked

" Yes, both Brenda and me" Harry said

" Both of you?" Hermione asked

" Blood protection" Brenda said as an answer

" Will they let you stay?" Ron asked

" We'll have the order on our side and the order will make them let me stay, we have it all planned out" Brenda said

" Of course we just planned it out this morning" Harry thought

" But we planned the rest out for a few days now" Brenda thought

" I hope we can get some of the order with us or our planning would have been for nothing" Harry thought

" Well we know we can get Lupin, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasly if nobody else is available, they know how serious it is we go to the Dursleys"

" Where will you go if you don't come back to school?" Hermione asked not realizing the Potters were having a quiet conversation

" We thought we might go back to Godric's Hollow" Harry said, " We want to visit our parents' graves"

" And then?" Ron asked

" And then we look for the rest of the Horcruxes" Brenda said firmly, " There are four of them left and we have to find and destroy them before we can go after Voldemort and destroy is sorry ass"

" We're going with you" Ron said

" What? No" Harry and Brenda said together

" We were with you through it all, we're not going to stop now" Hermione said firmly, " We are the Golden four and nothing is going to change that, we stick together through thick and thin"

" But before we do that, we have to stay at my parents' house before we do anything" Ron said

" Why?" Brenda asked

" Bill and Fleur's wedding of course" Ron said, " We can't miss it"

Harry and Brenda looked at each other and nodded, they had a very busy year ahead of them

Later that afternoon Lupin and Moody of the Order of the Phoenix apparated both Potters, their trunks, brooms and owls to Number four Private Drive

" This is going to be interesting" Harry said as he knocked on the door

Outside it sounded like a baby elephant was running down the stairs but it was just Dudley who answered the door and he had wide eyes

" MOM DAD HARRY'S BACK AND SO IS THAT BRENDA GIRL... AND SOME OTHER PEOPLE" Dudley yelled

A minute later Vernon and Petunia were at the door

" What are you freaks doing here?" Vernon asked, " I got that bloody pigeon about Potter not coming on that train but he didn't need to be escorted"

" We are here, to not only drop off your nephew, but also your niece as well" Lupin said

" I only house one of them" Vernon said, " Get in here boy"

" And now you house both of them" Moody said gruffly

" What happened to Severus Snape?" Petunia asked

" Maybe we should take this inside" Lupin suggested

" Don't want the neighbors to hear" Harry added

Petunia's eyes widened and nodded beckoning the group inside

" So where's the guy that took her away when those dementy things made my son sick?" Vernon asked

" We don't know where he is" Lupin said

" But he should be either killed or in Azkaban" Moody said gruffly

Brenda silently gasped when Moody said killed

" What happened?" Petunia asked

" He killed Albus Dumbledore" Lupin said

" I never did like that boy, he always hung around Lily and he was very weird... and freaky" Petunia said

" So he kills someone and we get dumped with his ward?" Vernon asked, " What do we get out of it?"

" Protection" Moody said, " Blood wards protect you until the Potters are seventeen" Moody said

" Protection? Protection from what?" Vernon asked

" Voldemort" Moody said, " And his death eaters... we also added our own wards to the protection since Snape got in once"

" We can't house both Potters, we have no room" Petunia said

" And I don't think she'll fit in the cupboard" Vernon said thinking

" She is not sleeping in that thing, it's cold and drafty, even in the summer, not to mention cramped" Harry said knowing from experience

" You slept in a cupboard?" Moody asked

" Until I was eleven... yes" Harry said red in the face

" Fine, the cupboards out" Vernon growled

" Why can't she sleep in the guest bedroom?" Harry asked

" Because Marge is coming over tomorrow and she's staying for a few weeks" Vernon said

" Oh great" Harry thought

" And I want no funny business from you two" Vernon warned pointing a finger at them both, " I remember what you did last time she was here Harry"

Harry tried not to smirk because that was funny

" Brenda and I can share my bedroom" Harry said

" We don't have an extra bed" Petunia said

" I can take care of that" Lupin said, " Harry lead me to your bedroom"

Harry nodded and led Lupin and Moody towards his bedroom

They went up the stairs and went towards the door, and Harry opened it

Moody and Lupin looked around and they're faces were blank

" Well... I... uh like what you did with the place" Lupin said

Harry chuckled, " Yah right, there's nothing in here"

" You actually sleep on this thing?" Moody asked sitting on the bed, " Well I'm fixing that, you're going to sleep on a bed that feels like the beds at Hogwarts" He pulled out his wand and flicked it and the bed changed to one like hogwarts, with all the blankets and pillows that go with them, " Now I'll conjure one for you Brenda on the other side of this room" he conjured another bed on the other side of the room, " Try them out"

They tried their beds out and they were comfortable

" They're perfect" Harry said with a smile, " Thank you"

" You're welcome" Moody said

" Brenda, just put Angel on the desk next to Hedwig" Harry said since Brenda was still holding Angel's cage

Brenda nodded and did as she was told

" Take out your trunks and I'll enlarge them for you" Lupin said taking out his wand

Harry and Brenda took their trunks out and Lupin enlarged them

" Can you put a lightening charm on them please?" Harry asked

Lupin nodded

" Thank you" They said together

" Well, why don't we go back downstairs and talk to your aunt and uncle again?" Lupin asked

Harry nodded and the four started heading back downstairs

" Brenda before we go down, take out your wand, Marauders map and invisibility cloak and leave them up here, Uncle Vernon will make us leave our trunks with everything in them down in the cupboard" Harry said

" And he was thinking about me sleeping in there?" Brenda asked, " Vernon is weird"

Harry nodded

They took out their valuables, Brenda also took out her unicorn and blanket that turns into a dress

" You're still keeping those?" Harry asked pointing to the blanket from Snape and the unicorn from Fred, " Well I understand the unicorn but..."

" And I'm also keeping the shoes and necklace... I had McGonagall check for curses or spells on everything and their all right" Brenda said unpacking what she wanted which also included her muggle clothes and some money, " I don't see why we have to put these in the cupboard and not on the side of our beds"

" No freaky stuff" Harry said as he lifted his secret hiding spot

Brenda rolled her eyes and stared wide eyed at the hiding spot

" I made this during our first summer back" Harry said, " I wasn't about to keep my wand locked up, even though I only knew a few spells that were kind of useless"

" Well, Lumos is kind of handy when it's dark" Brenda joked

Harry smiled and started putting their stuff in the secret hiding spot that needed hidden

They headed downstairs carrying their trunks down and their brooms on top

" Put those things in the cupboard" Vernon ordered

They did as they were told and Vernon locked the door

" How are they supposed to do their homework?" Moody asked

" They do it when I say they do it" Vernon said, " Now is there anything else? Or can you now get out of my house?"

" We'll be back on their birthday" Moody reminded them again

" Yes yes, now get out" Vernon said waving his hand

" You need to get out too" Lupin said

" WHAT? NOW THAT WASN'T PART OF THE DEAL" Vernon yelled

" When they turn seventeen the blood wards disappear and every death eater will be here to kill your family" Lupin said

Vernon's face turned white, " I KNEW IT WAS A BAD IDEA TO TAKE HIM IN, AND NOW MY FAMILY IS GOING TO DIE BECAUSE OF YOU LOT"

" No they're not, we're going to take you to a safe place and you'll be guarded" Moody said, " Just be ready by the end of July... come on Lupin we got to go"

Lupin nodded then turned to the Potters, " Harry, Brenda you two stay inside as much as possible, they can't get you in here"

" Yes sir" Harry and Brenda said

" We'll come for you on your birthday, right at midnight, be ready"

" Yes sir" Harry and Brenda said

" Good luck" Lupin said with a smile

Harry and Brenda nodded and watched as Lupin left

" You can uncover your bottom Dudley, they're gone" Brenda said with a grin

Dudley cautiously uncovered his bottom with his hands

" Harry why does he do that?" Brenda thought

" Hagrid gave him a pigs tail when he came to get me and he's been afraid ever since" Harry thought amused

" Well... Brenda, you're not going to laze around every day like you're probably used to, you're going to work to earn your keep, and to start you and Harry can start making dinner" Vernon ordered, " Chicken parmesan with noodles"

" Yes Uncle Vernon" Harry said and headed towards the kitchen

" I am not lazy" Brenda whispered

" What did you say girl?" Vernon asked

" Nothing" Brenda said heading towards the kitchen and getting a feel of it

It took them about forty five minutes to make the chicken parmesan and ten minutes to boil the noodles

" Now we have to serve them" Harry thought

" And Vernon thought I was lazy" Brenda said, " No wonder those two are fat"

" Well that's the way things work around here" Harry thought, " Tomorrow, watch out for Aunt Marge's dog Ripper, he's as mean as she is"

Brenda nodded

" You two seem very quiet, what? Got nothing to say?" Vernon asked after Brenda handed him his plate

" Just... thinking" Brenda said with a smile

" Um... thank you Harry" Dudley whispered when Harry gave him his plate

Harry looked startled, " Um... you're welcome"

The two left the kitchen and headed upstairs

" That was odd, he never thanks me" Harry thought

" You think he's changed for the better?" Brenda thought

Harry shrugged

They spent the rest of the night thinking about what their plans would be once they got out of here

Petunia came up three hours after dinner with a few sandwiches and two glasses of water for them and a bedsheet, tape and a piece of string

" This is for splitting the room up in two parts, I don't like thinking of a boy and girl at your age sharing the same room" Petunia said

" Um... thank you aunt Petunia" Brenda said with a smile as she took the string, sheet and tape from her

" You're welcome" Petunia said and to Harry's shock she helped them put it up

They taped the string from the window to the door then they draped the sheet over the string and evened it out, this made it so it was like a curtain that they can pull away if they wanted eye contact or pull to have some privacy

" Good night you two" Petunia said and left before they could say good night back

" Wow that was nice of her" Brenda said taking a sandwhich

" Well she does have a point" Harry said taking a sandwhich as well

They took their bread off and gave it to the owls and just ate the inside which was ham and cheese, with no mayo so it was good to give the owls

" This is going to be a very long year" Brenda said sitting on her bed

Harry nodded, " We should get some sleep, Marge tomorrow"

Brenda nodded and they shut the homemade curtain for privacy and got ready for bed

" Good night Harry" Brenda said

" Good night Brenda" Harry said

The next morning Petunia woke them up at 6:00

" You need to clean this house up so it will be ready for Marge and... Ripper" Petunia said in a rush and handed them two pieces of buttered toast each and a glass of water

" Marge breeds Bull dogs and Ripper is her favorite and he goes everywhere with her" Harry thought to Brenda

" Does he attack strangers?" Brenda thought

" Well he did chase me up a tree when I was younger, but other than that, he hasn't messed with me, I kind of stare him down a lot, don't worry, I won't let him mess with you" Harry thought

Brenda smiled

" Lets hurry and eat then clean the house, we need to air out the guest bedroom sheets and stuff, they always wait till the last minute before they tell me, and I have to do everything" Harry complained in thought

" Now this time you have help" Brenda thought finishing up her toast and water

Harry smiled and nodded then they got to work on the house

Vernon was trying to watch t.v. when Brenda was trying to vacuum in the same room and Vernon kept glaring at her

" Well if you want this done then I suggest you stop glaring, I am doing this on Aunt Petunia's orders, I'm sorry I can't make the vacuum quiet for you" She said the last part sarcastically

" You better watch yourself girl" Vernon warned

" Uncle Vernon I have a name and it's not girl, it's Brenda, and I suggest you start using it" Brenda said with a glare

Vernon stood up and started going towards her

" Vernon, leave her alone, I told her to vacuum in here" Petunia said and gave Brenda a warning look

" Brenda don't make Uncle Vernon angry" Harry warned through thought

" Well tell her to do the vacuuming later, I'm trying to watch my show" Vernon said

" Ok Vernon, Brenda you can start mopping the floors and vacuum later" Petunia said

" Yes Aunt Petunia" Brenda said and she put the vacuum back in the closet where she found it

" Good, now get to mopping the floors" Vernon said and went back to his show, " Rotten lazy girl, probably never did a decent chore in her life"

" And here you are watching t.v." Brenda whispered out of ear shot and started mopping with Petunia just watching her silently

Brenda finished the mopping in ten minutes and saw Petunia just watching her

" Ok, I'm done, what's next?" Brenda asked

Petunia didn't say anything just kept starring at her

" Aunt Petunia?" Brenda asked

Petunia just looked at her

Harry came down from dusting the guest bedroom

" What's wrong with Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked

" I don't know, she's like in a trance or something" Brenda said

Harry waved his hand in front of Petunia's face, " Aunt Petunia?"

Petunia woke up from wherever she was, " What? Oh... sorry... I was just... thinking"

" About what?" Brenda asked

Petunia glared, " None of your business, now get back to work"

" We're finished mopping and dusting" Harry said

" Well then... mow the lawn Harry and Brenda... polish the gold and silver, everything has to be perfect for when Marge gets here" Petunia commanded

" Yes Aunt Petunia" Harry and Brenda said together and went to do as they were told

It didn't take long for Brenda to polish the gold and silver, there wasn't much and then she was told to water the garden, and there were a lot of flowers to be watered

Brenda came back in from watering and Aunt Petunia told her she can finish the vacuuming

An hour later Vernon left to go pick up Marge from the train

" Now when Marge gets here, I want no funny business, like last time" Petunia warned and glared at Harry

Harry rolled his eyes

" I thought the ministry was supposed to take care of that" Brenda thought

" They did, just didn't erase their memory of it" Harry thought

" Mom when is Aunt Marge going to be here? And is she going to give me that game she promised me?" Dudley asked from the living room playing a video game

" Yes she is popkin, she called last night and told us when to pick her up and she told me she's bringing the game you wanted, she was sorry she missed your birthday and so she's making it up to you" Petunia said

Dudley smiled, " So what's for dinner?"

" I'm making meatloaf, potatoes, corn and hot fluffy rolls and apple pie and ice cream for dessert" Petunia said with a smile and gave her son a hug

" Mmm sounds good" Dudley said, " I'm glad I'm off that stupid diet"

" Me too Popkin, me too" Petunia said

Harry and Brenda stayed in the living room and watched Dudley play his new game system he got for his birthday

" So Dudley are you going to get your drivers license soon?" Brenda asked

" Not yet, I haven't studied the manual, or practiced at all, this is as far as I got with driving" Dudley said and he crashed into a wall, " As you can see, I'm not very good, what about you?"

" Um... our kind don't drive much, we prefer flying" Brenda said awkwardly

" That sounds more fun than driving" Dudley said

" Really? I thought you didn't like anything that has to do with magic" Brenda said

Dudley pushed pause on his game

" That would be my dad, I... I'm kind of scared of it actually" Dudley said and his face turned red, " That hairy giant that came for Harry gave me a pigs tail"

" Yah I heard about that" Brenda said trying to hold her smile, " Is that why you always..."

Dudley's face turned red again and nodded

Brenda smiled, " Dudley, you don't have to worry about getting another pigs tail, that was a one time thing"

" How do you know? Something else could happen to me. Aunt Marge blew up like a balloon when we were thirteen because of Harry's magic" Dudley said

" I didn't mean to do that... besides I didn't even think you were paying attention, you were watching Dancing... something

" Yah I remember" Dudley said embarrassed, " Gee Harry I was horrible to you growing up, we should have been like brothers, we're only about a month apart, what mom and dad did was wrong... what I did was wrong, I should have never invented Harry hunting... I'm sorry... for all of it"

" Wow Big D, you changed" Harry said surprised, " What happened?"

" Counseling at school... after that night when I felt really horrible and cold" Dudley said, " I was so scared and I had to talk to somebody but I couldn't talk to mom and dad because, they would just blame you two... when it wasn't your fault, so I went to a counselor at school and told them my problems without saying the M word or the W words... I decided to turn over a new leaf, I decided to do more around the house... I've been doing laundry and the mowing, mom and dad are shocked, I even clean my own room now... and I don't pick on little kids anymore"

" Thats really good Big D, I'm proud of you" Harry said with a smile

" I am also going to the gym and lifting weights, I don't have my baby fat anymore, I'm big boned and some of this is actually muscle" Dudley said proudly

" Wow you really are changing for the better" Harry said with a smile

" I guess that's what happens when you have a life threatening experience" Dudley said seriously, " So whatever that was that night, do you face that often?"

Harry and Brenda looked at each other and nodded

Dudley shuddered

" Do you want to hear all that we've been through?" Brenda asked, " It's quite an entertaining story now that it's over with"

Dudley looked at the Potters then back at his game and turned it off and nodded

" You think what we did is entertaining? It was horrifying" Harry said

" Well you got to admit, it was thrilling... I'm not saying I liked it, it was just... entertaining... not a dull moment" Brenda said

" Well you got a point there, yah we can tell him what we went through, but not when Uncle Vernon and Aunt Marge is here" Harry said

" Yah... wait a minute, you called her Aunt Marge... why? She's not your aunt" Brenda said

" I was forced to call her that while growing up, it isn't my idea" Harry said

" I think Aunt Marge is nice" Dudley said, " She gives me money and presents all the time"

" And she gives me dog biscuits and calls our parents bums" Harry said sarcastically, " We have different views of her"

Dudley sighed, " I still wish we got along better when we were younger"

Harry nodded and they started with first year

They were in the middle of telling their second year when Vernon pulled in the driveway

" Oh come on, I want to know what happened after you talked to that snake" Dudley said

" I told my friends how I sent that snake after you at the zoo on your birthday" Harry said with a smirk

" Oh" Dudley said and shivered, " Dad shouldn't have starved your for a week like that"

" Yah, well we'll finish up the story later, I got to answer the door" Harry said and he and Brenda went towards the door and Harry opened it and a suitcase was stuffed in his arms

" You're still here?" Marge asked

" Yes" Harry said

" And still use that tone of voice with me" Marge said, " I told you a hundred times Vernon, Orphanage"

Vernon nodded

Ripper the Bull dog came in and saw a stranger and went after Brenda who started climbing up the stairs

" Who's that?" Marge asked calling Ripper down, " Is she maybe Dudley's girlfriend?" She asked hopefully

" RIPPER LEAVE HER ALONE" Harry said and gently kicked the dog away from Brenda

Ripper growled at Brenda then growled at Harry who kicked him

" HARRY DON'T KICK MY RIPPER, OR I'LL KICK YOU" Marge yelled and picked up her dog

" Then tell your dog to leave Brenda alone" Harry said with a glare

" Who is she?" Marge asked, " If she's Dudley's girlfriend then I'm afraid Dudley has no taste in women"

Dudley came out of the living room to meet Aunt Marge

" Hi Aunt Marge" Dudley greeted

" Ooh is that my little nefy pooh, oh you're getting so big and so strong, so handsome" Marge said putting Ripper down and giving Dudley a hug and a kiss on the cheek, " Now tell me, where did you find this tramp?"

" What tramp?" Dudley asked confused

" This red head, surely you can do better than that" Marge said

" Red head? Oh you mean Brenda?" Dudley asked, " She's not a tramp"

" So can I stand up for myself in this situation?" Brenda thought

" Yes... but please don't slap her" Harry thought

" But it's so tempting... and it'll make me feel better" Brenda said using something that Ron said when talking about Percy

" Brenda" Harry thought as a warning

" Ok... how about insulting her?" Brenda asked hopefully

" No, nothing that can get you or me in trouble" Harry thought, " This isn't Hogwarts"

Brenda sighed and glared down at Marge like she's been doing for the past five minutes

" I'm sorry, but I think you can still do better" Marge said

" Do better with what?" Dudley asked very confused

" Well isn't she your girlfriend?" Marge asked, " Because Vernon will not allow the boy here to bring his girlfriend here... though maybe she is the boy's girlfriend"

" Oh for the love of Mer... God" Brenda said coming down the stairs, " I AM NOT DUDLEY'S GIRLFRIEND"

" Don't yell at me girl" Marge said

" Don't call me names then Marge" Brenda spat, " I am no tramp, or anybodies girlfriend"

" Then who are you and what are you doing here?" Marge asked glaring

" I happen to be Harry's sister and Dudley's cousin" Brenda said, " And I am not calling you aunt"

" He doesn't have a sister" Marge said, " He's an orphan that should have been in an orphanage when his very kind aunt and uncle took him in, that ungrateful brat"

Vernon finally came back in with the rest of the suitcases

" What's going on here?" Vernon asked

" Since when does the boy have a sister?" Marge asked with a glare towards the Potters

" Since we were born, we're twins" Brenda said

" Vernon why couldn't you take the boy where the girl was?" Marge asked

" Didn't know she was alive until recently" Vernon lied, " We had to take her in because her guardian killed a man and is on the run from the cops... you two take these suitcases to the guest room and help your aunt fix dinner"

" Yes Uncle Vernon" Harry and Brenda said and took the suitcases by making two trips and put them on the bed

" Looks like she's staying for a while" Brenda thought

" A few weeks, this is going to be a long few weeks" Harry thought, " She loves teasing and making fun of me... she's almost worse than Vernon... just try your best to stay out of her way... and Ripper's"

" My pleasure" Brenda said

They headed back downstairs and to the kitchen to help Petunia make dinner

The Potters didn't get to eat at the table but they had to clear it

" So, where does the girl go to school? How did they find each other and know they are brother and sister?" Marge asked

" Brenda goes to St. Brutus's as well, the girl side is on the other side of a lake, they let the students get together a lot, though I don't know why" Vernon said

" St. Brutus's?" Brenda thought

" It's the cover, First rate institution for hopeless cases" Harry thought, " He's gone over that with me after first year, in case anybody asked"

" Well I suspect they use the cane on you as well right?" Marge asked expecting an answer

Brenda glared and rolled her eyes, " Actually on our side they don't use the cane"

" Far to lenient then" Marge said, " You should whip her good this summer, it's no wonder she back talks"

" They like the more... personal touch... with a paddle or a switch whatever you want to call it" Brenda said sarcastically

" Ah, yes the old switch, hurts a bloody lot I bet" Marge said, " Do you get paddled a lot?"

" Harry what do I say? Yes or no?" Brenda thought

" She'll like it if you say yes, and it'll be in our best interest if we make her happy" Harry thought, " But do what you want, this could get interesting"

" Oh yah, I get in trouble a lot, my guardian... the one who killed a guy, was a teacher on the boy's side and I'd stay with him a lot for punishment, he taught... Chemistry"

" How did you stay with him if he taught on the boy's side?" Marge asked

" Teachers have their own quarters in between the girls' and boys' sides, and teachers on either sides must have a room if they have a child with them, I didn't make up the rules"

" Who was her guardian?" Marge asked Vernon

" His name was Severus Snape, he lived close to my family while growing up, my sister Lily and he were friends and they went to the same school and never turned out right" Petunia said

" Hmm, no wonder this Snape guy was her guardian, friends let friends be the godparents of their kids, it's sick, the government should check records and make sure people are qualified to raise a child, well do your best with this one Vernon, it's a little late but I think you can whip her into shape and then she'll learn her place like the boy is learning" Marge said

" Good idea Marge" Vernon said

" There, a lie within a truth" Brenda thought, " And so far, no aunts have been blown up"

" Yep, bad blood, like what I said last time, it's all bad blood and the godparents have bad blood as well, their other Godfather, you told me he escaped from jail right?" Marge asked

" Yes, and they caught him and he killed himself" Petunia said

" THAT'S A LIE" Brenda yelled

" SIRIUS DIDN'T KILL HIMSELF, HE WAS MURDERED" Harry yelled

" HE WAS ACCUSED OF A CRIME HE DIDN'T COMMIT" Brenda yelled

They were both glaring and the lights started flickering on and off

" Oh no not again" Vernon whined

" Cool" Dudley said in awe

" No sweetums, not cool" Petunia said

" HOW DARE YOU TELL LIES ABOUT OUR GODFATHER AND PARENTS PETUNIA DURSLEY" Brenda yelled, " YOU NEVER EVEN KNEW OUR PARENTS AFTER OUR MOM GRADUATED FROM HER SCHOOL"

" YOU NEVER EVEN MET OUR GODFATHER WHO LOVED US THE FIRST TIME HE MET US AFTER 12 YEARS IN PRISON" Harry said

" FOR A CRIME HE DIDN'T COMMIT" Harry and Brenda said together

" Our parents were not drunks, they were not whores, and our dad didn't work because he didn't have to, he was very very wealthy, and you are just jealous because you will not see a dime of it you greedy pigs" Harry seethed

" And we are not hopeless cases" Brenda said with a glare, " We went to St. Brutus's because Vernon enrolled Harry for no apparent reason and I went because my guardian worked there, it wasn't because we were bad or anything, yes my guardian killed somebody but I wasn't with him all my life, my first family died when I was six and I lived in an orphanage until he adopted me, and he was trusted by all, he not only betrayed the person he killed, he betrayed me as well... WE DO NOT HAVE BAD BLOOD... If anybody does, it would be you"

" How Dare you, after what they did to give you a roof over your head, you yell at them?" Marge asked glaring and standing up

Ripper started growling at the Potters

" SHUT UP MUTT" Brenda yelled and kicked the dog when he came after her

" RIPPER!" Marge yelled and picked her dog up, " Vernon get your belt off, I'm teaching these two a lesson they'll never forget... and then they'll fix the lights"

Vernon got up and gladly gave Marge his belt

Marge folded it once and snapped it, " I'll whip the girl first, she needs to learn her place, come here girl and bend over"

" I don't think so" Brenda seethed and she carefully but quickly got the belt out of Marge's fat hands by playing tug-a-war for a minute and finally pushed her to get the belt away from her then she snapped it in front of Marge's face, " Now you will leave Harry and me alone for the rest of your stay Marjorie Dursley, or you'll see what I can do with just a few ingredients and something to mix it in, I've only met you today, and I already had it up to here"

Brenda snapped the belt again in warning

Marge glared at Brenda

" Now as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, it is you who have bad blood, you see your fifteen month old nephew on your doorstep and you lock him in a cupboard for eleven years, a cupboard, what kind of people would lock a child up in a cupboard? Finally you let him have a bedroom that was Dudley's second bedroom, first of all, a person only needs one, you don't keep broken items, what in the world are you going to do with them? And then you lock him in his room like you did the cupboard and barred up his windows and locked up his owl, the next year you talk bad about his parents, of course he's going to get mad when you tell lies, two years later you got mad at both of us when we saved your son's life by putting ourselves in danger, I ask you... what is wrong with you people? Marge you talk about how the government should check records to see if people are qualified to raise kids? That's a good idea, because I don't think you three are" Brenda said

The lights stopped flickering on and off

" Now if the only think you can talk about is the Potter family, then you three do not have lives" Harry said, " Now why don't you sit down and finish stuffing your faces so we can clean up and go to our room"

" Actually Harry, let's just go to our room, let them clean up for a change" Brenda said

Harry nodded and grabbed the meatloaf sandwiches he and Brenda prepared while the Dursleys were eating and not paying attention and headed upstairs

" I still think that was cool" Dudley said in the quiet

Harry and Brenda went upstairs to their bedroom

" Brenda that was very cool the way we stood up to them like that, and that was awesome how you took the belt away from Marge... you do know we're going to be in trouble for this right?" Harry asked

" Maybe not" Brenda said, " You're sick of taking their crap, so I think they should just leave us alone, we've been through too much and I think they know it"

Harry nodded in agreement and they took the bread off and gave them to the owls and ate their meatloaf and cheese

" Tomorrow we should bring our trunks back up here, it's pointless to leave them down in the cupboard" Brenda said

" Brenda, Uncle Vernon..." Harry started

" To Hell with Uncle Vernon, I'm sick of him bossing you and me around, I've only been here for a couple days and I'm already sick of it, how you could spend almost your whole life with them is beyond me, but for now on, we need to stand up for ourselves, we are sixteen going on seventeen Harry, we're going to face the most dangerous wizard of this time and if we can't face Uncle Vernon and Marge, then we don't stand a chance" Brenda said

Harry thought about it for a minute, " You know what Brenda, you're right, we do need to stand up for ourselves if we ever want to come out on the top of this war"

Harry and Brenda were quiet for the rest of the night deep in their own thoughts and the Dursleys didn't dare go in the Potters' bedroom

The next morning Harry and Brenda got up without anybody yelling for them to get up, which would be the first for Harry and they also slept in until 8:30 compared to their 6:00 time

" Good morning Harry" Brenda said cheerfully

" Good morning Brenda" Harry said cheerfully back

" I think it's a beautiful day to get our trunks and put them by our bed and we can actually go through them and see what we need" Brenda said

" Good idea, lets eat breakfast and do just that" Harry said and they hurried to get ready and headed downstairs

" Well it's about time you two woke up, now I hope you got that rebelliousness out of your systems, now make us breakfast" Vernon said while reading the paper

" You're an adult, make it yourself" Brenda said

" Why you little..." Vernon started and stood up from his seat

" Wow the big purple faced man stood up from his chair" Brenda said and started doing a slow clap

" What's all the commotion?" Marge asked coming into the kitchen and seeing a teasing Brenda and a purple faced Vernon

" What did the little bitch do now?" Marge asked glaring at both Potters

" Oh I'm the bitch, you're the one who breeds them so that makes you the queen of bitches" Brenda said, " And Ripper is the princess"

Marge walked... waddled over to Brenda and angrily slapped her in the face

" You see Vernon, punishment is all it takes" Marge said with a smile

Brenda slapped Marge back, " Careful I fight back"

" I don't know why you're keeping them here any longer, you should have kicked them out last night, with the way they were acting" Marge said to Vernon while holding her cheek where she was slapped by a sixteen year old

" What? You don't like it when the ones you pick on fight back?" Harry asked

" Boy" Vernon threatened

" NO UNCLE VERNON. I AM SICK OF YOU ALL TREATING ME LIKE A SLAVE, ALL MY LIFE SINCE I COULD REMEMBER YOU ABUSED ME, MAYBE NOT PHYSICALLY, BUT MENTALLY AND YOU STARVED ME. WELL I HAD ENOUGH, You know I'm glad Brenda has to stay here, she is exactly what this family needs, a kick in the ass" Harry said, " Or literally, a slap in the face... I am sick of taking all of your bullshit and I'm not doing it anymore, Vernon, if you want breakfast, then make it yourself... or if you're really incapable, have your wife do it, she does it anyway when I'm not here, but really you should learn how to cook yourself instead of laying on your lazy ass every day and calling me worthless when I do all the chores around here. Well not anymore" Harry said

" Good job Harry" Brenda thought with a smile

Harry smiled back

By this time the whole family was in the kitchen and Dudley was trying to hold in a grin

" Now, if you will excuse us while your faces turn from purple to back to normal, we are going to prepare ourselves some breakfast" Brenda said as sweetly as Umbridge

" What are you making?" Dudley asked

" Hmm, I feel like pancakes" Harry said, " What about you Brenda?"

" Mmm, pancakes sound good" Brenda said with a smile

" Um... can I watch you make them and can you... please help me make some?" Dudley asked shyly

Harry looked shocked, " You want to learn how to cook?"

Dudley nodded, " I... I kind of like doing chores sometimes, it keeps me busy and not so bored, when I'm bored I want to eat more... and I'm trying to lose weight without going on that stupid diet I was on"

Harry nodded in understanding and smiled, " We'll be glad to help you"

The adult Dursleys were silent with their mouths open, never in their lives did they see Dudley want to cook or Harry being rebellious to this extent. They knew something has changed and it was in their best interest to leave the Potters alone... Ripper also figured that out because he was giving the Potters a wide berth as well

Harry made one pancake with Dudley watching and then Brenda made one pancake with Dudley watching and then they had Dudley try making a pancake, Dudley did good for his first try, it was just slightly burnt

" Put enough syrup on it and it'll taste all right, I suggest Dudley if you like pancakes a lot, that you should go with the low calorie syrup and foods, lower calories with the same great taste" Brenda said

" Uh... yah, I know, mom bought me some of that" Dudley said awkwardly

" Oh... that's good then" Brenda said with a smile, " And what kind of fruit do you eat?"

Dudley made a face at that

" Fruit is always good for you as a snack instead of cookies, ice cream, chips, etc" Brenda said

" I didn't want to go on a diet" Dudley complained

" I'm not saying you do, whatever you're doing seems to be working, I'm just giving you tips on eating healthier" Brenda said

" There is nothing wrong with my boy eating donuts, bacon, sausage, cookies, ice cream, and chips on a daily basis" Vernon said stepping in, " How dare you tell my son differently"

" Is that what you eat on a daily basis?" Brenda asked

" Yes, and I turned out just fine" Vernon said with a huff

Brenda looked at Vernon and lifted an eyebrow, " Yah... I'm not going there"

Harry stifled a chuckle

" Dad, I like my new lifestyle, I feel better, I have more energy to do stuff, and I'm losing fat and gaining muscle... I really do feel good" Dudley said

" That's wonderful Duddykins" Petunia said with a smile

Dudley shuddered and then looked at the Potters who looked at him with their eyebrows raised

" Dudley we need to talk to you" Harry whispered

Dudley nodded and they exited the kitchen and went outside

" You need to tell your parents that you don't like those nicknames" Harry said

" I can't" Dudley whispered

" You're seventeen and she still calls you Duddykins and Popkin and Dudders, you didn't like it when you were eleven and you don't like it now... you need to tell her what you like being called" Harry said

" Well I don't mind Dudders too much, it's the Duddykins and Popkin that gets to me" Dudley whispered

" So do something about it" Brenda whispered

" But I'm not like you two" Dudley said scared

" You don't have to be a witch or a wizard to stand up to your elders, you just have to have the courage, you had the courage just talking to us yesterday about our world, you had the courage to actually do something about your weight by yourself, you already stood up to your dad today when you told him that you like your new lifestyle, you can find the courage to stand up to your parents again and tell them you don't like those baby nicknames" Brenda said

Dudley thought for a minute, " You really think they'll listen to me?"

" Dudley practically all my life I knew your family they listen to you, they spoil you and you get whatever you want" Harry said

Dudley flushed

" They'll listen to you" Harry said

Dudley sighed and nodded and they went back in the house

" Duddikins are you all right? What did they do to you?" Petunia asked frantic

" Mum, stop calling me Duddikins and Popkin" Dudley said

" What do you mean stop? Petunia asked

" I don't like those nicknames" Dudley said

" What did those brats do to you boy?" Vernon asked and glared at the Potters

" They didn't do anything and they're not brats, their my cousins and your niece and nephew" Dudley said with a glare, " I am sick of you treating them like dirt... and I'm sick of being called Duddikins and Popkin, if you want to call me by a nickname... you can stick with Dudders or Big D, those are the only two nicknames I will accept, but I'd appreciate it if you called me by my name... Dudley" Dudley said

" You... You never minded before, it's those Potters, don't worry sweetums, mummy will kick those two out and everything will go back to normal" Petunia said and she started going over to Dudley to give him a hug

" NO, STOP, and no sweetums either, I hate those nicknames, I hated them ever since I turned eleven" Dudley said

" But you never minded before" Vernon said

" Because I didn't want to hurt your feelings, but now I don't care, I hate those nicknames and I want you to stop" Dudley said, " I want you to stop with the nicknames, and I want you to leave Harry and Brenda alone, they didn't do a thing to hurt us so we shouldn't do a thing to hurt them" Dudley said

" But... But" Vernon stuttered

" But nothing dad, just leave them alone" Dudley said with a glare

Vernon glared, " Fine"

" Good job Big D" Harry said patting Dudley on the back

Dudley smiled

" If you want, we can continue with our story in Harry's bedroom" Brenda said

Dudley smiled and nodded

" After breakfast of course" Brenda said

Dudley nodded again

The teens ate breakfast with the adults still wondering what went wrong and they grabbed some bread for their owls then grabbed their featherlight trunks from the cupboard

" Now see here" Vernon started

" Shut up Vernon, there's nothing wrong with our trunks being with us" Brenda said

" You dare talk to your uncle that way young lady?" Marge asked, " You should be great full that they took you in, and this is how you repay them?"

" Yah well I don't like it when family treats my brother like a slave all his life" Brenda said, " We're getting a bit of... revenge if you will"

" And boy, is it sweet" Harry said with a smile

" Dudley you're going along with them?" Marge asked, " After all that you were taught?"

" I was raised to be a spoiled brat, I don't want to be like that anymore, it won't get me far out in the real world" Dudley said, " I learned that when I was sixteen" He whispered the last part

" You're not a spoiled brat" Petunia protested

" Oh really?" Dudley asked, " I whined because I only got 36 presents for my birthday when I turned eleven, Harry never got a present in his life, I whined when we had to take Harry to the zoo with us instead of leaving him with that cat lady, I threw a fit when you gave him my second bedroom when that should have been his room in the first place, I whined every time he played with one of my toys when we were in elementry school and younger and you always punished him for that, well now I'm older and more mature and I want to do something to change everything, It's not my fault the way I've been acting, I was raised that way, so it's your fault... and if you knew all the stuff I did because I never got in trouble for it... well lets just say I should be the one going to St. Brutus's since I'm the one who picked on little kids who were a lot smaller than me, I'm the one who ruined that playground... I've never been invited to tea, I was the school bully in elementry school, I told all the kids I'd beat them up if they played with Harry, that's why he never had any friends, that is not the way family should act... you shouldn't be treating your family this way"

" Wow, counseling sure helped him" Brenda thought

Harry nodded in agreement

" Come on you two, I want to hear the rest of that story that was getting real good" Dudley said, " Then we all can play my new game Aunt Marge got me"

" I DON'T WANT THOSE FREAKS PLAYING WITH THAT GAME SYSTEM" Vernon yelled

" Well it's my game system and I can choose who I want to play with my things dad" Dudley said

" This is getting better and better, this might be a fun summer after all" Harry thought with a grin

Brenda agreed

Vernon and the other two adults were speechless while the teens went upstairs and got situated for the story

" Wow Big D, talk about standing up to them, that was brilliant" Harry commented

" You think so?" Dudley asked with a smile

" Yah, that counseling sure helped you" Brenda said with a grin

" So can you tell me some more of the story that is your life?" Dudley asked his cousins

Harry and Brenda told him more of their life story then they played the new game Marge bought Dudley

" Big D, you really need to learn how to drive" Harry said that night, they played a lot of games with Dudley and he wasn't really good at driving

" Preferably I think you should start in an empty parking lot" Brenda said

" After you read a drivers manual" Harry added

Dudley nodded, " Dad just doesn't have much time, and then theres that thing where we have to leave... how long do we have to be gone for?"

The Potters frowned, they were having so much fun they were being just regular teenagers, not the saviors of the Wizarding world and Horcrux hunters

" Um... for as long as it takes" Harry said

" It takes to do what?" Dudley asked

" For as long as it takes for us to kill the most dangerous and feared wizard of this time" Brenda said

" But you're sixteen" Dudley said

" Going on seventeen... which is of age in the wizarding world" Brenda said

" And also the time the protection that is put on this house where's off and everybody will be in danger, because most likely there will be death eaters" Harry started

" Death eaters? Dudley interrupted, " Are those the things that you saved me from a year ago?"

" That would be a dementor" Brenda said

" A death eater is... well... think of Hitler and his Nazis... Voldemort would be Hitler and the Death eaters would be Nazis" Brenda said

" And who are the death eaters after?" Dudley asked

" The death eaters are after everybody who appose Voldemort... mostly muggleborns and muggles" Harry said

" Such a hypocrite" Brenda said, " Voldemort is a half blood, his dad was a muggle"

" I take it I'm a muggle?" Dudley asked

The twins nodded

Dudley was quiet for some time

" So where would we go?" Dudley asked

" We don't know, someplace safe, most likely somewhere with a fidelus charm which is a charm that hides a place or people, only one person can tell anybody else where it is that will make the people visible to them, it's because of the secret keeper that our parents had that they were killed... he was also one of our dad's best friends" Harry said

" And Voldemort was searching for us because of Severus Snape over hearing our Headmaster and Divination teacher talk about the prophecy and how we're supposed to kill Voldemort" Brenda said

" Well she really didn't talk about that" Harry thought

" You explain how Trelawny sometimes gets visions and explain a pensieve then" Brenda thought

" Severus Snape... wasn't he your..." Dudley started

Brenda sighed, " Yes he was"

" I'm... sorry" Dudley whispered

Brenda nodded

" So... more fun things about the wizarding world please, lets get off this sad topic" Dudley said trying to change the subject

Harry and Brenda smiled, " Quidditch"

They explained Quidditch for the rest of the day and night

" So there are seven players, three chasers, two beaters, a keeper and a seeker, the chasers score the points, the beaters keep the Blu..."

" Bludgers" Harry said

" The beaters keep the bludgers away...what do bludgers look like?" Dudley asked

" Have you seen a cannon ball like on a pirate movie?" Brenda asked

" Yah" Dudley said

" Bludgers are kind of like cannon balls" Brenda said, " And they hurt when they hit you"

" Wow sounds dangerous, and your school lets students play this?" Dudley asked shocked

Harry and Brenda nodded

" Wow... being a beater sounds cool though" Dudley said with a grin

Harry rolled his eyes, " Continue and see if you can get it all"

" Um... a keeper is like a goalie, he or she guards the goals... and the seeker seeks the golden snitch?" Dudley asked

Harry nodded

" What's a snitch, besides a tattletale" Dudley asked

" A little golden ball that has wings and is wicked fast" Harry said

" You forgot what it tastes like" Brenda joked

Harry rolled his eyes

" What?" Dudley asked

" In first year, our first game of Quidditch, Harry caught the snitch by almost swallowing it" Brenda said

" Well... if you must know... it tastes like metal and the smell of outside air" Harry said

" You can still remember what it tastes like after all this time?" Brenda asked shocked

Harry smiled and nodded

" So is it fun to ride a broom?" Dudley asked

" Wow you're full of questions" Harry said

" Hey you know mom and dad's rule about magic, now that we're being rebellious, I can finally ask questions I've been dying to know, even though I am still scared of magic" Dudley said

" Yes it's fun riding a broom, it like... being on a roller coaster, but without the seatbelt and the guy next to you screaming in your ear" Brenda said with a smile

" We have the fastest brooms made" Harry said getting his out and showing it to Dudley

" Wow this looks cooler than the wicked witches on the Wizard of Oz" Dudley said holding the broom

" Since when did you watch that?" Harry asked

" At school, where else? Not here" Dudley said, " I can't believe how wrong non magical people got witches and wizards wrong, it would be cool to set them straight... but I know I can't because that would be... telling everybody that magic is real and I don't think your world would be too happy with me if I did that"

" No... they wouldn't be happy" Brenda said with a chuckle, she always thought The Wizard of Oz was funny

This would be the beginning of the seventh Harry Potter book

For the rest of the summer the Dursley adults backed off quite a bit including Marge and Ripper, it was a relief when Marge left though, they still glared at the Potters a lot but they never starved them or made them do all the chores, Harry, Brenda and Petunia taught both Dudley and Vernon how to cook and Petunia kind of liked that her family would be able to cook if she didn't want to and the Potters weren't there. All the teens would do household chores around the house and it made Dudley feel good to be helping out. Vernon still didn't like how Dudley was "Slaving away" with the chores that the Potters should be doing. Dudley let Harry and Brenda play with his game system and computer any time they wanted to, and they took turns watching t.v. when Vernon was gone at work. Overall it turned out to be quite a good summer... or... month and a half, now it was just a few days before the twins' seventeenth birthday and the Dursleys were packing up the car with all of their precious belongings. It was hard work figuring out what they want to take and what they need to leave behind. Off and on Vernon would change his mind about moving and he would unpack the car, but then he would be talked back into it by Petunia or Dudley who believed what the Wizarding World was capable of and the car would have to be reloaded, that's what took the most work

The Dursleys weren't the only ones who were having problems, Harry and Brenda were also having problems, they knew they had a mission they needed to fulfill and they knew it involved a lot of travel and they couldn't take everything they owned in their trunks

" I am not leaving my books here, we can just shrink our trunks when we are of age, it's no big deal" Brenda said

" Yes that's true but we want to carry as little as possible, what could you possibly need all those books for when we set off?" Harry asked

Brenda picked up one book and held it out, " This one tells us which plants are good and which ones are poisonous and what we can put in potions, this one tells us how to make certain potions that I have a feeling we are going to need, I'm not so good at potions where I can make all of them without a guidance you know"

" You also have all of your Transfiguration books from first year... what could you possibly need those for?" Harry asked

" Um..." Brenda shrugged

" We're leaving those" Harry said firmly " Along with DADA, Charms, Divination, History of Magic and all of the Daily Prophets"

" How about we take them with us, and leave them at the Burrow?" Brenda asked, " I want to keep them... if we make it through this" Brenda said

Harry thought for a moment, " Fine, keep what you want but get rid of the Daily Prophets"

Brenda nodded and they went through their trunks

" You have more recreational books in that thing then we're aloud to check out at the library at Hogwarts" Harry said looking through Brenda's trunk and her get rid of pile

" I didn't get these from the library at Hogwarts, I got these from Ho... um... Snape Manor" Brenda said quietly

" You almost said home didn't you?" Harry said quietly

Brenda was silent

" Brenda" Harry started

" Harry I know, but it's still hard" Brenda snapped, " I now know what Sirius and Lupin went through when they knew it was Pettigrew who betrayed our parents, I've been betrayed by the one I called dad"

" James is our dad Brenda" Harry said, " Not Snape"

" I have two dads... well I did... Snape adopted me remember and as far as I know, he hasn't ripped up that adoption form..." Brenda saw that Harry was going to say something, " But I disown him and I don't care if he rips up those papers, I'll be glad if he did"

Harry nodded approvingly and he went back going through his trunk

" I just wish it was easier to hate him then it is" Brenda thought to herself while going through her trunk

The get rid of pile consisted of Harry's books, a couple of Brenda's books that Harry had to fight her to get rid of, a bunch of broken quills and ripped up parchment and empty ink bottles that they found at the bottom of their trunks

" Seems like we never fully unpack everything" Brenda said finally seeing the bottom of her trunk for the first time since she bought the thing

Harry nodded in agreement

" Well I'm done, can we go downstairs now?" Brenda asked, " Dudley hasn't packed his game system yet and I still want to play that Mario game and I know I can beat it"

Before Harry could answer the owls hooted angrily

" Angel" Brenda said at the same time as Harry said, " Hedwig"

" We can't let you out right now, we're leaving in a few days and if we let you outside, death eaters could be watching and you could be killed" Brenda said

" Would you two be happy if we let you fly around this room for a while?" Harry asked

The owls nodded their heads

Brenda unlocked and opened their cages and the owls nipped both their fingers in either aggravation or as a thank you

Dudley heard the noise coming in the bedroom and knocked on the door

" Yes?" Brenda asked

" Can I come in?" Dudley asked

" Sure Big D" Harry said and Dudley came in and saw the owls

" Wow you let them out?" Dudley asked

" They were getting cranky from being couped up in a cramped space all that time" Harry said

Dudley nodded, " So how do you tell them apart? Their both white owls"

" Angel has a faint yellow ring around her head, that's kind of how I came up with the name" Brenda said

" I read Hedwig from a book somewhere and I thought it was a cool name" Harry said

" They still look the same to me" Dudley said looking up at them since they were flying around the room

Brenda smiled and held out her arm and waited for Angel to land on it

" Good girl Angel" Brenda said petting her, " See around her head? It's a very faint yellow ring"

Dudley looked and nodded

Harry held out his arm and Hedwig came down

" Good girl Headwig" Harry said petting her, " Hedwig is just plain snow white"

Dudley nodded, " can... Can I pet them?"

" Sure" Harry and Brenda said

Dudley slowly petted both the owls at the same time and the owls seemed to enjoy it a lot

" They're soft like downy" Dudley said with as mile

The twins smiled as well


	9. Chapter 9

Finally it was the day before the twins' birthday, July 30, also the day where the Dursleys had to be all packed up and ready to go into hiding, because the Death eaters knew where they were and the protection would be broken at midnight

The family packed up the last of their belongings and tried stuffing them in the car, they couldn't carry much because their car is small but they fit as much as possible with the three of them in the front seat and all their stuff in the trunk and back seat

That night Vernon didn't believe them yet again

" We're not going" Vernon said, " I don't believe your lot"

" What a surprise" Harry and Brenda said

" Don't talk to me like that" Vernon snapped, " I bet this is just a ruse to get the house, since we're leaving first before you"

" Yah, like we really want the house and all the happy memories stored into it" Harry said with a glare, " Lets see, there was the time when I was locked in the cupboard for two weeks straight with nothing but bread and water... there was the time where I was locked in the cupboard, there was the time I was locked in the cupboard, then there was that time when I was locked in the cupboard, then that time when Aunt Petunia cut my hair and it grew back, I was locked in the cupboard again, then the time where I wasn't fed for a week, again locked in the cupboard... do you see a pattern here? Oh and lets not forget when you locked me out of the house if Dudley came back before I did, and everytime you lied about my parents... I can go on and on and on, but we only have a few hours left and I don't want to be fighting"

" Besides, we already have a house from our godfather" Brenda said

" And who knows what we have on the Potter side, we don't get our inheritance yet" Harry said

" Not until we are eighteen and officially out of Hogwarts" Brenda said

" Which is weird since we're of age at seventeen" Harry said

" They want us out of Hogwarts before we get the Potter fortune" Brenda said, " But we still get the Black inheritance because it was in his will that way"

Harry nodded in understanding, " Wait a minute... who's they?"

" The Goblins, I asked them one year and they said when we are eighteen" Brenda said

Harry nodded

" I still think this is a ruse" Vernon said, " Why would anybody come after us? My family is innocent, what did we do except house two wanted delinquents?"

" They'd kill you anyway, you're muggles, that's what Voldemort and them are after, you've seen the news, explosions, dangerous fog, well those aren't just disasters, it's Voldemort and his death eaters, dementors, possibly inferi which are basically zombies, and the killing curse" Brenda said

" The spell that killed our parents" Harry and Brenda said together

" Well... what are we going to do about my job? And Dudley's school?" Vernon asked

" What part of you'll be killed don't you understand?" Brenda asked, " The Order and Harry and I are trying to save you and your family and you're just giving us all a hard time about it"

" Dad stop giving them a hard time, I don't know about you, but I'm going with these order people, I don't want to face another one of those Dementor things again... nor do I want to see what an inferi is or what a Death eater looks like" Dudley said

" And the battle is won" Brenda thought

" If Dudley is going, his parents will most likely follow" Harry thought

" So who's taking us?" Vernon asked

" Um... we got an owl from Lupin and he said Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones" Harry said

" Dedalus Diggle has been in the Order for quite some time, he was in the last war against Grindelwald" Brenda said, " And Hestia is good at her job in the Order, they'll take good care of you"

" They better, I'm placing my family's lives in your kinds' hands" Vernon said with a glare

" Yah, well they'll be here in about five minutes, so get anything that you have left that you don't want to leave behind and we're going to get our trunks and owls" Harry said

The Dursleys and Potters went to get any last minute things and their trunks and owls

A few minutes later Dedalus and Hesita came knocking on the door and Harry opened it

" Good evening everybody, I take it everybody is packed and ready to go?" Dedalus asked

Everybody nodded

" Excellent, well the plan is a simple one, we drive about ten miles away from here because the Potters are still under-aged and it would be dreadful if they were accused of using magic at a time like this, then we shall dissaperate to the safe location we have picked out for you

" We don't have any room in the car for you" Vernon said

" Oh that's quite all right, we'll ride on top of it" Hestia said

" That's a bit dangerous, what would the neighbors think?" Petunia asked

" They won't see us" Dedalus said, " We used a put-outer "

" What's a put-outer?" Petunia asked

" It extinguishes all the lights so the neighbors won't see us" Hestia said

Petunia nodded in relief and understanding

" Ok, now Potters, we have some news for you, there have been a change of plans" Dedalus said

" What change of plans?" Harry asked, " Mad Eye and Lupin were going to pick us up and side apperate with us"

" Can't do it like that" Dedalus said, " Mad Eye will explain... now then, we should be going, we're running on a tight schedule"

Nobody moved

" We'll wait outside" Hestia said, " We'll let you have this time for your farewells and goodbyes"

Hestia and Dedalus left the house to wait by the car

" Well then... Good bye Potters" Vernon said shortly and then left the house with a glare

" Where are you guys going to go?" Dudley asked

" We're going to the Weasly's" Brenda said, " There home is warded with many spells and enchantments that the order put up"

" Why can't you come with us?" Dudley asked, " Surely you'll be safer in the place we'll be at"

" We can't Dudley" Harry said and then whispered, " We're going on a mission remember? And nobody is supposed to know about until we're gone"

Dudley nodded in understanding, " Be careful will you? And when this is all over, visit or write or something"

" We will" Brenda said giving Dudley a hug

Dudley smiled

" Well Big D, I guess this is goodbye" Harry said after Brenda was done giving Dudley a hug

Dudley smiled and nodded and put out his hand

Harry shook it and it turned into a one armed hug

" We should have gotten along like this a long time ago" Dudley said

" Yah I know, well when this is all over, we can continue to get along" Harry said with a smile

Dudley smiled and nodded then left to wait with Vernon

Now it was only Harry, Brenda and Petunia left

Petunia tried avoiding eye contact with the Potters but it wasn't working... after a few minutes she finally looked at the Potters

" It's eerie how much you two look like your parents, and then the thing with them giving you two their middle names... of course my parents gave Lily the middle name of Brenda... that was kind of weird, but I guess they knew what they were doing"

" It's a Potter tradition to have the first son's first name the fathers middle name, I guess our mother liked the tradition and wanted to continue it with the girls as well" Harry said with a smile

" Yes, how did you figure all of this out?" Petunia asked

" The Potters are related to Severus Snape and his grandfather's portrait told me... you do know about moving and talking portaits right?" Brenda asked

Petunia nodded, " Lily always talked about the wizarding world, she and Snape both, they were friends you know, until..."

" Until he called her a mudblood, I guess he really didn't like her all to well" Harry said

" Yes, she was crying mostly all summer for that... what does it mean anyway? She never told me" Petunia said

" It means dirty blood" Brenda said, " Somebody born of non magical parents... which is supposed to be just called muggleborn"

" Yes I've heard of that and muggle means... no magic people right?" Petunia asked

" Uh... yes" Harry said surprised, Aunt Petunia never talked about the wizarding world with him

Petunia nodded, " I loved my sister... we did everything together... and then she was accepted to that school for Fre... for witches and wizards and we grew apart... and she became more powerful and brought stuff home to show us... I guess I just could never accept it... she was different from everybody else, and for the longest time I thought she was abnormal and I acted like I hated her... but I didn't... and then Harry when your parents died and you were dropped on our doorstep almost sixteen years ago and I found out my sister died... I blamed you for her death... I know I shouldn't, you were only a baby, but... I thought magic could do anything, yet magic killed my little sister and left her son and daughter orphans... at that time I thought you were dead Brenda, I did the only thing I could think of doing... try to somehow get the magic out of you Harry... that was the reason why we never talked about magic... we wanted you to fear magic so you wouldn't want to go to Hogwarts, so you were punished for every little abnormal thing you did... It was Vernon's idea to keep you in that cupboard, not mine, I wanted you to have the bedroom you are in now, Dudley really didn't need a second bedroom, yes he's spoiled and I baby him a lot but all of those things in that room were broken and should have been thrown away. I feel real horrible for what we did to you... you didn't have much of a childhood... cooking and cleaning at age four... I'm sorry for treating you Harry like a servant, and I'm sorry for now just apologizing ... can you ever forgive me?"

Harry and Brenda were both quiet

" She has never... never talked to me like this before" Harry thought, " What should I do?"

Brenda looked from Harry to Petunia and saw the unshed tears and smiled

" I think you should give her a hug, she looks like she really is sorry" Brenda thought

Harry nodded and the two awkwardly hugged and then Brenda joined in

" I promise, when this war with Voldemort is over, we are going to have a better relationship and I'll tell you many stories about your mother" Petunia said with tears coming down and a smile on her face

" We'd like that very much Aunt Petunia" Brenda said

Petunia smiled and kissed the tops of the Potters' heads

" Good luck you two and I pray to god you beat Voldemort's sorry ass" Petunia said venomously

The Potters were surprised, they never heard Petunia swear like that

" Let's just keep that between us shall we?" Petunia asked embarrassed

The Potters smiled and nodded

" Well I better go, tight schedule and all of that" Petunia said composing herself

" Yah, Well good luck to you too Aunt Petunia" Harry said with a smile

Petunia smiled and nodded then left her house for a very long time or forever

" Wow" Harry said, " Now we must get through this, stories of our mum"

Brenda nodded

Dedalus came back in, " Well we're off, Good luck Potters, I hope we meet again, the hopes of the Wizarding world rests on your shoulders"

" Um... thanks" Harry and Brenda said together

" I love that twin thing" Dedalus said with a smile and left the house

" Great, no pressure" Brenda said sarcastically

" Well he's right isn't he?" Harry asked

Brenda sighed and nodded

" Lets turn on the t.v. and wait for... whoever is coming" Harry said, " It might take our minds off... stuff"

Brenda nodded and they went to the t.v.

 

They watched t.v. for about a half hour before there was a noise coming from the front yard

Harry turned the t.v. off and they headed towards the front door with their wands ready just in case, they didn't have to worry though because it was only Hagrid, Hermione, Ron, Mad eye and others and to Brenda's horror Fred Weasly

" There's been a change of plan" Mad eye Moody said gruffly

" Yah, we heard, what's going on?" Brenda asked

" Let's get undercover before we talk about it" Moody said stepping through the door without being invited in

" Well at least we know it's the real guy and not a death eater under the influence of polyjuice potion" Harry thought

Brenda agreed

They let everybody through and Fred looked at Brenda a little longer and Brenda's heart was racing, it was very awkward for him to be here but she knew she did the right thing

After everybody was inside the Potters led them to the kitchen where the could all sit down and figure out what was going on, There were fifteen people in the kitchen, Hagrid, Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, Mad eye, Lupin, Tonks, Fleur, Kingsley, Mr. Weasly, Bill, somebody by the name of Mundungs, Harry, and Brenda

Tonks looked very happy and her eyes were sparkling

" Guess what?" Tonks asked

" What?" Brenda asked

Tonks showed off her ring, it was a wedding ring

Brenda smiled, " Congratulations"

" Ok enough, we can congratulate the happy couple later, right now we have to put the plan into affect" Moody said

" What happened to the first plan where we're going to apperate out of here?" Harry asked

" No can do, the protection that was set up, just made it so we couldn't apperate out of here, big waste of time and dangerous if you ask me, so we had to make another plan" Moody said, " We are getting you two out of here by brooms, thestrals and Hagrid's motorcycle, that is the only magic that isn't traced by underaged witches and wizards, since technically you're still underaged for a few more hours"

" Why can't we just wait until we are of age?" Brenda asked

" Because by that time swarms of Death Eaters will be here" Moody said gruffly

" How do you know we're not being watched right now by death eaters?" Harry asked

" Because we left them a trail, they thing we're not getting you until you turn seventeen so you could do magic" Moody said

Harry nodded, that made sense

Brenda nodded, " So what does the plan have to do with... everybody being here?"

" Decoys" Moody said, " I need a few of each one of your hairs"

" If you left a trail, why do we need decoys?" Brenda asked

" Because Voldemort would leave a few death eaters out to watch the house just in case, well that's what I would do anyway" Moody said, " The hairs please"

Harry and Brenda plucked a few of their hairs and handed them to Moody, he placed one set of hair in one flask of potion and the other set in the other flask

" Ok, Harry decoys over here, Brenda decoys over here" Moody said pointing

Ron, Fred and George stood next to Harry's potion and Hermione, Tonks and Fleur stood by Brenda's potion

" This looks a lot better than the ones we made during second year" Hermione commented

" Still not looking forward into drinking it" Ron said

Moody took a few cups out of his robe pocket and divided the potions up and gave them to the correct gender of people

" All together now" Moody said

The decoys drank the potion with a grimace and watched as people grew or shrank, it was funny watching Fred, George and Ron shrink a lot, Hermione and Brenda were about the same hight to begin with so there wasn't much change in hight there, Tonks was a bit taller than Brenda so she shrank some and Fleur was a few inches taller than Brenda so she also shrank some

" Wow, we're identical" Fred and George said together and they turned around many times to get everybody confused

" Ok, now who's who?" One of the twins asked

The decoys and Potters started playing along

" Um... the one on the left... is... Fred" Ron said

" No, the one on the right is Fred" Fleur said

" No that's George" Harry said

" Are you sure? That could easily be Fred" Tonks said

" I think the one on the right is Fred and the one on the left is George

" Even when we're Harry, they can't tell us apart" The Weasley twins said together with grins

Brenda was quiet

" Ok Brenda you're turn" Harry said

" What's really sad is that your own brother can't tell you two apart without second guessing himself" Brenda said

" Can you tell them apart?" Ron asked snippy, " Our own mother has trouble telling them apart when they are normal, now they're identical Harrys"

Brenda rolled her eyes and sighed, " Fred is on the left, George is on the right"

" How do you know? They're identical" Ron said

" Ron, they're always identical" Brenda said

" So is she correct?" Fleur asked

Fred and George smiled, " We have a winner"

" How did she guess?" Ron asked, " Correctly... without second guessing herself?"

" I didn't guess" Brenda said quietly

" She knew" Fred said equally quiet

" How?" Ron asked

Nobody said anything to answer Ron's question

" How?" Ron asked

" I'll explain later" Harry whispered

" Ok enough fun and games, you all need to change, if your clothes are too big, I have smaller ones, if your clothes are too tight I have bigger ones, go in the bedrooms and change" Moody said gruffly, " We're running out of time"

" Harrys can change in my bedroom, Brendas can change in Dudley's bedroom" Harry said

The Decoys did as they were told and followed the original Harry and Brenda to the appropriate bedrooms to change clothes

After everybody was changed they all headed back downstairs

" Ok, Harrys, don't forget the glasses, and Brendas, don't forget the necklace and ring" Moody said

Brenda gasped, " Sir... I don't... I don't wear the ring anymore"

" Well the death eaters don't know that, you better put it on girl" Moody said

" I don't... have it anymore" Brenda whispered

Fred went up to Brenda and unclasped something from around his neck and took the ring off the chain that was around his neck, " Here"

Brenda gasped when she saw the ring and she took it back, it was very awkward

" Thank you... I'll give it back after this is done" Brenda said trying not to cry

" I don't want it back" Fred said, " I want you"

Brenda didn't say anything, she just walked away

George went up to Fred, " Give her time, they both need time"

" Ginny wasn't with Harry long, I've been with Brenda since our sixth year" Fred said

" I know... Brenda will come around, you know she still loves you" George said

" Then why did she break up with me?" Fred asked

" Voldemort" George said, " She doesn't want to see you get hurt"

" Well she did that herself" Fred said sadly

George patted Fred on the back, " She'll come around... you'll see"

" I just... have to give her time and... space... that's going to be very hard since they're living at the Burrow" Fred said

George sighed and nodded, " I know you can do it"

After everybody had either glasses, or the jewelery they all picked up a cage that had a stuffed snow white owl inside, half of those owls had a faint yellow ring around the head which the girls picked up

" Ok, Mundungus, Kingsley and I will be one group of bodyguards, we're going by broom, Aurthur, George and Tonks will be another group that goes by broom, Lupin, Fred and Brenda will be another Broom group

" Wait" Fred said

" What?" Moody asked

" Brenda and I shouldn't be together... we just broke up and the feelings are still fresh"

" I'll switch with Fred" George said

" Fine, switch then" Moody said, " Brenda you're ok with riding a broom right?"

" I've been a chaser where I mostly had to fly without hanging on to my broom, I'm good at it" Brenda said

Moody nodded, " Ok, next Fleur and Ron go with Bill on a thestral"

Fleur and Ron nodded

" And that leaves Harry, Hermione and Hagrid in the motorcycle" Moody said

The groups grouped up and nodded

" I don't want to fly with Angel on my broom, can I trade with Fleur and take her stuffed one for Angel? I'd feel safer with Angel not on a broom" Brenda said

" Of course" Moody said

Fleur and Brenda traded, " Now you be good for Fleur ok Angel?"

Angel hooted in response

" Ok, everybody outside, Harry, Brenda you have everything right?" Moody asked

" Just shrink our trunks and we'll be ready" Brenda said

Moody shrunk the trunks and Brenda put hers in her pocket and Harry put his in his pocket

They picked up their broomsticks

" How can you tell the difference between your broomstick and Harry's" Ron asked

" Mine has flowers on it" Brenda said

" Which reminds me... Tonks we need to put flowers on yours" Moody said

Tonks nodded and conjured a few flowers for her broom and now it looked like Brenda's

Moody nodded

Brenda mounted her broom while Harry put his in the side car that he had to ride in because Hermione was riding in back of Hagrid

" Last time you rode with me, I could carry both you and Brenda in one hand... that was a long time ago of course" Hagrid said but didn't see the red in Harry and Brenda's cheeks

Everybody got situated with the stuffed owls on the fronts of everybody's brooms, Hedwig and a stuffed owl on the bottom of the side car, Angel and stuffed owls on the bottom of the thestral carriage and two stuffed owls on the bottom of the other carriage

" GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY! SEE YOU IN AN HOUR AT THE BURROW" Moody shouted to everybody, " On the count of three... one... two... THREE"

Everybody rose up in the air higher and higher they went and out of nowhere Death Eaters came and they started to attack, it looked like all the death eaters were attacking also to make matters worse, the Potters' scars were hurting which meant Voldemort was near or was feeling very emotional right now

The groups split up to try dodging the death eaters who were sending killing curses at them

There were five death eaters following Lupin, George and Brenda who were shooting different spells at them, one death eater shot the killing curse at them but it missed

" DON'T KILL THEM, THE DARK LORD WANTS THAT HONOR" A death eater yelled

After a while, George, Brenda and Lupin, got all but one death eater down, this death eater was very good, he was a very good dodger and good at his blocking spells

" Ok this guy is driving me mad" Brenda thought to herself

Brenda waved her wand and did a silent spell that accioed the death eaters mask, the death eater didn't see it coming and his mask was off

Brenda silently gasped and she was enraged and it showed on her face

Snape was surprised that the Brenda imposture actually did a silent spell and the look on her face was priceless, " She even has the Snape glare"

Right then he didn't realize it was actually the real Brenda

" This will teach them not to trick a death eater" Snape thought and said," SECTUMSEMPRA"

Everybody dodged it and Snape said it again and again and then he cast a silent one, that one hit the Harry's ear and the Harry started screaming

" Check" Snape said quietly but Brenda heard him

Brenda turned around and looked at her ex-dad with rage, " Lupin get Harry to safety, I'll catch up"

" Brenda now is not the time" Lupin started

" NOW" Brenda yelled " That could have easily been Fred" She thought to herself and occluded her mind, then she cast a silent but powerful incendio

Snape didn't know the incendio was coming until she cast it and he blocked it thinking it was meant for him, but actually the incendio moved and it flamed his broom

Brenda smiled when the spell hit it's target

" Always be one up against your opponent" Brenda said as she watched Snape fall down on a flaming broom

Snape silently gasped then glared

Brenda saw him looking up at her in loathing and she grinned but then frowned when she remembered all the good times she had with Snape and how she really didn't want to see him hurt, she cast another spell that had him float towards the ground and away from his now irreparable broom since it was now nothing but ash

" Sweet Merlin... that was Brenda" Snape thought to himself

Once Brenda saw that Snape was safely on the ground, she stood still for a moment and saw Snape look up at her with a glare

" Checkmate dad" Brenda whispered and then hurried to catch up with George and Lupin

Snape actually heard that from down below then sighed and left the scene

Brenda caught up with Lupin and George who passed out

" What was that about?" Lupin asked while trying to keep the passed out George on his broom

" That... was personal" Brenda said trying to help George stay on his broom

They finally made it to their portkey point and portkeyed towards the Burrow, at this point George was back to normal, except for his ear being torn off and the bloody mess all over his face

Lupin and Brenda carried the unconscious George inside the house

Mrs. Weasley went straight towards George to clean out the wound

Lupin grabbed Harry's shoulders and started asking him questions which Harry got right

" Sorry... Had to make sure" Lupin said, " Who knows what people can do with polyjuice potions these days"

" How do we know you're the real Lupin?" Harry asked

" Ok Harry, ask away" Lupin said

" Whats my fear?" Harry asked

" Dementor" Lupin said, " But I thought it would be Voldemort"

Harry nodded, " Ok, Brenda... what is your nickname?"

Brenda rolled her eyes and thought to Harry, " Rosebud"

Harry nodded

" So has anybody else arrived yet?" Brenda asked

" No, just you six" Ginny said, " Hermione is changing her clothes... is George going to be all right?"

" I think so, he is just missing an ear" Lupin said, " But there is no chance of replacing it, it's been cursed off"

A few minutes later Kingsley appeared and Lupin questioned him and he answered correctly

" So what happened?" Lupin asked

" I was followed by five, I injured two, might have killed one, and the rest left after a while... I don't know why" Kingsley said

" I do, All the death eaters were chasing after me, apparently they figured out I was the Harry they were looking for" Harry said, " Stan Shunpike, the guy from the Night bus, he was... imperiused or something, I tried to disarm him instead of killing him"

" You tried to disarm him?" Lupin gasped, " Harry disarming your opponent is your signature spell"

" What?" Harry asked

" Both yours and Brenda's that's what you used when Voldemort came back so that's what the death eaters call your signature spell, no wonder every death eater came after you"

" Saw Voldemort too... he can fly without a broom" Harry said feeling like a child being lectured by his dad

" So what happened to that Weasley boy?" Kingsley asked looking over towards George

" He was cursed" Lupin said

" By Snape" Brenda whispered

" Snape? But..." Harry was cut off

"He was the last death eater who was coming after us, he was driving me mad, kept dodging and blocking our spells and I wanted to know who was behind the mask and I silently accioed his mask and it was Snape, Snape looked shocked that I did that and he started using Sectumsempra and we kept dodging it but he ended up getting George, by that time I was fed up with him and I told Lupin to leave with George and I made his broom catch on fire, I think he recognized me then, I could see it in his eyes but no other death eaters appeared" Brenda said, " Which was a good thing, because then George lost consciousness and was losing blood fast"

It was silent after that and everybody was looking up in the sky, wondering where the others were at

" This is the reason why I broke up with him... he wasn't supposed to be in this mess" Brenda thought to herself, she was praying that Fred was all right and she was absentmindedly playing with her... Fred's ring

" Harry, Brenda, can you come help us in here please?" Mrs. Weasley asked

They were glad to have something to do and they helped Mrs. Weasley and Ginny tend to the still unconscious George

" How is he?" Harry asked

" He'll live" Mrs. Weasley said through tears, " It could have been so much worse, but he's going to live"

" Thank Merlin" Ginny said

Harry almost went up to hug her but then they heard somebody in the yard

" I'LL PROVE WHO I AM AFTER I SEE MY SON" Mr. Weasley bellowed

Brenda sighed in relief and she ran towards the three and sidestepped Arthur who was going after his son and sidestepped Tonks who was running towards Lupin and she hugged Fred, forgetting at that moment that they broke up and it was like she would never let go

Fred was shocked at first because they broke up, but he was very glad that Brenda was safe and he hugged her back thinking that maybe they could get back together

They hugged for a whole minute until Brenda realized what she did

Brenda broke the hug and looked embarrassed

" Um... You... You should go see George" Brenda said

Fred composed himself and nodded and started walking towards the living room where George was laying down at

" Fred" Brenda said

Fred turned around

" I'm glad you're all right" Brenda said

" I'm glad you're all right too" Fred said then went towards George, " Hey George, how you feeling?"

" Saintlike" George said, " I'm holey"

" What?" Fred asked confused

" Holey" George said then pointed to his ear with a grin

Fred grinned, " Pathetic"

" Well, look on the bright side, now people can tell us apart" George said with a happy sigh, " So where's Ron, Bill and Fleur?"

" They're not back yet" Mrs. Weasley said

George's grin faded and he looked nervous

" Nor is Moody and Mundungs" Fred said quietly

" So what kept you?" Lupin asked

" Bellatrix, she wants me dead as much as she wants Harry and Brenda dead, probably because we're family, so we missed our portkey and that lady Muriel was fussing over us... so what happened to you?" Fred said

Everybody told their stories and then after that everybody was quiet and every single noise they hoped that it was somebody coming to the Burrow safe, but it was only the wind or the trees or something

Absentmindedly Fred and Brenda hugged again and even Harry and Ginny were holding hands and hugging, everything would be all right if they just didn't kiss

Everybody let out a sigh of relief when they saw Ron, Bill and Fleur coming down in a carriage thestral

" Oh thank goodness" Mrs. Weasley said and she rushed to her boys and future daughter in law to give them hugs but the three looked grim

" Mad-eye is dead" Bill said

Everybody who heard gasped but nobody said anything

" We saw it" Ron said, " Right after we split up, Voldemort went after them and Mundungs cried out and dissaperated, Voldemort hit a killing curse and it hit Mad eye right in the face"

" Mad eye fell off his broom and we couldn't do anything, we had a whole lot of them on our tail" Bill said

" Of course you couldn't do anything" Lupin said

Everybody was quiet when they went back inside the house, Bill went to a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of firewhiskey and cups, everybody took a cup and the drink was poured into it

" To Mad eye" Bill said

" To Mad eye" Everybody else said and they drank the drink the drink burning their throats as it went down

They were silent for a while

" Well I'm going to go retrieve the body" Bill said after a time

" Can't it wait?" Mrs. Weasley asked

" And let the Death Eaters get it?" Bill asked giving his mother a look

" I'm coming with you" Lupin said

Bill nodded

Brenda got Angel out of the thestral carriage

" Harry, where's Hedwig? Is she with Pig already?" Brenda asked

Harry sighed and didn't answer, he went outside to look at the stars

Hermione explained how the motorcycle tipped over and Hedwig got hit with the killing curse and how Harry's broom fell to the ground, she explained how the sidecar broke and even a reparo couldn't fix it and how Harry stayed up in the air with a Wingardium Leviosa until Hagrid got to him and pulled him out of the sidecar and sat Harry in front of him

" It was really scary, Voldemort was after us... or Harry I believe" Hermione said with tears in her eyes

Brenda was crying now, " Hedwig's dead?"

Hermione nodded

" I need to go talk to him... can you get Angel situated?" Brenda asked

Hermione nodded and Brenda gave Hermione Angel and the cage then she went outside to find her brother looking at the stars

Brenda walked up to Harry and put a hand on his shoulder, " You ok?"

" Hermione tell you?" Harry asked

Brenda nodded, " Yah, I'm so sorry Harry"

" It's not your fault" Harry said

" I know but... I know how much you loved her and how much she loved you" Brenda said

" She was my very first friend" Harry said trying to hold back his tears, " And my first present ever"

" It's ok to cry you know" Brenda said

Harry shook his head stubbornly, " Crying gets you nowhere... It didn't bring our parents back, it didn't bring Cedric back, it didn't bring Sirius back, it didn't bring Dumbledore back and it's not going to bring Hedwig back"

" Yes but... it'll help you feel better" Brenda said softly

Harry shook his head again, " Got to be strong... for everybody"

" Why? We're sixteen years old, going on seventeen, why do we have to be strong for everybody else?" Brenda asked, " Why can't we be normal for a change?"

" We're the Chosen Ones and the Boy and Girl who lived and the..." Harry started

" Yes I know that, and we're also teenagers who have feelings just like everybody else, Harry if you feel like crying, then cry, nobody will see except for me" Brenda said

" I'm not going to cry" Harry said emotionally

Brenda could hear the emotion in Harry's voice and knew he was about to cry, she hugged her brother and started rubbing his back in comfort

It didn't take long for Harry to shed those tears he's been trying to hold back and he hugged Brenda back and cried on her shoulder

Brenda ended up tearing up too, it was just a very sad night and it wasn't even 10:00 yet

All of a sudden their scars started to burn terribly which meant that Voldemort was in a bad mood and they went into a vision

" You told me the problem would be solved by using another's wand" Voldemort spat

" No... No I beg you... please I beg you" An old man said who looked strangely familiar

" You lied to Lord Voldemort... Ollivander" Voldemort said

" No, no I didn't, I swear I did not" Ollivander stuttered

" You sought to help the Potters, to help to escape me, I had him Ollivander... well the boy anyway" Voldemort said

" I swear I did not... I believed a different wand would work" Ollivander said

" Explain, Explain then why Lucius's wand was destroyed when I tried attacking Harry" Voldemort said

The vision was over

" Voldemort attacked you?" Brenda gasped, " When? How?"

" Hermione didn't tell you?" Harry asked

" No... she just told me how... um... Hedwig" Brenda started

Harry nodded, " Well the death eaters were coming after us and Hagrid jumped off the bike to stop come of them and Voldemort came after the bike that Hermione and I were on, he started saying the killing curse and my wand acted on its own accord, I was holding it but I wasn't in control, my eyes were shut because my scar was hurting real bad you know, and the next thing I knew, my wand saved us, but I did nothing"

" Wow, Well Ollivander said that the wand chooses the wizard, maybe the wand also bonds with the wizard" Brenda said

Harry nodded, " Poor Ollivander"

" Lets tell Ron and Hermione" Brenda said

Harry nodded and they returned to the house and told their friends

" You guys, you're supposed to occlude your minds remember?" Hermione asked, " Those were Dumbledore's orders"

" Yah, Voldemort controls the ministry, the Daily Prophet, and half the wizarding world do not let him control your minds too, he did that already and it was scary" Ron said and the Potters shuttered in remembrance

" Ok, well it's now off to bed with you lot, we have a big day tomorrow, Harry and Brenda's seventeenth birthday" Mrs. Weasly said shooing her son's and daughter and her kids in everything but blood to bed

" Mom, we're eighteen, you can't make us go to bed" Fred complained

" And I'm of age" Ron said

" Everybody march upstairs right now, or I'll take the spoon to you" Mrs. Weasly threatened

" Let's just go you guys, she sounds stressed" Harry said

Everybody nodded and headed upstairs

" Oh Fred, before I forget" Brenda said and she took off her... Fred's ring, " Here"

" Keep it Brenda" Fred said, " You can trust me to not get hurt, I think I proved that tonight"

" Yet, if you didn't trade places with George, you'll be the one making those holey jokes" Brenda said

Fred sighed, " But I'm not the one making those... very bad jokes, you can trust me Brenda"

" I don't want to see you get hurt" Brenda said and she walked towards the girls' room keeping the ring on

Brenda walked in the girls' room and sighed a heavy sigh

Ginny saw the ring and her eyes lit up, " Did you make up with Fred?"

" What? Oh... no" Brenda said

" Then what are you..." Ginny asked

" It was for the journey here" Brenda explained, " Death eaters know I wear a ring... Snape probably told them... and I had to wear it tonight but Fred won't take it back"

" I don't understand why you just won't kiss and make up... literally" Ginny said, " And I'd like to do the same with Harry"

" Ginny" Brenda said and sighed, " Ginny we're doing this for your own good, it's best if you don't have that kind of relationship with us... friends is one thing but... being a couple, that's different, being with Harry and me in that way... well they will come after the ones we love the most, and Harry really loves you and I really love Fred and if anything happens to you... Well I know Harry will go ballistic and if anything happened to Fred... I...I just don't know what I'd do"

" But what was the point of breaking up with Fred in the first place?" Ginny asked, " Snape already knows how much he means to you, won't he come after Fred anyway?" Ginny asked

" I'm hoping that when we face the death eaters again, they will not see the ring and they will know that I am not with Fred anymore" Brenda said

" They'll know all that because of a ring?" Ginny asked

Brenda started playing with said ring and then her necklace, " Snape will... We're just trying to keep you safe, and not being involved in a relationship is the best way we can think of... at this time"

" If you haven't noticed, the Weasleys are blood traitors, they'd be coming after us whether Fred and I are in a relationship with you and Harry or not" Ginny said

" That's true, but Voldemort will know how to hurt us and it will really hurt us if you and Fred are caught or dead... put it this way... it was devastating to both of us when you were unconscious in the Chamber of Secrets, it was down right scary when you were part of my task in the Triwizard Tournament, and now... well add both of those and multiply it by a hundred, that is kind of how scary it would be for all of us if you or Fred were captured and/or dead, we're trying to distance ourselves from the ones we love the most so they won't be hurt... physically the most"

Ginny nodded in understanding, " But I thought Hermione and Ron were your best friends, yet you're not trying to distance away from them"

" They tried, but they're not doing anything without us" Hermione said firmly

Brenda nodded

" Listen Ginny, you and Fred will help Harry and I the most if you just stayed safe" Brenda said, " And if you do go back to Hogwarts... see if you can't start up the DA again... we need everybody on the side of good we can get to fight in the end"

Ginny nodded

Later that night after Brenda got out of the shower and was ready for bed she heard noise coming from down in the kitchen

" Mum, just let it be from all of us, she won't accept it if it's just from me" Fred said

" I can't Fred, you bought it for her out of love" Mrs. Weasley said

" I know, but if she knew it was from me, then she'll just try to give it back, she's already trying to give the ring back, but I think she can really use this" Fred said, " Please mum"

Brenda heard Mrs. Weasley sigh, " All right, it can be from all of us... but you're going to explain how it works to her... all of us also means you you know"

" Yes mum, thank you" Fred said

George walked behind Brenda and startled her

" Sorry, you're not supposed to be eves dropping" George said

" Says the holey creator of the extend-able ears" Brenda joked

" tush e" George said with a grin, " So who are you spying on?"

" Your mum and Fred" Brenda said, " I think Fred got me a gift that he thinks I won't accept if he gave it to me"

" Ah... yah, he bought it a while back ago before all of this mess, before Dumbledore..." George started

" What is it?" Brenda asked

" That my friend, is something you have to wait until tomorrow" George said with a grin

All of a sudden a clock chimed twelve times

" Well to me it sounds like it is tomorrow... or is tomorrow today?" Brenda asked

" Second one" George said

Brenda nodded

" Well, then I'm the first to tell you Happy birthday" George said

" Thank you" Brenda said with a smile

Fred came up the stairs and saw both George and Brenda talking

" Happy birthday Brenda" Fred said with a smile

" Thank you" Brenda said with a smile

" How long have you been standing there?" Fred asked suspiciously

" Not long, I just got out of the bathroom... well I guess I'll go" Brenda said awkwardly

Fred and George nodded and Brenda headed back towards the girls' room

" How much did she hear?" Fred asked quietly

" Only that you got her a gift and you want it to be from all of us" George said

Fred groaned, " She's going to try to return it"

" You never know, I have a feeling she's really going to like this one" George said

" I hope you're right" Fred said with a sigh

" Come on, we should get to bed, big day tomorrow" George said, " Or... tomorrow is today"

Fred grinned and rolled his eyes

" Brenda said that one" George said with a grin and they walked into their bedroom

The next morning Brenda woke up with a big happy sigh, she and Harry were officially seventeen and could now do magic outside of school without getting in trouble

Ginny woke up first then Hermione

" Good morning" Brenda said with a smile

" Good morning" Ginny said, " Happy birthday"

" Happy birthday" Hermione said

" Thanks" Brenda said with a smile then she accioed her hairbrush to her and started brushing her hair, even though the hairbrush was only a few feet away, " This is going to be fun"

Hermione and Ginny laughed

After they all got ready, Brenda using her magic for the simplest things they headed downstairs and the kitchen was decorated with a big Banner that says CONGRATULATIONS HAPPY SEVENTEENTH BIRTHDAY in big bold Gryffindor colors, on the table were two piles of presents, one pile for Harry, the other pile for Brenda

" Good morning" Mrs. Weasley said when she spotted the girls, " Brenda Arthur told me to wish you a happy seventeenth birthday... he had to go to work but he'll be back for dinner"

" Thank you Mrs. Weasley" Brenda said with a smile

Hermione added her own gifts to the piles

The girls waited until the boys came down

" Good morning" Mrs. Weasley said, " Harry, like what I told Brenda, Arthur told me to wish you a happy seventeenth birthday, he had to go to work but he'll be back for dinner"

" Thank you Mrs. Weasley" Harry said with a smile

" Well don't just stand there, open your gifts" Mrs. Weasley urged

The Potters sat down and started opening their gifts, Harry opened one of his first and it was a golden watch with stars instead of numbers

" It's a tradition to give a wizard a watch for their seventeenth birthday, it's not new like Ron's, it was my brothers but he took good care of it" Mrs. Weasley said embarrassed that it wasn't new

Harry got up and gave Mrs. Weasley a hug, " I love it, thank you"

Brenda opened one of her gifts and inside it was a ring, Brenda paled when she saw it, thinking this was the gift from Fred

" That was my grandmother's ring, it is very pretty, the yellow stone is a Citrine, it was her birthstone, she was born in November, she liked to travel a lot and so if you're lost it turns into a compass and a map" Mrs. Weasley said, " She spelled it that way"

Brenda relaxed when she realized the ring wasn't from Fred and she got up from her chair and hugged Mrs. Weasley

" I love it, thank you" Brenda said with a smile

" You're welcome" Mrs. Weasley said with a warm smile

Next Harry opened Hermione's, it was a sneakoscope

Brenda opened up Hermione's and it was also a sneakoscope

" Hmm, we could use these during our mission" Brenda thought

Harry agreed then opened up the present from Fleur and Bill, inside was a razor, a magical razor

" Smoothest shave you'll ever have, if you tell it clearly what and how much you want shaved" Bill explained

" Thank you" Harry said

Brenda opened Bill and Fleur's gift, inside was a broom detail kit

" I noticed you like to put flowers on your broom, now you can add more detail to the flowers" Fleur said with a smile

" Thank you" Brenda said, she loved decorating her broom

Harry opened the gift from Fred and George and inside were Weasley's Wizard Wheezes merchandise

Brenda opened up a gift just like it and it was the same thing

They thanked the twins and then Brenda opened up Ron's gift, Harry said that he already opened Ron's gift, Ron got Brenda a book on healing potions

" Thank you Ron" Brenda said with a smile

" Are you sure you don't have that one?" Ron asked

" Oh, I'm sure, this is great" Brenda said still smiling

Ron relaxed

That was the last present that Brenda saw in her pile and Harry was done

" Thank you everybody" The Potter twins said with smiles

Mrs. Weasley opened up a cupboard, " Oh Brenda I forgot to add one"

Brenda missed the shocked look on Fred's face, this was the moment he's been waiting for and dreading, he hoped that she liked it and he feared that she would figure it out that it was from him and try to give it back

Brenda's heart was beating fast, she knew this was from Fred, she just hoped it wasn't a ring or something romantic like that

Brenda slowly opened up the gift and gasped, inside was a beautiful bracelet, it was gold, it had a B made in rubies with star shaped rubies on both sides of the B on top of the bracelet, and there was a ruby red rose at the end and beginning of the bracelet with an emerald green stem at the end of the roses

" Wow" Brenda whispered not taking her eyes off it

" Do you like it?" Fred whispered

Brenda turned around and stared wide eyed at him, " Fred..." She couldn't think of what to say

" I know what you're going to say, but please keep it, I think it will be useful to you in the future" Fred said

Brenda nodded, she knew what kind of bracelet this was, they were only found in very expensive apothecaries

They didn't notice that everybody who was in the kitchen, left the kitchen to give them some privacy

" How did? When did? Fred, how can you... Sweet Merlin" Brenda stuttered

" You know what it is?" Fred asked

" I think so... a bracelet that holds a good amount of potions all accessed on one wrist" Brenda said, " I've seen them in catalogs... Fred... these... these are very very expensive... all these rubies... the emeralds... sweet Merlin" It was a good thing Brenda was sitting down, because if she wasn't, she'd most likely fall on the floor

" I know they're expensive and the rubies and emeralds cost more, but the business is doing well and I bought it... a while ago, and I don't care if we... broke up, I want you to have this, please accept it" Fred said

Brenda nodded, " I will, but Fred, you didn't need to buy all the rubies, I didn't need my initial on their either... the decoration on the end would have been enough, that's what opens up the storage space for the potions

" I wanted you to have rubies, first of all the ruby is your birthstone and it's your seventeenth birthday, second of all, rubies are supposed to protect you against evil, I put the emeralds for the stems because the emerald is the stone of beauty and you Brenda Lilian Potter are beautiful" Fred started

Brenda blushed at that

"I knew you could use it for the future because you want to be a potions mistress, and the nice thing is, the stones will never fall off, and when you put it on, the bracelet shrinks to the point where it doesn't dangle, it will kind of look like a muggle slap bracelet when it's on... but better" Fred said

Brenda nodded and put the bracelet on and there was a tingling on her wrist

" It's feeling your magic, now the potion storage will only open for you and the bracelet will only come off for you" Fred said

" It's very comfortable, you'd think it would be heavy, but it feels like I'm not even wearing it" Brenda said with a smile

Fred smiled and nodded

" Thank you" Brenda said and she hugged him

" You're welcome" Fred said returning the hug

That night the Potters had a special birthday dinner, it included all the Weasley's and all of the Order that were close to them. They got two more presents, the traditional rock cakes from Hagrid and to their surprise a drawstring pouch

" Moleskin, they're rare, I found five of them, hides anything and only the owner can get it out" Hagrid said with a smile

" Thank you Hagrid" Harry and Brenda said with smiles

" It's nothing" Hagrid said

They got the new Defense Against the Dark Arts book from Tonks and Lupin

The Weasley twins and Hermione and Ron decorated the backyard for the dinner, Harry and Brenda wanted to help but Hermione said no

Fred and George conjured lanterns that had the number 17 on them, Hermione and Ron conjured up streamers, Ginny filled up a pinata with wizarding candy

Harry and Brenda thought the piniata was a bit childish but Ginny said that it would be fun, the piniata was in the shape of a Cornish pixie

After a few minutes Mrs. Weasley came out with a huge cake floating in front of her, it had a picture of a quidditch stadium and Gryffindor winning the house cup, it also had seventeen red and gold candles on both sides of the cake

" Wow, that looks amazing" Harry and Brenda said

" Oh it's nothing dears" Mrs. Weasley said levitating the cake on the table

A few minutes later everybody started to mingle again, Hagrid found out from Charlie that Norbert the dragon was actually a girl and they named her Norberta, everybody was waiting for Arthur to get back from work before they started to eat, after a while a patronus of a weasel appeared and it was from Mr. Weasly saying that he's bringing the minister to the party

" We shouldn't be here" Lupin said and he took Tonks arm and went towards the birthday twins, " We're sorry we have to leave, we'll explain later"

" Happy birthday though" Tonks said with a smile

Lupin and Tonks left leaving Harry and Brenda confused

A second later Mr. Weasly returned with Minister Scrimgeour

" Sorry to intrude, especially when I think I'm crashing a party" Scrimgeour said

" Apology not excepted" Brenda thought

Harry nudged his sister

" What? He can't read my mind" Brenda thought

" I can and I don't like you thinking mean thoughts about him" Harry thought

" Why? You do all the time" Brenda thought

Harry sighed and rolled his eyes, " Just... never mind" He thought, " I don't want to argue on our special day"

" Fine by me" Brenda thought

" Minister what are you doing here?" Harry asked

" I require a private word with you, Brenda, Mr. Ronald Weasly and Ms. Hermione Granger" Scrimgeour said

" What's this about?" Brenda asked

" I'll explain more when we can talk in private" Scrimgeour said

" You lot can use the living room" Mrs. Weasly said

Scrimgeour nodded his thanks and walked in like he owned the place, then he realized he didn't know where the living room was, " Uh... Ronald Weasly can you lead the way?"

Ron nodded and stepped in front of the minister and felt important as he led the way to the living room

Everybody sat down and got comfortable

" I have some questions for you four, I will start with Mr. Weasly, so if you three can leave for a few minutes..." Scrimgeour started

" Whatever you have to say to Ron, you can say to us" Brenda said

" Harry kindly tell your younger sister what's what" Scrimgeour said

Brenda glared at Scrimgeour

" We're not going anywhere" Harry said, " You can speak to us together, or... not at all, if I have to choose sides between you or Brenda, I choose Brenda all the time"

" That's what twins do" Brenda said with a smirk

Scrimgeour sighed and glared at the Potters, " Fine, I am here, as I'm sure you know, because of Albus Dumbledore's will"

The teens looked surprised

" From your faces, I guess you were not aware then that Dumbledore left you anything"

" All of us" Ron asked, " Me and Hermione too?"

" Yes" Scrimgeour said

" But Dumbledore died over a month ago. Why has it taken this long to give us what he left us?" Harry asked

" Harry isn't it obvious? The ministry wanted to examine whatever he's left us" Brenda said, " YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO DO THAT"

" I had every right" Scrimgeour said dismissively, " The Decree for Justifiable Confiscation gives the Ministry the power to confiscate the contents of a will..." He started

" That law was created to stop wizards passing on Dark artifacts" Hermione interrupted, " And the ministry is supposed to have powerful evidence that the decease's possessions are illegal before seizing them. Are you telling me that you thought Dumbledore was trying to pass us something cursed?"

" Are you planning to join the ministry and follow a career in Magical Law, Ms. Granger" Scrimgeour asked

" No I'm not, I'm planning on doing something good in the world" Hermione said snippy

Scrimgeour glared at Hermione as well and Ron only laughed

" So why have you decided to let us have our things now? Can't think of a pretext to keep them?" Harry asked

Scrimgeour was about to say something but Hermione beat him too it

" That's not it, it's because their thirty-one days are up" Hermione said, " They can't keep objects longer than that unless they can prove they're dangerous... Right?"

Scrimgeour ignored Hermione and looked at Ron, " Ronald, would you say you were close to Dumbledore?"

" Me? I... um... not really... It was Harry and Brenda who... um..." Ron stuttered, he was embarrassed and didn't know what to say

" If you were not very close to Dumbledore, how do you account for the fact that he remembered you in his will? He made exceptionally few personal bequests. The vast majority of his possessions... his private library, his magical instruments, and other personal effects... were left to Hogwarts. Why do you think you were singled out?"

Ron shrugged, " When I said we weren't close, I was saying that he... well I... I think he liked me..."

" You're being modest, Ron" Hermione said, " Dumbledore was very fond of you"

" Ron's never been alone with Dumbledore before" Brenda thought

Harry agreed

Scrimgeour put his hand in his cloak and drew out a drawstring pouch and from it he removed a scroll of parchment which he unrolled and read aloud

" The Last Will and Testament of Albus Percival Wuldric Brian Dumbledore... To Ronald Bilius Weasly, I leave my Deluminator, in hope that he will remember me when he uses it" Scrimgeour read then he pulled out an object that looked like a silver cigarette lighter and gave it to Ron, " That is very valuable, it may even be unique. Certainly it is of Dumbledore's own design. Why would he have left you something so rare?"

Ron shrugged his shoulders and he looked bemused

" Dumbledore must have taught thousands of students" Scrimgeour continued, " Yet the only ones he remembered in his will are you four. Why is that? To what use did he think you would put his Deluminator, Mr. Weasly?"

" I don't know, Put out lights I guess" Ron said, " What else could I do with it?"

Scrimgeour looked at Ron for another moment then continued with the will, " To Ms. Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard in hope that she will find it entertaining and instructive" Then he pulled out a book and handed it to Hermione, " Now why would he leave you that book Ms. Granger?"

" He... Knew I like books" Hermione said softly

" Yes, but why that particular book?" Scrimgeour asked

" Because... I read about all the books in the school library except for this one" Hermione said

" Did you ever discuss codes, or any means of passing secret messages, with Dumbledore?" Scrimgeour asked

" No I didn't" Hermione said with a glare, " And if the Ministry hasn't found any hidden codes in this book in thirty-one days, I doubt that I will"

Scrimgeour gave Hermione a look then went back to the will, " To Harry James Potter" He read, " I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill" Scrimgeour took out the golden ball out of his pocket, " Why did Dumbledore leave you this Snitch?"

" No idea" Harry said, " For the reasons you just read about I guess... to remind me what you can get if you... persevere or whatever"

" So you think this is just a symbolic keepsake?" Scrimgeour asked

" Well what else could it be?" Harry asked

" I'm the one asking the questions here Potter" Scrimgeour snapped

" Fine" Harry said, " Ask away then"

" So... I noticed that the cake is of a Quidditch game and Gryffindor winning... why is that?" Scrimgeour asked

Brenda rolled her eyes, " Because we play Quidditch, we're Gryffindors and we most likely always win"

" No it must be that there is a secret message from Dumbledore hidden in the icing" Hermione said sarcastically, " It can't be that you two are great Quidditch players"

" I don't think there is anything hidden in the icing " Scrimgeour said, " But... a Snitch would be a very good hiding place for a small object. You know why, I'm sure?"

Harry shrugged and Ron shrugged and the girls answered

" Because Snitches have flesh memories" Both girls said at the same time

" What?" Harry and Ron asked

" That's correct" Scrimgeour said, " A snitch is not touched by bare skin before it is released, not even by the maker, who wears gloves. It carries an enchantment by which it can identify the first human to lay hands upon it, in case of a disputed capture. This Snitch... will remember your touch Mr. Potter... I think that Dumbledore enchanted this snitch so it will only open for you"

Harry didn't say anything, he didn't want to touch it just in case Scrimgeour was right

" Go on and take it Harry, nothing will happen" Brenda thought

" What?" Harry asked

" Trust me" Brenda thought, " It's your first snitch you caught

" Oh... right" Harry thought and he grabbed the snitch and nothing happened

" Well that was dramatic" Brenda said sarcastically through the silence

Scrimgeour glared at Brenda for being sarcastic

" Guess your theory was wrong" Brenda said with a smirk

" Very well, next item is yours" Scrimgeour said and he read the will, " To Brenda Lilian Potter, my collection of music lyrics, they magically sing the songs when you read it, to remind you that you always have family"

Scrimgeour pulled out a folder with music inside and gave it to Brenda

Brenda opened one of the songs and it was a song called Always there, the song started to play

First a boy started to sing a solo, " Always There... To warm you in the winter... Always there... With shelter from the rain... Always there... To catch you when you're falling... Always there to stand you up again... Family"

Then a girl started singing a solo, "By your side... In seconds if you ask it... Arms out wide... To welcome you to stay... Near enough... To listen to your hearts song... Always there... to help you on your way... Family"

The boy sang, "Family"

They both sang, "Family"

A man started singing a solo,"What is a family? Caring and devoted hearts"

A woman started singing a solo, " With endless love to share"

Both man and woman started singing, " Love that follow you everywhere"

The boy started to sing "Always there... To welcome you in winter"  
The girl started to sing "What is a family?"  
The man started to sing, " Arms out wide... To welcome you to stay"  
The boy started to sing, "Right By your side"  
The girl started to sing "To listen to you hearts song"  
The man started to sing, "Always there to help you on your way"  
The woman started to sing "Family"  
The girl started to sing, "Always there"  
The boy started to sing, "Family"  
The girl started to sing, " Family"  
All four of them sang, "Family"

The song ended

Brenda looked through the folder and she noticed that all the songs had to do with family

" What is the meaning of Dumbledore giving you these songs? Is there a secret message to these songs?" Scrimgeour asked

" There is no secret message" Brenda said, " They're probably just songs that he liked that he thought I'd like too, I do like these songs, the one we just heard is from a Disney movie... Lady and the Tramp 2 I believe"

" What's a Disney movie?" Scrimgeour asked

" It's a muggle thing" Brenda said, " One that I wish the Wizarding world will adopt"

" Now are you telling the truth about no secret messages with the songs?" Scrimgeour asked

" Positive" Brenda said

" Right... Well the will has one more thing, it's for both Potters" Scrimgeour said, " Dumbledore wanted to give you both the Gryffindor Sword but you're not getting it because it wasn't Dumbledore's to give, the sword is an important historical artifact, and as such, belongs..."

" To them" Hermione said, " They pulled it out of the hat during our second year"

" Any true Gryffindor can be presented with the sword" Scrimgeour said

" Well, who knows maybe we are true Gryffindors" Brenda said, " Nobody really knows what their heritage is"

" You're not Gryffindors in that sense" Scrimgeour said

" Well you never know, nobody knows who the heir(s) of Gryffindor is/are, we know who the heir of Slytherin is, but no Gryffindor yet" Brenda said, she was having fun making the minister mad

" You're not" Scrimgeour spat, " Now enough of that"

Brenda rolled her eyes

" So... what would be the reason why Dumbledore would give you two the sword? Did he think the sword of Gryffindor can defeat the Heir of Slytherin? Did he wish to give you that sword for that purpose?"

" Hmm, interesting theory" Harry said, " Maybe somebody should try that instead of sending innocent people to Azkaban"

" Or wasting time to open a snitch" Brenda said

Scrimgeour stood up, " YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR" He pointed his wand at both Harry and Brenda

" Hey" Ron said standing up

" Don't... do you want him to arrest us?" Hermione asked

" Ah, so I see you finally realize you're not at school anymore where you can hide behind Dumbledore, this is the real world kids, not school" Scrimgeour said, " Now is not the time for playing games"

" Who's playing? We've had our lives threatened eight times in our seventeen years of life, this has never been a game to us" Brenda said seriously

" You better stop wearing your scars like crowns, I don't listen to seventeen year old kids, you better start learning respect" Scrimgeour said

" Well then it's time for you to start earning respect" Harry and Brenda said together

Before Scrimgeour could say anything else, the Weasleys entered the room and Fred got defensive when he saw Scrimgeour pointing his wand at his girlfriend... ex girlfriend

" Calm down Fred" George whispered

" What's going on here?" Mr. Weasley asked

" Nothing" Scrimgeour said, " I... was just leaving" Then he turned to the Potters, " We ought to be working together"

" We don't like your methods, Minister" Harry said and he showed his hand that bore the lines he had to write for Umbridge, both Potters still had the lines, even with the potions they took they wouldn't go away

" That wasn't me" Scrimgeour said

" It was the ministry and you're the minister" Brenda said

Scrimgeour glared and walked stiffly out of the Burrow and off the land

" What did he want?" Fred asked

" To give us what Dumbledore left us" Harry said, " They've only just released the contents of his will"

During dinner that night they passed around everything they got from Dumbledore, none of it made sense

After dinner they sang happy birthday and then served the cake, after the cake came the pinata and everybody was chasing the chocolate frogs

Finally after the pinata things were quieting down and everybody started to clean up

" We should go upstairs and... talk" Brenda whispered to Hermione and Harry whispered to Ron

They headed upstairs to Ron's bedroom

Hermione took out her wand and cast Muffliato, " Now show us that deluminator"

Ron did and it just put out the lights

" There has to be something more than that, we can do that with Fred and George's joke products" Brenda said

" I still think it's cool though, and he invented it himself" Ron said playing with it

" Maybe it is something more... maybe he knew the ministry would confiscate his will and examine everything he left us" Brenda said

" That's a real good theory, I was thinking along those lines too, Hermione said, " He couldn't tell us in the will why he was leaving us these things"

" Maybe he thought it was obvious" Harry said

" Well if he did then he's wrong" Ron said, " I always said he was mental, Brilliant, but mental, what does an old snitch have to do with anything?"

" I have no idea" Hermione said, " I was sure something was going to happen when Scrimgeour made you take it"

" Yah, well, I wasn't trying to hard" Harry said with a smirk

" Come again?" Hermione asked

" This is his first Snitch" Brenda said hoping the other two will figure it out

Hermione looked bemused but Ron gasped

" THE ONE YOU ALMOST SWALLOWED" Ron blurted

" Exactly" Harry and Brenda said together with grins

Harry put the snitch to his mouth but nothing happened

" Ok... now what?" Brenda asked

" Look" Hermione said pointing to the snitch

There was writing on the snitch that said, " I open at the close"

" I open at the close? What's that mean?" Ron asked

The others shrugged

They thought about that for a while but they couldn't come up with anything

" Let's go to the next thing... the book... The Tales of Beedle the Bard" Brenda said

" I've never heard of them" Hermione said, " Have you?"

" No" Brenda said

" You two never heard of The Tales of Beedle the Bard?" Ron asked shocked, " You're kidding right?"

" No" Brenda and Hermione said

" Do you know them?" Harry asked

" Of course I do" Ron said bemused and he looked around and the other three were confused, " Oh come on, there old kids stories... The Fountain of Fair Fortune... The Wizard and the Hopping Pot... Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump... um..."

" What did you say?" Brenda asked with a smile, " Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump?"

" Oh come on, you must have heard of Babbitty Rabbitty" Ron said

" Ron" Hermione said sweetly, " We were all brought up by muggles, we know stories like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast"

" Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio" Brenda added

" Hmm, sounds like an illness, hope I don't catch it"

" So these are children's stories?" Hermione asked

" Yep, all from Beedle. I don't know what the original versions are though" Ron said

" But I wonder why Dumbledore would want me to read them" Hermione said

The others shrugged

" Lets go to the next item... the songs" Harry said

" They're all about family, I guess Dumbledore is reminding me that I have family wherever I'm at, blood relation or not" Brenda said, " That one is easy"

The others nodded at that

" And the sword?" Ron asked

" Don't know, he should have given us the sword when he was alive" Harry said

" Well, it's getting late, we won't figure out any more tonight, we should get to bed" Hermione said

The others nodded and they all said goodnight to each other

I think this is one of my longest chapters. I hope it was worth the wait please tell me what you think

Later that night while the other two girls were asleep, Brenda was thinking about her music book, it all had to do with family, she really wondered why Dumbledore gave it to her, it couldn't be because she has family with Harry, she already knew that, he was her only real family left, unless he was talking about how the Weasleys were her family as well, thinking about the Weasleys reminded her of the bracelet Fred got her, she still couldn't believe how much money Fred spent on her. She felt kind of guilty by hurting him but she thought she was doing the right thing. The bracelet has a hundred slots for potion vials

" If only I had potions to put into this, it would be very useful for... later" Brenda thought to herself and laid down

Five minutes later she sat up and silently gasped, she forgot about all those potions she made at Snape manor

" How in the world am I supposed to get those? And is it worth it?" She thought to herself

She had an idea but she didn't want to wake up the two sleeping girls in the same room, she headed towards the bathroom and put a muffliato up

" Minnie" Brenda called, she was hoping it would work, if Snape didn't rip up the adoption papers it should work

Minnie popped into the bathroom, " Oh Ms. Brenda, Minnie has missed you so much" Minnie hugged Brenda tightly, " Minnie was so worried, yes she was"

" I missed you too Minnie, is this a good time for you to be here? I don't want you to get in trouble by… Severus" Brenda said relieved that Snape didn't rip up the adoption papers or it wouldn't have worked

" Master Snape is at a Death Eater meeting" Minnie said, " They have meetings a lot, Master Snape is always grumpy when he comes home"

Brenda nodded, " Do you think I can sneak back into my lab and grab my potions?" Brenda asked

Minnie looked worried, " Wouldn't Master Snape be angry if you did that? He sent you here for protection did he not?"

" Uh... not" Brenda said, " He doesn't know where I am and I'd like to keep it that way"

Minnie looked worried, " It is hard for Minnie to keep secrets from her master, unless it's a good secret"

" It is a good secret that he doesn't know where I am, and it will be an even better secret if he doesn't know I'm going to be in the manor and in my room" Brenda said nice and slowly

" Ms. Brenda, it's too dangerous if you do that, Master Snape could come home at any time and if he catches you... well you'll be spanked and grounded and Minnie will have to punish herself" Minnie said looking fearful

" I'm passed being spanked and grounded by him, and I order you in advance to not punish yourself" Brenda said

Minnie sighed in relief

" That works doesn't it?" Brenda asked

Minnie nodded

" So... can you dissaperate me to Snape Manor from here?" Brenda asked, " I really need those potions I made"

" What do you need them for?" Minnie asked

" My friends, Harry and I are going on a little adventure that will hopefully save the world in the future, and it's always good to have potions just in case we get in some kind of trouble" Brenda said

Minnie gasped, " Like Chamber of Secrets trouble? Or not listening to Master Snape trouble, or Triwizard tournament trouble, or underaged magic trouble, or Ministry of magic trouble or..."

" Um... yah, something like that but nobody can help us this time, so we need to help each other and it would really help us if we had those potions I made" Brenda said

" Minnie will help Ms. Brenda get to Snape manor and to her Potions lab" Minnie said with a smile

Brenda smiled, " Thank you Minnie... Wormtail isn't staying there anymore is he?"

Minnie frowned and glared, " No, thank Merlin, that rat of a man was a pig, he made poor Minnie do extra chores because he didn't know how to pick up after himself"

" That's awful" Brenda said, " Well at least he isn't there now... so can we go?"

Minnie nodded and Brenda took Minnie's hand and they dissaperated to Snape manor

They landed in the living room and silently but quickly walked up the stairs to Brenda's room, they were also looking out for Grandfather Severus since by now he would know what's going on

" Minnie" Grandfather Severus called from a portrait

Brenda silently gasped

" Hurry go to the room" Minnie whispered

Brenda nodded and hurried into her bedroom

" Yes Master Grandfather Severus?" Minnie asked

" Where did you dissaperate too?" Grandfather Severus asked

" There was no more bread in the pantry, so I went to go get some" Minnie said

" At this late hour?" Grandfather Severus asked

" Master Snape likes his toast in the morning" Minnie said, " He always did"

Grandfather Severus nodded, " Ok, very well"

Minnie nodded and left the portrait and headed towards Brenda's room

" That was a close one" Brenda whispered

Minnie nodded

" What happened to his portrait in here?" Brenda asked

" Took it out, he didn't like staying in this room when nobody else was in here" Minnie said

Brenda nodded then turned on the light

The room wasn't Gryffindor anymore, it was all Slytherin

Brenda groaned and rolled her eyes, " Slytherin to the core"

" Master Snape did that right before Wormtail came here" Minnie said

" Well, lets just hope, nothing is changed down in the potions lab" Brenda said and she went to the bookshelf and opened it up and headed down

When she got down she breathed in a sigh of relief, everything was the way she left it

" I just love the smell of potions" Brenda said with a smile

Minnie smiled, " So where is Ms. Brenda going to put her potions?"

Brenda showed Minnie her bracelet

" That is very pretty, did your boyfriend Fred give it to you?" Minnie asked

" Yes Fred did give it to me, but... we broke up a month ago" Brenda said sadly

" Oh I'm very sorry Ms. Brenda" Minnie said and she hugged her young mistress

Brenda smiled sadly, " I had to do it, it's for the best... maybe after the war is over... we'll get back together"

" I hope so, you two make such a great couple" Minnie said then gasped, " Oh I didn't mean it was your fault... bad Minnie bad Minnie"

Minnie began hitting herself in the head

" Minnie stop it" Brenda said taking Minnie's hands away from her head

" Thank you Ms. Brenda, but I shouldn't have spoke out of turn" Minnie said

" It's ok Minnie, we do make such a great couple, we didn't fall out of love, I broke up with him because it'll keep him safe" Brenda said

Minnie nodded in understanding

" Well... I better get these potions and get out of here before Snape returns, or we'll both be in trouble" Brenda said

Minnie nodded, " What does Ms. Brenda need?"

" Lets see... twenty blood replenishers, two jars of bruise healing paste, two jars of burn healing paste, twenty pepperups, twenty wound cleanings, sixteen snake venom antidotes" Brenda said

" Did you make all of those?" Minnie asked amazed

" Well... yah, most of it was for fun because I was bored, I didn't know what to use them for, but now is the best time to use them" Brenda said

" By the sounds of the potions, this adventure sounds dangerous" Minnie said levitating down all the vials that Brenda said

" It will be dangerous" Brenda said, " I'm just making it a little... better"

Brenda filled her bracelet up with the potions, it was cool how it worked, you set the vials of potion on the slot you want it to go in and it shrinks to fit, kind of like the shrinking charm and when you pull out the vial it grows back to normal size, it even labels the potion for you

" Your ex boyfriend must really love you to give you such a wonderful gift that you could use on your adventure" Minnie said in awe

" Yes... he does" Brenda said admiring the bracelet, " It's very beautiful and useful"

" Well you have twenty slots left, what else do you need?" Minnie asked

" Um... I don't know... maybe the dark mark remover... just two of those vials though" Brenda said hesitantly

Minnie nodded and levitated those down as well

Brenda put them in the last slot, she wanted them out of the way

" Eighteen more slots" Minnie said

" Um... how many more blood replenishers are on the shelf?" Brenda asked

" There are five more left" Minnie said counting

Brenda nodded and got them down herself

" Ms. Brenda you shouldn't be doing magic" Minnie said with a gasp

Brenda smirked, " I'm seventeen, today is my birthday"

Minnie squeaked in excitement, " Happy birthday, I'm sorry I didn't know, I should have got you something, bad Minnie bad Minnie"

Minnie was hitting herself on the head again

" Minnie stop it, you gave me the best present ever, you brought me here so I can stock up on potions for the adventure I have to go on, you help me make the journey easier" Brenda said

" I did?" Minnie asked

" You did" Brenda said and she put the rest of the blood replenishers in her bracelet, " Thirteen slots left... twelve fever reducers and I'll save the last slot for bandages"

Brenda got the fever reducers down and put them in her bracelet then closed her potions storage and sighed

" It's good to be back here, but I got to get back before somebody notices that I'm gone" Brenda said

Minnie nodded but then she froze with fear

" What?" Brenda asked

" M... Master Snape is back" Minnie squeaked

" Crap" Brenda said under her breath, " What are we going to do? Can you dissaperate here?"

Minnie shook her head no, " Only from the living room"

" And he's most likely in there" Brenda said, " What time does he go to bed?"

" Mostly at about two in the morning" Minnie said fearfully, " And it's one in the morning right now"

" And he put apperition wards up after I apperated illegally" Brenda said in knowing

Minnie nodded

" Um... can you think of any reason why you would need to dissaperate at this time at night?" Brenda asked

" Well he does like icecream and he usually asks for it after a meeting with he who must not be named...but what does that have to do with getting you out of here without master finding out?" Minnie asked

Brenda smiled and pulled out her invisibility cloak

" We can dissaperate right in front of him without him even realizing I was here" Brenda said

" But what if he doesn't want ice cream?" Minnie asked

" Tell him you'll get it in case he changes his mind, or save it for another day" Brenda said

Minnie smiled and nodded

" Oh, and no punishing yourself for deceiving Severus, because you're saving me" Brenda said

Minnie nodded again

Brenda nodded and took a deep breath to try to calm down her fast beating heart

They walked back up to the bedroom, Brenda shut the entrance to the potions lab and turned the light off then got under her cloak and hung on to Minnie's pink pillowcase

They walked into the living room and Minnie happily greeted Snape

" Took you long enough" Snape's only response was

" Minnie is sorry Master, Minnie was in the library dusting and Minnie had to look presentable for her master" Minnie said

Snape nodded

" Um... would Master like Minnie to get him some ice cream?" Minnie asked

Snape sighed, " Yes Minnie, I would like some ice cream, preferably chocolate... we were around dementors tonight"

Minnie nodded and popped out of the manor with Brenda hanging on

They landed back in the bathroom at the Burrow

" That was scary" Brenda said taking her cloak off, "He looked so worn out"

" He's with he who shall not be named every night, it tires him out, I better go get him some ice cream" Minnie said

Brenda nodded, " Thank you for helping me Minnie, you are a true friend"

Minnie beamed, " You're welcome Ms. Brenda, Minnie wishes Ms. Brenda good luck with her adventure and she hopes she defeats he who shall not be named with her brother"

" Thank you Minnie, good luck getting that ice cream to Severus" Brenda said

Minnie smiled and nodded then left with a pop

Brenda sighed and undid the silent spell and opened the door and jumped when Mrs. Weasley was waiting there

" Brenda what are you still doing up?" Mrs. Weasly asked

" Um... sorry... I think I had too much cake and ice cream" Brenda said with a smile, " But I'm all better now"

" Oh I'm so sorry, you should have came to me, I would have given you a pain relieving potion" Mrs. Weasley said

Brenda shrugged, " Good night Mrs. Weasley"

" Good night dear" Mrs. Weasly said

Brenda hurried back into the girls' room and sighed silently in relief, " What a night" She thought to herself then put her bracelet away and got into her bed underneath the covers and fell asleep

The next morning Harry was waiting for Brenda to wake up, Harry read Brenda's mind and knew what she did the night before, he was so worried about her and now he was mad at her for endangering herself and he was going to confront her

Brenda was the last one out of the girl's room since she slept a little bit later than everybody else and Harry was right by the door when she opened it

" Oh Harry you scared me" Brenda said after she jumped a bit

" Good" Harry said firmly

Brenda lifted an eyebrow, " O...K, don't need to be angry because I'm a bit late to breakfast now"

" Oh that's not the reason why I'm angry" Harry said with a glare

Brenda's face was blank, one thing about living with Snape that she learned was how to control the look on her face, she just couldn't get away with anything when it came to Snape, on the inside she was worried

" Then what are you mad about?" Brenda asked

" You snuck out of the burrow without telling anybody to grab potions from Snape's house, Brenda how can you be so stupid?" Harry thought

" How do you know about that? You were supposed to be asleep" Brenda thought

" I'm a light sleeper... insomniac sometimes too, we have a mind connection Brenda, and I knew where you went and I'm very disappointed in you" Harry thought

" Sheesh you sound like a father more than my twin brother" Brenda said

" I'm still older than you" Harry said

" You're still my twin" Brenda said then thought, " Harry I was safe, I had Minnie with me"

" And how did you know that Minnie would help you and not go against you like your so called adopted father?" Harry thought

" Minnie and I are friends" Brenda thought

" And Snape was your dad" Harry thought

" Minnie is also my house elf, she can't go against me so even if she tried, she couldn't, I had everything under control" Brenda thought

" What was so important that you had to risk your neck anyway?" Harry thought

" Potions" Brenda thought

" Be more specific" Harry thought

" For our mission, I have a total of 99 potions all safe in my bracelet that we can use for the mission if we are caught in a spot of trouble" Brenda thought, " We can't go on this mission without being prepared for the worst, I have blood replenishers, pepper ups, burn salves, bruise salves etc... All I need are bandages and you can call me Healer Potter"

" How did you know that Voldemort wasn't there?" Harry thought

" Snape told me that the Death Eaters don't have meetings at their homes" Brenda thought

" He could have lied like he did to Dumbledore" Harry thought

" He didn't" Brenda thought, " Look, the main thing is that I got the potions and we are more prepared then we were, I'm safe, Snape didn't even know I was there so all is good, case closed, next topic"

" We have to tell Ron and Hermione" Harry said

" After breakfast" Brenda said and she headed down the stairs towards that wonderful smell that was breakfast

After breakfast which was very uncomfortable because it was just Brenda, Fred and George since they were the only ones who slept in late, all the others were outside degnoming the garden Brenda headed outside and told Ron and Hermione that she and Harry needed to talk to them

They headed towards Ron's room

" Thank you for getting us out of there, I hate degnoming the garden" Ron said and collapsed on his bed

" How come you slept in so late?" Hermione asked

" I went to bed late" Brenda said

" You went to bed the same time Ginny and I did" Hermione said

" No I didn't" Brenda said, " After you two fell asleep I headed towards the bathroom and called the Snape house elf Minnie and she took me to Snape manor and I snuck down to my potions lab to get potions for our mission"

" Brenda do you realize how dangerous that was?" Hermione gasped

" Yah I know it was dangerous but it had to be done, we can't go on this mission without proper potions now can we?" Brenda asked

" Why didn't you tell someone where you were going or have someone go with you?" Hermione asked

" Because I didn't want to be yelled at like I am being yelled at right now, I knew what I was doing and I knew how to sneak by Snape and Grandfather Severus without either of them knowing I was there, I know how and I did sneak in and out without them knowing, the main thing is is that I have 99 potions that will help us, the last slot is for bandages and things"

" You still should have notified somebody just in case you were caught, somebody would know where you were" Harry said

" And then what? Nobody can get into Snape manor Only I can because I'm still considered his family since he didn't rip up those papers" Brenda said, " I just figured I'd make this mission easier, now let's stop talking about that and talk about the mission itself, we know that you two want to come with us"

" We are coming with you, we decided this already" Hermione said

" But Hermione listen" Harry began

" No you listen" Hermione said

" Are you sure you two thought this through?" Brenda asked

" Yes we thought this through, I've been planning and packing for days so we're ready to go at a moments notice, I even packed some extra potions" Hermione said, " And I... modified my parents' memories so that they're convinced they're called Wendell and Monica Wilkins and they live in Australia... Voldemort won't be able to find them and interrigate them and get information from them because they don't remember any of us and they don't have any family, no children so they won't worry... if I live through this I'll lift the charm and explain everything to them"

Hermione was crying at this point and Ron put his arm around her

" We... didn't know... we're so sorry Hermione" Brenda said and hugged Hermione and Harry followed her example

It took Hermione five minutes to collect herself

"Ron, Voldemort took over Hogwarts and so you know that Harry and I are not going to be there and nor are Muggleborns, but you're a pureblood how are you going to get away with not being at the school?" Brenda asked

Ron smiled and took out his wand, " Descendo"

A hatch opened right over their heads and a ladder slid down, there was an eerie sound coming from the hole and a very bad odor

" Come meet the Burrow ghoul" Ron said climbing the ladder

They all climbed up the ladder and saw a very ugly creature wearing a pair of Ron's old pajamas

" Do they usually wear clothes?" Harry asked

" No, and they don't have red hair or pustules all over their face" Ron said

" Why is he wearing your pajamas?" Brenda asked

" He's me" Ron said, " I'll explain when we get back to my room, I'm getting dizzy from the smell"

They headed back down the ladder and Ron shut it up

" Once we leave the ghoul is going to be living down here and pretending to be me" Ron said

Harry and Brenda had very confused looks

" Ron, the ghoul might have red hair but it doesn't look like you" Brenda said

" He's going to be me with spattergroit" Ron said

" Once we don't show up for school the Death eaters will come after our families, when they get here they will see that Ron didn't come with you but is seriously ill" Hermione said

" It still doesn't look like him, once the death eaters arrive they'll know that's not him" Harry said

" Spattergroit is really contagious and wouldn't want to go near him, if the ghoul can't say anything that's ok because you can't say anything with spattergroit if the fungus spreads to your uvula" Ron said

" Your parent's are ok with this plan?" Brenda asked

" Well dad is, he helped Fred and George transform him... Mum... not so much, she doesn't want me to leave" Ron said

They were silent for a few minutes, they could hear Mrs. Weasley giving orders to Ginny, Fred and George to help with the wedding preparations

" I think we should wait and go to Godrics Hollow later" Hermione said when it was silent

" What? Why?" Harry asked

" Because the Death Eaters would be expecting you two to go there now that you're of age" Hermione said

" Hmm, Hermione, you might have a point there" Brenda said sadly

" Finding the Horcruxes should be our number one priority right now" Hermione said

" That R.A.B. person, the one with the locket, what if he did destroy it, then we only have..." Ron started

" We still need it to make sure he did destroy it" Hermione said

" How do you destroy a Horcrux anyway?" Harry asked

" Well, I've been researching that" Hermione said

" How?" Brenda asked, " There are no books in the library on Horcruxes... I checked"

" I know... Dumbledore removed them some time ago but he didn't destroy them" Hermione said

" So how did you get them?" Brenda asked

" I accioed them to me" Hermione said, " After... Dumbledore's funeral, you were in a depressed state and didn't see me do it since you just... broke up with..."

Brenda nodded

" It occured to me that we needed to know as much as we possibly could about Horcruxes so I summoned them and packed them" Hermione said

" Well that's brilliant, where are they?" Ron asked

Hermione got into her bag and pulled them out

Hermione picked one up and showed it to the group, " This one tells you how to make a Horcrux"

" Secrets of the Darkest Art" Brenda read aloud

" It's a very horrible book and full of dark magic" Hermione said disgusted

" Voldemort probably read that book when he was at Hogwarts, if Dumbledore didn't take it out of the library until he was Headmaster" Brenda figured

" Then why did he ask Slughorn about Horcruxes?" Ron asked

Brenda shrugged, " Dumbledore said he already knew how to make one Horcrux but not six"

" Well... that makes sense" Ron said

" The more I read about them in this book the more horrible it seemed to split your soul, I had nightmares for two weeks when I was finished" Hermione said with a shudder

" Is there a way to put yourself back together?" Ron asked

" Yes but it's very painful, the person has to feel remorse, guilt... needs to have a conscience, it says that the pain can destroy you and I really don't see Voldemort doing that" Hermione said

" Especially when he's afraid of death" Brenda said

" So does it say how to destroy a Horcrux?" Harry asked

" Yes" Hermione said turning the pages of the book for the right page to show them, " It warns dark wizards how strong they need to make the enchantments on them... from what I read the stabbing the diary with the basilisk fang was one way of the few foolproof ways"

" Well it's lucky that we got such a large supply of basilisk fangs then" Ron said sarcastically, " I was wondering what we were going to do with them"

" It doesn't have to be a basilisk fang, just something so destructive that the Horcrux cannot repair itself. Basilisk venom only has one antidote, and it's very rare" Hermione said

Harry and Brenda looked at each other, " Phoenix tears"

" Exactly" Hermione said, " Our problem is that there are very few substances as destructive as basilisk venom and they are all dangerous to carry around with, we cannot think that ripping, smashing or crushing a Horcrux will do the trick because that can be fixed with a reparo, no we need to do something that is beyond magical repair"

Before anything else could be said Mrs. Weasley entered Ron's bedroom and asked them to get the wedding presents out of her bedroom and sort them out, they were supposed to be helping with the wedding after all

Everybody ended up working all day for the wedding and somehow and some reason Mrs. Weasley kept the four seventeen year olds apart as much as possible and Brenda usually ended up with Fred and Harry usually ended up with Ginny

" You think she's trying to tell us something?" Brenda thought

" I don't know, maybe if we get back together with them maybe she thinks we might not go on this mission?" Harry thought

Brenda agreed

Fred and Brenda were busy in the garden cleaning out all the cauldrons while everybody else was doing some other tasks, Harry and Ginny were doing the dusting in the living room, George and Ron were degnoming the garden for the second time and Hermione was helping Mrs. Weasley with dinner

" Fred why is your mother having us do this now? It's like four days away before the wedding and there isn't that much work to do" Brenda said

" Fleur's parents are coming tomorrow" Fred said, " Fleur's sister needs to practice being the flower girl"

Brenda nodded and resumed her task

" Wow I don't know why you want to be a Potions Mistress when you're older, these things take forever to clean" Fred complained

Brenda smiled and chuckled, " A little hard work never hurt anyone"

" This... isn't a little hard work" Fred said, " This is... Detention"

Brenda's face fell and it was silent

" Brenda I'm sorry... I didn't mean to" Fred started

" I know you didn't" Brenda said softly

" So... um... how's that bracelet working out for you?" Fred asked trying to change the subject

Brenda smiled, " It's wonderful, I already filled it with 99 potions"

" Wow, where did you get all those potions already? Your birthday was yesterday" Fred said

" Promise you won't tell anybody?" Brenda whispered

" I promise" Fred whispered

" I snuck into Snape manor and raided my potions lab, they're for the... mission" Brenda said, she really hated the mission since it meant she had to break up with Fred, it is so hard just being friends with him, she really wanted to apologias for hurting him and hug and kiss him until the flying pigs come home... figure of speech

" You have your own potions lab at Snape's manor?" Fred asked surprised

Brenda nodded, " Snape knew nothing about it... well he does but he can't get in there and he didn't know I was there last night"

" Brenda that was dangerous" Fred said

" Yah well so is a lot of other things that I did and most likely will do" Brenda said

It was quiet for a long uncomfortable time and they got back to work scrubbing the cauldrons

The last few days prior to the wedding were hectic and crowded, everybody was cleaning and doing last minute things and trying on outfits for the wedding, Fred and George managed to get some red hairs from the muggle town down the road for Harry and Brenda so they could blend in to be the Weasley's cousins. Harry was Barney and Brenda was Wilma

" As long as they don't call us Rubble and Flintstone I'm ok with that" Brenda said on the day of the wedding after they took the polyjuice potion

Hermione chuckled

" Rubble and Flintstone?" Ginny asked confused

" It's an old muggle cartoon from the sixties I think... called the Flintstones and their best friends are the Rubbles" Brenda explained

Ginny nodded

" The wizarding world really needs to have t.v.s... electricity won't be bad either" Hermione said with a smile

Ginny grinned and Brenda agreed

The girls were wearing matching sky blue dresses and white sandaled dress shoes

Hermione looked outside to see if anybody was there yet but only the four guys were there waiting to show everybody their seats

" Guys have it easy, they don't have much to do to get ready" Hermione said, " Unlike us girls, we have makeup to put on and our hair has to be just right and we have to find the right jewelry, Brenda make sure you don't wear your BRENDA necklace"

Brenda nodded and put it in her drawstring bag that she got from Hagrid

The girls were finally ready and they headed down and outside where the wedding was going to take place and they greeted the guys and waited with them to show the guests their seats

" Remember Harry, after Bill and Fleur are married we have to go back up and take the potion again for the party" Brenda said

Harry nodded

" How come you three are dressed alike?" Ron asked

" Well you four are dressed alike" Brenda said with a smirk

Ron rolled his eyes

" Actually it was mum's idea" Ginny said with a grimace

" I'd rather wear purple" Brenda said

" I'd rather wear pink" Hermione said

" No you wouldn't" George said, " That would clash with half the guests hair"

" Ok... then I'd choose a different shade of blue" Hermione said

The other's nodded

" When I get married, I'm not going to bother with all of this nonsense, everybody can wear what they like and I'll body bind mum just in case" Fred said

Everybody was silent at that

" Well... Mum wasn't too bad this morning... she cried a bit because Percy didn't come, but other than that she was ok" George said trying to take the spot light off of Fred and Brenda, things were really uncomfortable between those two

A few minutes later guests started to arrive and everything went smoothly until Hagrid sat on five chairs he wasn't supposed to sit on but the one that was spelled to hold his weight and bulk

Mr. Weasley shrugged and reparoed the damage

Harry noticed that the Lovegoods came to the wedding and Luna's dad had a very unusual name, Xenophilius

" Say that five times fast" Brenda thought to Harry as they introduced themselves as cousins Wilma and Barny

" I can't even say that once" Harry thought back

The four Gryffindors talked to Xenophilus for a bit before Luna came over and she knew who Harry and Brenda were right off the bat

" How did you..." Harry started

" By your expressions" Luna interrupted

Both the Lovegoods were out of place, they were wearing bright yellow dress robes

" I'll... be right back, I see my Auntie... she's real old" Ron said and he hurried to leave the Lovegoods, he never felt real comfortable with Luna

Harry, Brenda, and Hermione talked to the Lovegoods for a few minutes then left saying they had to mingle with the rest of the guests

Ron caught up to the others with an old lady on his arm

" This is my Auntie Muriel" Ron said with a fake smile

Auntie Muriel looked like a bad tempered flamingo, she was wearing a pink dress and pink feathered hat, she had a beaky nose, and red-rimmed eyes

" Your hair is much too long Ronald, for a moment there I thought you were Ginevra... Merlin's beard what is Xenophilius Lovegood wearing? Who are you lot?" Muriel asked

" Auntie, this is Hermione Granger" Ron said but that's as far as he got

" The Muggle born?" Muriel asked, " Hmm, bad posture and skinny ankles if you ask me

"She's a friend from school" Ron said a little irritated, "And this is Cousin Barney and his sister Wilma"

" More Weasley's... you lot breed like rabbits" Muriel said, " Aren't the Potters here? You said you were friends with them, I was hoping to meet them... were you just boasting?"

" No... they couldn't make it" Ron said

" They made excuses right?" Muriel asked, " Oh well, win some lose some... Well find me a good seat Ronald, I'm a hundred and seven and I shouldn't be on my feet too long"

Ron gave his friends apologetic looks and left to seat his aunt

" Well she's rude" Hermione said

" You talking about Aunt Muriel?" George asked, he and Fred came to the other three, " She just told me my ears are lopsided"

" Too bad Uncle Bilius isn't with us any more" Fred said, " He was a laugh at weddings"

" Wasn't he the one who saw a grim and died a day later?" Brenda asked

" Yah... but he was a bit odd at the end" George said

" But before he went loopy he was the life and soul of the party" Fred said with a grin, " He used to down an entire bottle of firewhiskey, then run onto the dance floor, hoist up his robes and pull bunches of flowers out of his..."

" Well, he sounds like a charmer" Hermione interrupted while the other two started giggling

" Never married for some reason" Ron said coming back to the group

All of a sudden music started playing

" Sounds like our cue to sit down" Fred said

They sat down in their assigned seats, Brenda with Fred, Harry with Ginny, Ron with Hermione, George on the other side of Fred

" I still can't believe Mrs. Weasley did this, she knows Fred and I broke up" Brenda thought to herself

Bill and Charlie stood waiting at the front, Charlie was Bill's best man and they both had white flowers in there pockets

A few minutes later after everybody was seated, Gabrielle came walking down the isle in a gold dress throwing flowers and then the bride and her dad entered, Fleur was wearing a simple white dress that looked like it glowed. Bill looked very happy standing there

The wedding itself took about an hour and Mrs. Weasly, Mrs. Delacour were sobbing and everybody could hear Hagrid sobbing, his sobs sounded like trumpets, Hermione and Brenda were also shedding tears, but for different reasons, Hermione was shedding tears because she was happy for the couple

Brenda was shedding tears because she was happy for the couple and she was thinking that she'll never get to marry Fred because of the mission that there is a big chance she will not make it, she was also crying because she knew that they had to leave for the mission either today or tomorrow at the most which also means that she won't get to see Fred anymore

Finally the wizard who married the two said, " I declare you bonded for life, you may kiss your bride"

When Bill kissed Fleur Fred and George led a round of applause which made golden balloons over the wedding burst and little doves and golden bells fell and floated out of them

" We've been working on that for about a month now" Fred whispered to Brenda

Brenda smiled, " It's lovely"

" Now if you will all stand up please" The wizard who married the two said

Everybody stood up and the chairs disappeared and in it's place was a golden dance floor, the chairs went to the conjured tables and out popped all the food that was made and then waiters in golden jackets appeared

" Wicked" Ron said approvingly

" Harry we need to go" Brenda thought

" Yah" Harry thought back

Brenda started to leave

" Hey Wilma where are you going?" Fred asked

" I need to... powder my nose" Brenda said hoping Fred would take the hint

" Oh, I'll come with you... I need to talk to you anyway" Fred said seriously

" We are talking" Brenda said

" Not the kind of talking we need to do" Fred said and the three of them hurried inside before the polyjuice potion wore off

They headed upstairs and to Ron's bedroom where the potion was hidden at

" So what sort of talk to we need to have?" Brenda asked

" Later, I need to talk to you in private" Fred said

Harry nodded in understanding and hurried to take his potion then left

" Ok... we're alone" Brenda said

" And that used to be a good thing, now it's just awkward" Fred said

Brenda sighed

" Brenda when can we get back together?" Fred asked, " Not being with you is torture"

Brenda closed her eyes, she really hated talking about this

" I think you should... forget about me and... find somebody else" Brenda said, it was very hard for her to say

" What?" Fred asked shocked

" You heard me..." Brenda said

" I can't do that, I love you" Fred said

" Yah and your love for me is going to get you hurt" Brenda said, " That night when we left Private Drive, you could have been the one who lost an ear and not George, you were supposed to go with Lupin and me, do you know how scared I was for you when I saw you at Private Drive, I broke up with you so you'd be safe, you're in danger with me"

" My whole family are blood traitors, I'm in danger with or without you, I'd rather be with you" Fred said

" You're in more danger when you're with me because Harry and I are the ones that Voldemort is really after" Brenda said

" I don't care if I'm in danger with you, I love you and I want to marry you" Fred said

Brenda was shocked at this statement and she really didn't want to put Fred down but she had to

" That's really... sweet, but... there's a good chance that Harry and I... won't make it in the end, that's why I want you to forget about me" Brenda said

" I can't forget about you" Fred said

" Fred I don't want you to get hurt" Brenda said and her voice was raising

" Brenda you can trust me to not get hurt" Fred said taking her hands in his, " Please just take me back"

Brenda sighed, she didn't know how she could make Fred understand

" Fred, listen" Brenda started and took her hands out of his and turned her back on him, " I gotta say what's on my mind. Something about this doesn't seem right these days. Life keeps getting in the way. Whenever we try somehow the plan is always rearranged. It's so hard to say but I've got to do what I think is right." She faced Fred, "You'll be okay... I've got to move on and be who I am. " (She was thinking how she and Harry are the Chosen ones and the only ones to defeat Voldemort) I just don't belong here I hope you understand." (She was thinking how the Potters being here will put the Weaslys in more danger) "We might find a place in this world someday. But at least for now... I gotta go my own way..." Brenda looked out the window "Don't wanna leave it all behind. But I gave my hopes up and I watched them fall since that night. Another color turns to gray. And it's just to hard to watch it all slowly fade away" Brenda looked at Fred again "I'm leaving today 'cause I gotta do what I thinks best, You'll be okay... I've got to move on and be who I am. I just don't belong here, I hope you understand. We might find a place in this world someday. But at least for now... I gotta go my own way"

Brenda started leaving the room with the potion in her hand, she'll take it in Ginny's room

Fred caught up to her when they passed his and George's bedroom and pushed her inside and shut the door

Brenda looked at Fred in confusion

What about us? Fred asked, "What about everything we've been through?"

Brenda looked down at her ring that she still didn't give back to Fred, " What about trust?"

Fred took her hands into his, " You know I never wanted to worry you"

What about..." Brenda didn't get to finish but she took her hands out of Fred's

What will I do without you? Fred asked grabbing her shoulders

Brenda looked outside, "I gotta leave but I'll miss you" and she swiped Fred's hands away from her and opened the door, "So, I've got to move on and be who I am"

"Why do you have to go? Fred asked

Brenda looked back at him with sadness in her eyes "I just don't belong here. I hope you understand"

Fred was trying to hold back tears, "I'm trying to understand"

Brenda turned around and took his hands in hers, " We might find a place in this world someday... But at least for now..."

Fred squeezed her hands a little tighter, " I want you to stay"

"I gotta go my own way... I've got to move on and be who I am" Brenda said

What about us? Fred asked again

"I just don't belong here. I hope you understand" Brenda said

 

"I'm trying to understand" Fred said

"We might find a place in this world someday...But at least for now..." Brenda sang and she took off her promise ring and looked at Fred, " I gotta go my own way... I gotta go... my own way"

Fred and Brenda looked at each other for a second longer and then Brenda took the Polyjuice potion and left Fred standing there with the ring in his hand looking crushed... for the second time in just a few short months

The song was from Highschool Musical 2... I thought it was a perfect break up song. I hope you liked it. I tweaked some of it to fit the story

Brenda headed towards a bathroom and made sure it didn't look like she was crying, she hated breaking Fred's heart like that but she had to do what she thought was right

After about another two minutes in the bathroom she conjured herself a piece of parchment and quill and ink and wrote a note to Fred saying sorry for hurting him like this and asking if he would please take care of Angel and her broom when they leave for the mission, she tiptoed into the Weasley twins' room and placed the note on Fred's pillow so she would know he would find it. Then with one last look at the room she left and she headed back down to the party to find Harry Ron and Hermione, she needed her friends and brother at a time like this, she found Harry... Barney and saw that Ron and Hermione were dancing

" They look happy together" Brenda said with a smile

" You ok?" Harry asked

" Yah I'm fine" Brenda said

" What did Fred want to talk to you about?" Harry asked

Brenda sighed sadly, " He wanted to get back together... and I sorta... broke up with him a second time, that's how sad he looked anyway"

" I know how you feel" Harry said and he hugged his sister

Brenda hugged back, " We have to kill Voldemort, he put us through too much pain for us not too" She thought

Harry agreed

" So... who invited Krum?" Brenda asked collecting herself

" Fleur" Harry said, " Ron's still jealous"

Brenda smiled, " Well it looks like Ron won"

" Barney who is this beautiful girl?" Krum asked going up to the two

" This is my sister Wilma" Harry introduced

" And does your sister like to dance?" Krum asked, " It seems my other dance partner is a little busy with her... boyfriend"

Brenda smiled sadly, " I'm not in the mood to dance, I just... broke up with my boyfriend"

" Oh I am sorry to hear that... how about a fast song then?" Krum asked, " Barney can join us too, we can dance in a group"

" That sounds fun" Harry said with a smile

Brenda nodded

They headed towards the dance floor then Krum stopped in his tracks

" What's wrong?" Harry asked

" That man in the yellow robe, if he wasn't a guest here, I'd duel him right here and now" Krum said glaring at Luna's dad

" Why? What's wrong?" Brenda asked

" He wears Grindelwald's sign" Krum spat

" Isn't that the dark lord Dumbledore defeated?" Harry asked

" Yes" Krum said, " Grindelwald killed many people, my grandfather included... that man is wearing Grindelwald's symbol"

" How do you know?" Brenda asked

" Well Wilma, Grindelwald went do Durmstrang and he carved the symbol into a wall, some students copied it on their books and bags and it makes me sick... I know the sign well"

" Well maybe Xenophilius does not, the Lovegoods are very... unusual bunch, he could have picked it up somewhere and thought it had to do with something unusual because that's what he's all about... he's very unusual" Harry said

Krum was still not convinced and he took out his wand

Brenda gasped

" What?" Harry asked

" Harry that dream we had a couple nights ago about Voldemort looking for Gregorovitch" Brenda thought

" Yah?" Harry asked remembering, he remembered Ron waking him up because he was muttering Gregorovitch

Both Hermione and Ginny woke Brenda up looking at her weird that day

" Victor Krum... you're the seeker for the Bulgarian team aren't you?" Brenda asked, she already knew the answer but being Wilma, she was guessing

" Yes I am" Krum said with a grin, " Are you a fan?"

" Yes... and I was reading in a fan magazine that you got your wand from Gregorovitch am I right?" Brenda asked with a smile

Harry perked up

" I didn't know I discussed my wand during interviews with the press... um... yes I did" Krum said

" Do you know where the wand maker is these days?" Wilma asked, " I'm doing a school assignment on famous wand makers"

" Oh... um... he retired many years ago, I was one of his last customers... they are the best, but I guess you British people like Ollivanders wands" Krum said

" Thank you for telling me that, now I can add that to my assignment... with your permission of course" Brenda said

" Sure, of course you can use that" Krum said with a smile

Brenda smiled back but for a different reason, " Now we know what Voldemort is doing, he's trying to find a wand maker to give him a strong enough wand to defeat us without it going Priori Incantatem, I guess Ollivander didn't make him happy so he's looking for Gregorovitch, and because we didn't occlude our minds we had a vision of it" Brenda thought

" We need to tell Ron and Hermione" Harry thought

" After this, let them have some fun while they can, the mission will not be fun, I can guarantee that" Brenda thought

Muriel came up to the Potters... Weasleys

" Are you interviewing that young man like Rita Skeeter?" Muriel asked

" Uh... no, we were just talking about wands" Brenda said

" Oh, well let's talk about Rita Skeeter, she's the best reporter the Daily Prophet has, she wrote an obituary for Dumbledore you know" Muriel said with a smile, " Young man... Barry whatever your name is, be a gentleman and get me a chair, I'm 107 and I should be on my feet for long"

" Yes mam" Harry said and he went to one of the tables to get a chair for Muriel

" I thought we were going to go dance" Krum said

" Uh... maybe later" Brenda said, she really didn't want to dance alone with him, it'll make Fred jealous and mad at her and not to mention hurt even more than he already is

" Oh... ok... well I'm going to go mingle" Krum said and left

Another person came over to Harry and Brenda

" I couldn't help but over hear... you're talking about Dumbledore's obituary, I wrote an obituary in the Daily Prophet for Dumbledore... Elphias Doge" Doge said

" Nice to meet you" Brenda and Harry said taking turns to shake his hand

" We saw it" Harry said, " I didn't know you knew professor Dumbledore so well"

" As well as anyone... but I think I knew him longest... well besides his brother Aberforth" Doge said

" Did you see the interview Rita Skeeter gave about Dumbledore?" Muriel asked with a smile

Doge looked angry and nodded, " Yes, I saw it, what a vulture that woman is"

" We read that Rita Skeeter said that Professor Dumbledore was involved in the Dark Arts" Brenda said

" Don't believe a word of it, don't let anything that woman has to say tarnish your memories" Doge said

" Rita Skeeter is a wonderful writer... I need to remember to place an order at Flourish and Blotts for her biography of Dumbledore" Muriel said, " Don't go telling lies about Rita Skeeter now"

" Then she needs to stop telling lies about everybody she writes about" Doge said

" She doesn't tell lies" Muriel said, " Before Dumbledore was respected and respectable there were some funny rumors about him"

" Pish posh" Doge said

" Well... you would say that Elphias" Muriel said, " I noticed how you skated over the sticky patches in the obituary that you wrote... Rita Skeeter did not"

" Well unlike Rita Skeeter, I was writing from the heart" Doge said

" Well we all know how you worshiped him, I bet you would still worship him even if it does turn out that he did away with his squib sister" Muriel said

" His sister was a squib?" Brenda asked shocked

Harry and Brenda read the obituary that Doge wrote for the paper while they were at the Dursleys, it was one of the few prophets they didn't use for the owl cages

" I thought she was ill" Harry said

" Well you thought wrong Barry" Muriel said

" Barney" Brenda coughed

" What was that?" Muriel asked

" Nothing" Brenda said, " Just a cough" she rolled her eyes when Muriel wasn't looking

" Well you wouldn't know what happened, it all happened before you were even thought of, and those of us who were alive at the time never really knew what happened. That is one reason why I can't wait ti find out what Skeeter's unearthed. Dumbledore rarely talked about his sister" Muriel said

" That is untrue, ridiculously untrue" Doge said angry, " The reason why he never talked about Ariana is because he was devastated by her death"

" Then why did nobody ever see her, Elphias?" Muriel asked raising her voice, " Why did more than half of us never know she existed until they had a funeral for her? Where was Albus when Ariana was locked in the cellar? Was he at Hogwarts being brilliant and didn't care what was going on in his own home?"

" What do you mean locked in a cellar?" Harry asked shocked

" What is she talking about" Brenda asked as shocked as Harry

Muriel smiled and explained, " Dumbledore's mother was a terrifying woman, a terrifying Muggle-born, she pretended otherwise... she was proud and very domineering, she would be the sort of witch who would have been mortified to produce a squib"

" Ariana was not a Squib" Doge interrupted

" Then why didn't she go to Hogwarts like her brothers?" Muriel asked then turned back to the twins, " In the old days, Squibs were often hushed up... no magical family was proud to produce a squib... but to actually lock up a little girl like that and pretend she didn't exist..."

" That's not what happened" Doge said interrupting again

Muriel looked at Doge and rolled her eyes then turned back to the twins, " Squibs were usually shipped off to Muggle schools and encouraged to integrate into a Muggle community... much kinder then forcing them to live in the wizarding world where they would be second class, but their mother Kendra Dumbledore wouldn't dream of letting her daughter attend a muggle school"

" That's not it" Doge said, " Ariana was delicate, her health was too poor to permit her..."

" From leaving the house?" Muriel asked chuckling, " And yet she never got any medical treatment for her health"

" And how would you know?" Doge asked

" My cousin Lancelot was a Healer at St. Mungos at the time, and he told me that Ariana never been seen there" Muriel said with a smirk

Doge looked like he was holding back tears of frustration and it looked like Muriel was enjoying herself a little too much

" I think Aunt Muriel had a little too much champagne" Brenda thought to Harry

Muriel's face was a little red

Muriel asked for more champagne which was her seventh glass and then she started her story again

" If Kendra didn't die first, I'd think that she was the one who finished off Ariana" Muriel said and took a sip of the champagne

" How can you say that? A mother kill her own daughter?" Doge asked shocked

" Well if the mother could imprison her own blood then why not?" Muriel asked

Harry was getting really uncomfortable with this topic, being imprisoned by blood was hitting it a little close to home

Muriel talked about Ariana for a while longer and what really shocked the Potters was that Aberforth punched Albus and accused Albus that it was his fault that Ariana is dead and Albus just took it, didn't even try to defend himself, what also shocked the Potters was of Muriel talking about Bathilda Bagshot who was a magical historian and was the Author of one of the school textbooks A History of Magic, Muriel said she was the one who told Rita Skeeter what she wanted to know about the Dumbledores. Also what really shocked the Potters was Muriel mentioning that Bathilda Bagshot lives at Godric's Hollow and so did the Dumbledores

" Why didn't he tell us he used to live there?" Harry thought to Brenda

" Maybe it was irrelevant to the mission? How am I supposed to know?" Brenda thought as shocked as Harry was at this information

After a while Muriel and Doge were in a conversation and it looked like they forgot all about Barny and Wilma and the two walked away from them and headed over to the refreshments thinking about what they learned

A few minutes later Hermione and Ron returned

" We can't dance anymore" Hermione said panting then she looked at the Potters who were in their own little world, " Are you two ok?"

Before Harry and Brenda could say anything, a large and silver something or other came falling and landed in the middle of the dance floor, it was a patronus of a lynx, everybody's heads turned and the voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt boomed over the whole party

" The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming" The Patronus said

The whole party was quiet

After everybody got over the shock somebody screamed and everybody was panicking

The Golden four took out their wands ready for a battle that they knew was going to come

They were right because a minute later the wards that were around the Burrow broke and men in black cloaks and creepy looking masks appeared

The four started battling a few of the masked death eaters along with the other witches and wizards who weren't to afraid to dissaperate away

The four dodged another curse shot at them

" Stupify...We got to get out of here" Harry said

" What about the battle?" Brenda asked casting her own stupify at a Death eater

" Let them take care of it, we have to go" Harry said dodging another spell

" We don't have our licenses to apperate" Brenda said casting protego

" Since when do you care about having a license? You already did it two years ago" Harry said casting his own protego

" Ok fine" Brenda said sadly, she wanted to at least see Fred one more time but she guessed when she said she was leaving today she meant it

" But what about my family?" Ron asked

" They'll be fine, they're good duelists" Harry said

" Right" Ron said

They all held hands and turned and apperated in a flash or a pop whatever

They landed in Tottenham Court Road

" Now what?" Ron asked

" Just walk, we need to find a place to change clothes into" Hermione said pushing the other three

" We haven't got anything to change into" Ron said

" Yes we do, explain later" Brenda said

" We should have kept our invisibility cloaks" Harry said, " We had them all of last year"

" We have them, and no it's not down my dress like it was last time" Brenda said before Harry could even think that

" What?" Ron asked stunned

" Never mind" Brenda said, " We just need to act naturally until we find a place to change"

They couldn't find a shelter of any kind that would be safe enough to change into but they found a dark alley and changed in there

" Ok what do we have to change into?" Ron asked

" We expected to leave in a hurry so we put Undetectable Extension charms on our purses" Hermione began

" Ron I have your clothes" Hermione said

" Harry I have yours" Brenda said, " And we have the invisibility cloaks as well"

The girls took out the four sets of muggle clothes and got dressed in a hurry, the girls took longer to get dressed because they had zippers in the back of their dresses and pantyhose to take off

" What happened to the trunks?" Harry asked

" Our trunks are in here too" Brenda said tying her hair in a ponytail and putting on her necklace she rarely takes off and tucking it under her shirt just in case

" Brenda, you and Harry better put the invisibility cloaks on just in case" Hermione said packing her dress nicely in the purse

Brenda nodded and got the cloaks out and the Potters put them on

" So when are we going to go back to the Burrow?" Ron asked

" We can't worry about that now" Hermione whispered, " The Order was there and they'll look after everyone"

" They better be all right, I left Fred with his heart broken" Brenda whispered

" You did the right thing" Harry whispered

" I hope you're right" Brenda whispered

" Come on, we got to keep moving, Harry, Brenda, no more talking" Hermione ordered

They got out of the alley and began walking

" Why are we in a muggle town?" Ron asked

" I figured we'd be safer in a muggle town instead of a wizarding one" Hermione explained

Ron nodded, " But don't you feel a little exposed? Out in the open?"

" Where else could we go? We cannot go to the Leaky Cauldron and Snape can get in Grimmauld Place, we could go to my parents' house but Death Eaters might look there" Hermione said

The four passed a bar and two men started whistling at Hermione

" How are you Darling? Why don't you ditch the red head and have a pint with us, we'll make it worth your while" A drunk said with a smirk

Hermione and Ron glared at the two men who were whistling at Hermione

" Just keep on walking" Brenda whispered to her friends

They walked a little further and spotted a cafe

" Come on, lets sit in here for a while" Hermione said and the four went in the cafe and sat down, there were only two other people who entered the cafe after them

Harry and Brenda were still under the cloaks and they could feel the polyjuice potion wearing off, it felt as weird as last time they took the potion when they were impersonating Slytherins in their second year, Oh how life was a breeze in second year compared to now

" You know Hermione, we're not that far from the Leaky Cauldron" Ron whispered

" Ron we can't" Hermione hissed

" Not to stay there, just to find out what's going on" Ron said

" We know what's going on Ronald, Voldemort has taken over the Ministry, what else is there to know?" Hermione asked

" Well it was just an idea" Ron said in a huff and he crossed his arms over his chest

It was silent for a few minutes until the waitress came over

" What can I get you?" The waitress asked

" Um... two chocolate and caramel cappuccinos please" Hermione said sweetly

" Is that all?" The waitress asked

" Yes" Hermione said

The waitress nodded and left

" Why didn't you order four of them?" Ron asked

" Because Harry and Brenda are not here remember" Hermione said pointedly

Ron nodded in understanding

" Ok, I say after we leave this place we find a quiet place to Disapperate and go to the countryside and there we can send a message to the Order" Hermione said

" Can you do that talking Patronus thing?" Ron asked

" I can" Brenda whispered, " I did it during fourth year, remember?"

" How did you learn how to do that anyway?" Ron whispered

" Reading" Brenda whispered

" I've been practicing it as well" Hermione said

A minute later the waitress came back with the drinks

" I hope everybody is all right" Ron said, " What a way to ruin a perfect day"

Hermione nodded

Ron took a sip of his drink and almost spit it out, " God, that's gross, I wonder how the muggles can stand drinking this all the time... Well I'm not drinking anymore of it... let's get going all right? You do have muggle money to pay for this right?"

" Yes... but I think my money is at the bottom" Hermione said rummaging through her purse

" Harry, those to men are staring at our table" Brenda thought

" Yes, I've been watching them too" Harry thought

" Wands?" Brenda thought

" Wands" Harry thought

At the same time as Brenda and Harry took out their wands, the two men that were watching them took out theirs and began firing spells

Ron dodged a spell just in time and got his wand out and yelled Protego while in front of Hermione who ducked down to avoid being hit with a red curse

" STUPIFY" Harry and Brenda yelled at the same time while still under the cloaks, one of the spells hit one of the Death Eaters but the other missed

The Death Eater who was still up didn't see who cast the spell and sent another at Ron who didn't get his protego up in time and was bound from head to foot in ropes

After the waitress got out of her stupor she dropped what she was holding and was running for the door

Brenda cast another Stupify at the Death Eater but it missed again and it hit the waitress who fell with a thud

The Death Eater aimed at the table the four were sitting at earlier and shouted, " Expulso"

The table and booths exploded knocking everybody into walls which made the invisibility cloaks come off

" The Pot" Before the Death Eater finished saying The Potter twins Hermione hit him with a Petrificus Totalus

The Death Eater fell with a thud on broken china and glass, he got cut with some sharp shards

" Well that serves him right" Brenda said standing up on shaky legs, " There are too many blowing up spells, Bombarda, Expulso, Confringo, and Reducto, it seems like they all do the same thing"

The three went over to the tied up Ron and by using Diffindo they undid the ropes

Ron shook around to regain feeling in his limbs

The others went over to the Death Eaters to make sure they were not a threat still

" So... what are we going to do with them?" Ron asked

" Hermione, lock the door, Ron turn out the lights" Harry ordered

The two did as they were told

" So what are we going to do with them?" Ron asked again once they were emerged in darkness, " Kill them?"

" No... then we'll be just as bad as them and it'll be obvious that we were here... we'll wipe their memories clean" Brenda said, " It's better like that and it'll throw the death eaters off our scent"

" Ok... but I never done a memory charm" Ron said

" Yah me either" Harry said

" Nor have we... but we know the spell" Hermione said looking at Brenda for confirmation

" You do this guy, I'll do Blondie" Brenda said and the waitress

Hermione nodded

" Good, then while you're doing that, Ron and I will clean up" Harry said

" Clean up? Why?" Ron whined

" Well don't you think they might wonder what's happened if they wake up and find themselves in a place that looked like it was bombed or hit by a tornado or an Earthquake?" Harry asked

" Oh... right" Ron said turning red a little

The girls obliviated the two death eaters and the waitress and made it look like the Death eaters were sitting at a booth and the waitress was at the counter

" Ok, how did they know we were here?" Harry asked

" Now isn't a good time to talk about that, we need to find a safe place to hide" Hermione said

" How about Grimmauld Place?" Brenda suggested

" Don't be silly, Snape can get in there" Hermione said

" But Ron's dad said they put up wards against him, even if they don't work I want to give Snape a piece of my mind" Brenda said with a scowl

" But..." Hermione didn't finish

" Hermione where else can we go? It's the best chance we got, plus Snape is only one Death Eater. If we stay out here with no protection, however these two found us, others would be able to find us" Brenda explained

Hermione thought about it and looked like she was going to argue but she stopped and finally nodded, Harry went over to the door and unlocked it

" Well we better start heading there then" Harry said

Ron turned on the lights with the Deluminator and everybody headed outside and made sure nobody was in sight and they apperated to Grimmauld Place

They arrived outside the building and went inside and headed towards numbers eleven and thirteen, which is what Muggles would see but they saw number twelve and they opened the door very cautiously

After Harry shut the door behind them Moody's voice boomed in the room

" SEVERUS SNAPE?" Moody's voice boomed

" Er... We're not Snape" Brenda called not knowing what else to say

Before anything else was said a cold air like feeling went passed them and everything went back to normal

" Ok that was strange, what was that?" Ron asked

" It must have been sensing us to see if we were Snape or not" Hermione suggested

They walked on still being cautious just in case and before anybody could say anything else, a figure rose up from the carpet and everybody gasped, it was Dumbledore... or a figure that looked like Dumbledore, but with no twinkle in his eye, his face was sunken, fleshless and he had empty eye sockets

" You killed me" The Dumbledore said raising his wand

" NO, IT WASN'T US, WE DIDN'T KILL YOU" Harry yelled at the scary looking Dumbledore

The figure of Dumbledore exploded and went away

Everybody was shaking after that

Because of Harry yelling, Mrs. Black's portrait started screaming about mudbloods and half bloods dishonoring the house of Black

" SHUT UP" Brenda yelled and with her wand she closed the curtain

" That... That was" Hermione stuttered

" Yes, but he wasn't real, just something to scare Snape, he's gone now" Harry said trying to reassure his scared friend

They walked on further

" We should check and see if anybody else is here, Snape could have gotten passed the wards" Ron said

Hermione took out her wand, " Homenum revelio"

" What's that" Ron asked

" That was a spell to reveal human presence... there's nobody here except us" Hermione said relieved sounding

" Don't forget the figure" Ron said making himself shiver

" And the... figure" Hermione said

" The next time I see that figure is too soon" Brenda said also shivering

" We should head upstairs" Hermione said

They quietly headed up the creaky stairs, lighting the lamps on their way

" The wizarding world really needs electricity" Brenda said with a chuckle trying to lighten the mood

Harry and Hermione grinned and nodded in agreement

They headed towards the drawing room which was the closest and biggest room that wasn't the library

Ron went to the window and sighed with relief, " They didn't follow us"

All of a sudden Harry cried out in pain and he clutched his scar

" Harry what's wrong?" Brenda asked

" He... He's angry... very angry" Harry said wincing in pain

" What else did you see? Was he at the Burrow? Was he cursing anybody?" Ron asked frantic

" No... just anger... I couldn't tell" Harry said finally taking his hand away from his scar

" What's going on? I thought the connection closed" Hermione said

" It did, for a while" Brenda said, " But it opened back up again... Harry you really need to learn Occlumency, I'm going to start teaching you again... we should start tomorrow, the sooner the better"

Harry groaned but nodded

" You're getting better you know" Brenda said with a smile, " You can block me out for a few minutes now"

Harry smiled at that

" That's a good idea, then Voldemort can't plant images in your heads anymore or hurt you when he's feeling emotional" Hermione said with a smile

A few minutes later a patronus of a Weasel appeared and it was in Mr. Weasley's voice, " Family is safe, do not reply for we are being watched, good luck you lot"

Everybody sighed with relief

Another wave of pain hit Harry

" Harry occlude your mind, it will dull the pain" Brenda said afraid for her brother, she knew the pain was intense because she was feeling some of it too and she was occluding her mind, " Harry just take a deep breath"

" Can't you give him a pain reliever?" Ron asked

" Won't work with this" Brenda explained

After a few more minutes Harry finally calmed down and the pain ended

" Voldemort is very angry at those two death eaters we faced tonight, and he is having Draco Malfoy curse them" Harry said

" So now what?" Ron asked

" We stay here tonight" Harry said

" I think we should stay together" Hermione said, " Just in case"

The others nodded wearily

The girls took out sleeping bags they packed and they all got ready for bed, it has been a very long day

After the death eaters left and everybody looked to see if everybody was ok, everybody who was left started cleaning up the mess

The Weasley's saw that the Golden Four were nowhere to be found

" They started the mission" Fred whispered

Ginny went up to Fred and gave him a hug

Fred smiled at his younger sister, " They'll... they'll be fine"

Ginny nodded but they both were still very worried

The Weasley brothers and sister saw that their mother was now crying and they all hurried up to her

" They left, they left and didn't even... what if something bad happens to them?" Molly asked

Arthur went up to his wife, " They'll be fine Molly, they'll be safe"

" Arthur they're out there all alone with Voldemort and his death eaters after them, Voldemort took over everything it seems like, what are we going to do?" Molly asked

" The only thing we can do for them is... reassure them that everybody is ok and hope that they will come back to us safe" Arthur said

" They need to come back, tell them to come back" Molly said, " They're just children"

" They're not children anymore Molly" Arthur said

" YES THEY ARE" Molly said teary eyed, " Yes they are"

" Dad you need to reassure them as soon as possible" George said

" I will, but it will have to wait since we're being watched" Arthur said

" Mum, I think we should go inside" Bill said, " It's safer in there"

Molly nodded and everybody who was left at the Burrow went inside

A few hours and many cups of tea later Fred went back up to his and George's room and saw a note on his pillow that was from Brenda, it said she was sorry for hurting him and asked if he would take care of Angel and her broom when she leaves for the mission

Fred began tearing up as he read the note, it was just very simple but it was the last thing Brenda left for him, " Oh Merlin this hurts" He thought, " I miss her so much"

Fred sat on his bed and put his elbows on his knees and ran his hands through his hair still crying

After a few minutes he accioed a picture of her he put in a heart shaped picture frame and just looked at it and took out the ring he put on a chain around his neck

George came up into the room a few minutes later

" Hey Fred, how are you doing?" George asked

Fred was quiet

" That good huh... you want to talk about it?" George asked

" Nothing to talk about, she broke up with me and left" Fred said, " I might never get to see her again"

" You don't know that" George said

" Yes I do, she gave back her ring I gave her during Christmas two years ago" Fred said sadly

" Maybe she wants you to have something of hers to remember her by just in case... she did keep the bracelet" George said

" She needs that for the mission, it carries a hundred potions" Fred said

" She took the stuffed unicorn you gave her" George said

" How do you know?" Fred asked

" Because I was just in Ginny's room and her room only has her stuff in it, they took everything that belonged to them... well except for Brenda's broom and Angel"

" Brenda wants me to take care of those for her, she wrote me a note" Fred said

" You see, she still trusts you to take care of two things that are very important to her, she got Angel when she was eleven and her broom was from Sirius" George said

Fred smiled sadly

George looked at his twin brother, " Do you want to be alone for a while?"

Fred nodded

" Ok... just don't do anything stupid you hear?" George asked

Fred nodded again and watched George leave the room

Fred sighed and put the ring around his neck again and put the picture back where he had it and just looked at it

The next day at Grimmauld Place

Brenda woke up to find Harry missing

" Harry?" Brenda thought

" In Sirius's room" Harry thought back, " Come up here and come in, it's great"

Brenda smiled and quietly left the room she was in so she wouldn't wake up her sleeping friends and she headed up to Sirius's room where Harry was at

" How long have you been awake?" Brenda asked

" Not long, half hour or so" Harry said, " Isn't this room neat?"

" It's very... Sirius" Brenda said looking around, " I bet he decorated this room just to aggravate his Slytherin family" Brenda grinned

Harry nodded in agreement, " He put a sticking charm on everything, most likely so his parents can't redecorate"

Brenda nodded

" I tried getting that picture of the Marauders off, but even that is stuck" Harry said

" Well as it should be, this is a shrine of Sirius's teenage life, everything should be left alone, even if it does have Pettigrew in it" Brenda said

Harry nodded and they looked around the room just to remember Sirius by and then they found a letter addressed to Sirius that looked like Brenda's handwriting

" That's odd" Brenda said and she picked up the letter

" What? You wrote to Sirius all the time" Harry said

" Not in this emerald green color I didn't" Brenda said and she opened up the letter and gasped

" What?" Harry asked

" Harry, it's from... mum" Brenda said

Harry gasped too, " Well read it"

Brenda read the letter out loud and it was a thank you letter from Lily for the twins' birthday presents from him, brooms

Brenda smiled, " Our first brooms"

Harry smiled back and finished reading the letter which talked about how James thinks they would be great Quidditch players and how he is getting cabin fever since he was couped up inside, it seemed like they were friends with Bathilda Bagshot and how Dumbledore has the invisibility cloaks so he can't sneak out of the house

The letter ended in the wrong spot, it ended by saying, " It seems incredible that Dumbledore"

There had to be more to the letter and it made the Potters very confused and they went searching for it

They couldn't find the rest of the letter, but what they did find was a picture of them riding their brooms chasing a toy snitch with Harry in the lead

" Well I guess McGonagall was right for choosing you to be seeker for our team" Brenda said with a smile while looking at the picture

Harry smiled, " What are you holding?"

" Looks like a wand" Brenda said

" So that's why dad is chasing us while holding onto a doll, he wants his wand back" Harry said grinning, " And wants you to carry the doll in it's place"

" I don't think I want to hold the doll" Brenda said, " I think little me liked the wand"

Harry and Brenda chuckled

They're mood was interrupted by Hermione calling for them

" We're up here" Harry called

Hermione followed Harry's voice and found them in Sirius's room

" There you are, we've been worried about you when we didn't see you in the room, why didn't you wake us?" Hermione asked

The Potters shrugged

" Ron I found them" Hermione yelled

" Good, smack them upside the heads for me" Ron called

" Why did you come up here anyway?" Hermione asked

" Look what we found" Harry said giving Hermione the letter

" And this picture" Brenda said giving her the picture

" Oh my" Hermione gasped

" We've been searching for the rest of it but it's not here" Brenda said

Hermione looked around the room, " So did you make this mess?"

" No, it was like this when we got here" Harry said

" You don't think... somebody got in here looking for something do yah?" Brenda asked

" That's what I think, all the rooms we looked in to search for you two are this messy" Hermione said

" What do you think they were after?" Brenda asked

" Information on the Order if it was Snape" Harry said

" But Da... Snape was in the order" Brenda said blushing and cursing herself for almost saying Dad

" You still think of him..." Hermione trailed off

" No I don't... it's just force of habit I guess" Brenda said, " Been calling him that for years now you know"

Hermione nodded

" What about information on Dumbledore?" Brenda suggested

" What?" Hermione asked

" The letter, if not information on the order, then information on Dumbledore, that's where the letter ends, talking about Dumbledore" Brenda said

" The letter also talks about Bathilda Bagshot" Harry said

Hermione gasped, " The author of A History of Magic?"

The twins nodded

" So your parents knew her then?" Hermione asked, " She was a great magical historian"

" And she's still alive at Godrics Hollow" Brenda said, " Ron's aunt Muriel was talking about her at the wedding, she also knew Dumbledore real well"

Hermione nodded and frowned, " I understand why you two want to go there, but it wouldn't help us with the search for the Horcruxes"

Harry and Brenda looked at each other sadly

" It's not just that Hermione" Harry started, " We want to know the truth about Dumbledore"

" Muriel told us some things that we don't know what to believe" Brenda explained

" Well that's an easy answer, you got that information from Ron's Aunt Muriel, we all met her and she follows what ever Rita Skeeter says, you knew Dumbledore for years" Hermione said

" Well, we thought we did" Harry whispered

" Just because an old woman said things about Dumbledore doesn't mean they're true, don't let her tarnish your memories of him" Hermione said

The twins looked a little doubtful but they put on a happier face for Hermione so she would stop bugging them about it now

" That's better, lets go find Ron and go to the kitchen to look for some breakfast" Hermione said with a smile

They exited Sirius's bedroom and started heading downstairs

Before Harry started downstairs something caught his eye, it was a sign on a bedroom door

Do Not Enter Without The Express Permission Of Regulus Arcturus Black

" R.A.B." Harry whispered, then called " Hey you two come back up here, I think I found R.A.B."

The two girls ran back up the stairs

" Where? In the letter?" Hermione asked

" No, on the door" Harry said

" Regulus... Sirius's brother" Brenda said with excitement

" How would he be this R.A.B. we're looking for?" Hermione asked

" He was a Death eater and he betrayed Voldemort so they killed him" Harry explained

" Sirius told us when we had to clean the room with the family tree" Brenda said

" Wow... that fits" Hermione said with excitement, " If he was a Death Eater then he had access to Voldemort, and when he didn't want to be a Death Eater anymore he would want to take Voldemort down"

The others were getting just as excited

" RON, RON GET UP HERE QUICK" Hermione yelled

Ron ran upstairs with his wand in hand, " What's wrong? Is it spiders? Bogart? Snape? What?"

Ron looked at the sign that they were in front of, " R.A.B... Sirius's brother is R.A.B.?"

" Well there is only one way to find out" Brenda said taking out her wand and pointing it to the door, " Alohomora"

The door swung open and they walked in

Inside looked like they stepped into the Slytherin Dungeons, the whole room was decorated in Slytherin colors and in one corner of the room there were newspapers of Voldemort

" Well lets find that locket then" Ron said and he started to search

" There's an easier way" Hermione said taking her wand out, " Accio Locket"

Nothing happened

" Well then it's not here?" Ron asked

" It could be, it could be under enchantments" Hermione said

" Like a stone basin in a cave" Harry whispered

" So how are we supposed to find it?" Ron asked

" We search manually" Brenda said

" Good idea, just what I was about to do anyway" Ron said sarcastically and began searching again

They looked through every nook and cranny they could find but they couldn't find the locket

" Now what?" Ron asked

" Well, it could be in another place in the house" Hermione said

" That's going to take forever" Ron whined

" Maybe not, Ron remember when we were cleaning that room that had those robes that were trying to strangle you and that clock that shot bolts at everybody?" Hermione asked

" How can I forget?" Ron asked

" Well maybe it was in there, we threw so much out... in fact, I do remember a locket, we threw it in the rubbish bin" Hermione said going pale

" Well don't forget that Kreacher nicked a bunch of things back from us" Harry said

" He would have put the things in his cupboard" Brenda said

" It's the only chance we got, come on" Harry said

Everybody hurried towards Kreacher's cupboard and opened the door and looked inside

There was a bunch of things inside the cupboard, they took everything out and the girls and Ron shrieked when a dead mouse was found, Harry just rolled his eyes and kept searching

" It's not here" Ron groaned, " Now we'll never find it"

" Don't say never yet" Harry said then yelled, " KREACHER"

The House Elf appeared with a pop

" Master Harry Potter called back in my Mistress's old house with Mistress Brenda Potter, the blood traitor Weasly and the Mudblood Gr..."

Harry picked up Kreacher by it's dirty pillowcase

" I forbid you to call anyone blood traitor or Mudblood" Harry said with a glare

" Ok Harry, put him down now" Brenda said

Harry did as he was told

" Kreacher, we have a question for you, and you will answer it truthfully understand?" Brenda asked firmly but not harshly

" Yes Mistress Brenda Potter" Kreacher said

" Ok... two years ago when we were clearing out your old Mistress's things, there was a locket that was thrown away... did you take it?" Brenda asked

It took Kreacher a while to answer because he was fighting it but he finally said, " Yes Mistress"

" Where is it now?" Harry asked

Kreacher hesitated and closed his eyes, " Gone"

" Gone?" Harry asked, " What do you mean gone?"

" Mundungus Fletcher" Kreacher said

" That's the guy that went with Moody and Kingsley" Brenda said, " Kreacher why does Mundungus Fletcher have it?"

" He stole it, along with Miss Bella's and Miss Cissy's pictures, my Mistress's gloves, the Order of Merlin, First Class, the goblets with the family crest, and Master Regulus's locket" Kreacher sobbed

" How do you know he stole those things?" Harry asked

" Kreacher saw him do it, Kreacher tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen" Kreacher said

" Kreacher why do you call the locket Master Regulus's?" Brenda asked

" Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord when he was sixteen, Master Regulus and my Mistress were so proud, happy to serve... a year later Master Regulus said he needed an elf. Master Regulus volunteered Kreacher. It was an honor for him and for Kreacher, Kreacher had to obey the Dark Lord like he was my master and then Kreacher could come home. Kreacher went with the Dark Lord to a cave beside the sea. Beyond the cave there was a cavern and in the cavern a great black lake" Kreacher explained

Harry and Brenda could pretty much figure out the story if they weren't told any more, but Kreacher went on telling how they went across in a little boat and Voldemort made Kreacher drink a potion that made him see terrible things and Voldemort dropped the locket inside the basin the potion was in and he filled it up with more potion

" The Dark Lord left Kreacher there, Kreacher was thirsty so Kreacher crawled towards the lake and sipped water, then hands grabbed Kreacher pulling Kreacher down until Master Regulus ordered Kreacher home" Kreacher explained

" But you can't dissapperate from the cavern, if you could then Dumbledore would have..." Harry started

" House Elves are different from Wizards and witches Harry, Voldemort doesn't know that, he thinks that Houseleves are far beneath magical humans just like he thinks half bloods and muggle borns are beneath purebloods... he is such a hypocrite since he is a half blood" Brenda said

Harry nodded, " So what happened when you got home?"

" Master Regulus was very worried and he told Kreacher to stay in his cupboard, some time later master Regulus told Kreacher to take him to the cave where Kreacher gone with the Dark Lord"

" That makes sense, Kreacher would know how to get to the cave and know how to open up the cavern since he already done it with Voldemort" Brenda thought

" So Regulus made you drink the potion again?" Harry asked disgusted that he would have to suffer again

Kreacher shook his head no, " M... Master... Regulus gave Kreacher a fake locket and ordered Kreacher to switch the lockets once the potion was gone... M-M-Master Regulus drank the potion" Kreacher sobbed, " Master Regulus ordered Kreacher to leave without him... He told Kreacher... to go home... and never tell... what he done... but to destroy... the first locket. I followed his orders and watched as he was dragged beneath the water"

" So did you destroy it?" Brenda asked after a time until Kreacher calmed down

Kreacher shook his head no, " Kreacher tried, but Kreacher didn't eve put a scratch on it. Kreacher had to punish himself a lot but it was no use. Kreacher's Mistress was mad with grief because her son was lost but Kreacher couldn't tell where he was because he was ordered by Master Regulus not to tell his family" Kreacher was sobbing

Brenda felt bad for Kreacher, even though he betrayed Sirius, she still felt bad and she really missed Minnie, Brenda knelt down and started patting Kreacher on the back to help him calm down

It took Kreacher ten minutes to calm down

" Feel better?" Brenda asked not stopping on patting his back

Kreacher nodded and rubbed his eyes with his knuckles

Brenda smiled

" Kreacher is sorry Kreacher broke down like that" Kreacher whispered

Kreacher stood up and started walking towards a pan to hit himself in the head

" Kreacher stop" Brenda said

Kreacher stopped

" Don't punish yourself for being sad" Brenda said

" Why? After what he did to Sirius, he deserves some punishment" Harry thought

Brenda glared at Harry

" You wouldn't understand" Brenda thought back then turned her attention back to Kreacher, " Kreacher how would you like to find Mundungus Fletcher and bring him back here?"

Kreacher looked up at Brenda confused

" It's not right for Mundungus Fletcher to have the House of Black items is it?" Brenda asked

Kreacher shook his head no

" So can you do that for us? Can you look for him and bring him back here?" Brenda asked

Kreacher smiled and shook his head yes, " Yes Mistress Brenda Potter"

" See Harry, being nice is all it takes" Brenda thought

Harry agreed and he got an idea, he got into his pouch he got from Hagrid and pulled out the fake locket and went up to Kreacher, " Kreacher, I'd like you to have this... it belonged to Regulus and I'm sure he'd want you to have it as a token of gratitude for what you did"

" little too dramatic for my taste" Ron whispered

" Shh" Hermione said elbowing Ron in the gut

Kreacher went weak in the knees because it was an honor for a house elf to have a family heirloom given to them, to Kreacher, it was better than clothes and would have fallen face first if Brenda didn't catch him and hold him standing upright until he was ready to stand on his own

" Th... Thank you Master" Kreacher said taking the locket and putting it in his cupboard

" We will make sure it is kept safe while you are away" Brenda promised

Kreacher smiled and bowed down to everyone before he was gone with a pop

The Golden four thought that it would be easy for Kreacher to track down Mundungus and they both would be there by nightfall, but they were wrong, they waited for a few days and Kreacher was still not back

There wasn't much to eat in Grimmauld Place, mostly stale bread and crackers that thankfully weren't very moldy because of a stasis charm

The scariest thing that happened while the four were at Grimmauld Place was that two cloaked men stood outside in front of the building, they didn't have to guess what those cloaked men were, they were of course Death Eaters

" So do you think they know we're here?" Ron said while looking out the window at the two Death Eaters

" No, if they did, they'd send Snape up" Brenda said

Ron nodded in understanding

A couple of days wore on and Ron and Hermione were getting on each other's nerves, Ron kept playing with the Deluminator and Hermione was trying to read The Tales of Beedle the Bard, those two kept snapping at each other and it was getting on Harry and Brenda's nerves

" They're a very weird couple" Brenda thought

Harry agreed, " You want to go down in the kitchen and wait for Kreacher?" He thought

" Sure" Brenda thought and they both got up and walked out of the drawing room and headed down towards the kitchen

When they were half way there they heard a click from the front door and the front door opened and a cloaked figure appeared and Moody's voice boomed asking if it was Severus Snape and then the Dumbledore figure appeared

" It was not I who killed you, Albus" A quiet voice said, too quiet for Harry and Brenda to recognize

The figure of Albus went away and Harry and Brenda took out their wands and aimed them at the intruder

" DON'T MOVE" Harry and Brenda yelled and forgot about the annoying portrait of Mrs. Black who started to scream

Hearing the commotion from downstairs Ron and Hermione hurried down the stairs with wands in their hands, ready for battle

" Hold it... It's me, Remus Lupin" Lupin said and he raised his arms in surrender, " I come in peace" He joked

Hermione and Ron relaxed and Hermione quieted Mrs. Black down. The Potters however, did not

" Prove it" Harry demanded

" Hmm, I am Remus John Lupin, werewolf, sometimes Known as Moony, one of the four creators of the Marauder's Map, married to Nymphadora, usually known as Tonks, I taught the two of you how to produce a Patronus, Harry yours is a stag, Brenda yours is a unicorn" Lupin said

The Potters finally put down their wands

" Sorry, we had to check" Brenda said with an embarrassed smile

" No need to be embarrassed, I agree that you needed to check, I could have been Snape under polyjuice for all you know, Ron, Hermione it was not wise to lower your defenses" Lupin said

The four ran to Lupin and hugged him

" So, no sign of Snape yet?" Lupin asked

" No" Brenda said, " So what's going on? Is everyone ok?"

" Yes everyone is fine, Fred is kind of down in the dumps for obvious reasons but George is trying to cheer him up with new products" Lupin said, " We're being watched. There are a couple of Death Eaters outside of this building"

" We know" Harry said

" I had to be careful when I apperated here, Had to apperate precisely on the top step so the Death Eaters didn't hear or find me" Lupin said, " So... let's go to the kitchen and you can tell me what happened after you left the Burrow"

They all headed to the kitchen and Hermione lit a fire so it would be a bit cozier

They told Lupin what happened and how they had to fight two Death Eaters who found them in a cafe

Lupin was surprised at that news

" So what happened at the Burrow?" Ron asked

" After you left and everybody was gone, the Death Eaters came back after a while and searched the Burrow top to bottom for you lot, they found the ghoul and didn't go in the bedroom, they wanted information on you two" Lupin said looking at the Potters, " But aside from the Order nobody knew you two were at the wedding"

Brenda gasped, " What about my note I left Fred? That would have given us away"

Lupin shook his head no, " Fred read the message and before the Death Eaters came he burned it just in case, yes he will take care of Angel and your broom"

Brenda looked relieved

" You care about a broom at a time like this?" Ron asked

" Hey, it's from Sirius" Brenda said

" Oh... yah" Ron said sheepishly

" So why did the Death Eaters attack the wedding in the first place?" Harry asked

" It wasn't the Burrow they attacked specifically, they were attacking every known place where a member of the Order lives, they even used the cruciatus curse on Tonks' family, but everybody is ok, shaken but ok" Lupin said

" I can't believe the Death Eaters penetrated all of those defensive spells around the place" Hermione breathed

" I bet it took some pretty powerful magic to do that" Ron said

" I bet it was Snape who did it" Brenda whispered, " Since he knows so much about Defense Against the Dark Arts, and the dark arts, he should know how to penetrate the defenses"

It was quiet for a few minutes

" So... um... who's the new minister now that Scrimgeour was murdered?" Hermione asked

" A wizard by the name of Pius Thicknesse, he is under the Imperius Curse" Lupin said gloomy

" Why didn't Voldemort just become Minister then? Why go through so much trouble with the Imperius Curse?" Harry asked

" He doesn't want to sit behind a desk" Lupin said with a smirk, " So he made himself a puppet to do the work"

" Well it sounds like Voldemort's got his wish, he wanted power over a lot of people, well he now has it" Brenda said with a sigh

" That's not all" Lupin said and he gave them the Daily Prophet and on the front cover were pictures of Harry and Brenda and the heading said

WANTED FOR QUESTIONING ABOUT THE DEATH OF ALBUS DUMBLEDORE"

" You've got to be kidding" Harry said

" They took over the Daily Prophet too?" Hermione asked in outrage

Lupin nodded

" Surely people know what's going on" Hermione said

" They do and there have been whispers but people don't trust other people any more, they are looking out for there own and no one else, there has been a dramatic change in the ministry and it's warning the world about the two of you instead of on Voldemort and his Death Eaters" Lupin said

" The people would actually think we had a hand in Dumbledore's death?" Brenda asked shocked

" And are now afraid of those that would have defended you" Lupin said and then sighed, " That's not all... the Ministry is also moving against Muggleborns... read page two"

Hermione opened the Daily Prophet to page two and read aloud that recent research by the Department of Mysteries reveals that magic can only be passed down from person to person when Wizards reproduce. It said that muggleborns with no magical history in his or her background obtained the magical power by theft or force, and every muggleborn is to present themselves for an interview by the newly appointed Muggleborn Registration Commission

It was quiet when Hermione finished, everybody was letting it sink in

" They... They can't let that happen" Ron said, " It's outrageous"

" Well it is happening" Lupin said, " Muggleborns are being rounded up as we speak"

" The ministry is mental, how can one steal magic? If they could do that, we wouldn't have squibs" Ron said

" I know, but that is what is going on here, if muggle borns cannot prove that they have at least one close Wizarding relative, you are deemed to have obtained you magical power illegally and must suffer the consequences" Lupin said

" Hermione... for now on, you're my cousin" Ron said

" What?" Hermione asked

" When you have to have that interview, we'll make it so you're related to the Weasley's" Ron said

" I'm not going to have that interview, like Harry and Brenda, we're wanted as well, it wouldn't matter right now, but it's sweet of you to say" Hermione said with a smile

Ron smiled and blushed

" What about Hogwarts? What's going on there?" Harry asked

" There is no choice, everybody has to attend Hogwarts, nobody can be home schooled or go to a different school if they live in Britain" Lupin said, " Also it's another way to weed out the Muggle borns from the others, because now the students have to prove they are of Wizard descent before they are aloud to attend"

" Thats... thats just..." Brenda started, she couldn't describe how evil and vile that was

" I know" Lupin said and sighed

It was quiet for a couple seconds

" You guys... the Order is under the impression that Dumbledore left you a mission" Lupin started

" He did" Harry said, " And Ron and Hermione are coming with us"

" Can you confide in me what the mission is?" Lupin asked

" Sorry, Remus, but if Dumbledore didn't tell you, then we can't either" Brenda said

Lupin nodded, " I thought you might say that, but hear me out, I might still be of use to you, I can offer protection, and you don't really need to tell me what you're up to"

" Remus, what about your wife?" Hermione asked, " Think about how she would feel"

" Tonks will be perfectly safe, she's at her parents house" Lupin said a little coldly

The coldness in Lupin's voice scared the four

" Um... Remus, is everything ok?" Hermione asked, " You know between you and..."

" Everything is fine thank you for asking" Lupin said with a forced smile

" Uh-hu" Brenda said sarcastically, " You're faking your smile, you're hiding something, now what's up?"

Lupin looked confused

" Lived with Snape for five years" Brenda said as an answer

Lupin sighed and put his face in his hands, " Tonks is going to have a baby"

The girls squealed in delight

" Oh how wonderful" Hermione said

" Awesome" Brenda said with a smile

" Excellent" Ron said enthusiastically

" Congratulations" Harry said with a smile

Brenda looked at Lupin and frowned, " You're smile is still fake, what's wrong? Having a baby is wonderful"

" So do you accept my offer? Can the four become five?" Lupin asked, " Dumbledore appointed me as your D.A.D.A. teacher, that had to mean something right?"

" So let me get this straight, you want to leave your pregnant wife at her parents house and come with us on our mission" Brenda said

Lupin nodded, " She'll be perfectly safe there, they'll take care of her"

" I don't know" Harry said

" Look you two, I'm sure James and Lily would have wanted me to stick with you, keep you safe" Lupin said

" Actually, we think our parents would have wanted you to stick by your wife’s side and take care of your own kid when it's born" Brenda said

Lupin's face drained of color

" You... don't... understand" Lupin said

" Well... explain then" Harry said

" I... I made a mistake in marrying her, I did it against my better judgment and I regret it very much" Lupin said

" So you're going to dump her and the kid to come with us?" Brenda asked

Lupin jumped out of his seat and he glared fiercely at all four of them, his glare was scarier than Snape's and that's what really scared the four... they could actually see a shadow of the wolf in the man

" You don't understand" Lupin said in a low scary voice, " You don't understand what I did to my wife and unborn son... I made them both outcasts"

The teens looked confused

" You only saw me amongst the Order or under Dumbledore's protection, not in the real world where Werewolfs are looked down upon, Tonks' on family is disgusted by our marriage" Lupin said, " The child... the child will live in hell, my kind don't usually breed... because most werewolves wouldn't want that burden to be upon a child, my child will be like me... if he isn't, well that would be a miracle but then he would know of my condition and I think he'll be better off if he didn't know me, so he didn't have a father to be ashamed of" Lupin was almost in tears at this point and he hid his face in his hands

" Remus" Brenda said walking up to him since everybody scooted back when he looked scary, " Remus don't say that"

" How could any child be ashamed of you?" Hermione asked walking on the other side of him and they both gave him a hug

" I'd be ashamed of him if he was my father" Harry said

Everybody looked at Harry who had his arms cross and he was glaring daggers at Lupin

" Harry" Brenda started

Lupin looked as if his best friend just hit him

" Don't Harry me Brenda, let me say what's on my mind" Harry said, " Right now the wizarding world thinks that Muggleborns are bad, well what will they think about your child when it's born? A half werewolf and his father is in the order, your child will need protection. Our father tried protecting his family, do you honestly think he'd want you to abandon yours to go on an adventure with us?"

" How... How dare you Harry James Potter" Lupin spat with a glare, " This is not about a desire for... danger or personal glory... how dare you even suggest such a thing"

" I think you're feeling a bit of a daredevil, you want to step into Sirius's shoes don't you? You want..." Harry started

" Harry stop" Brenda demanded

Harry wasn't listening and he just glared at Lupin who looked livid

" Brenda why are you standing up for him? He's the one who taught us to fight off dementors and here he is... a coward" Harry spat

The next thing anybody knew, Lupin shot out his wand and made Harry go flying backward and Lupin left the building

Hermione tried to get Remus back but Remus didn't listen

" Harry how could you?" Brenda snapped

" That... was easy" Harry said getting up

" Easy? Easy? Harry, Remus Lupin is like an uncle to us and you just... Harry I can't believe you did that" Brenda said

" Brenda you and I both know that parents shouldn't leave there kids unless they have to" Harry said

" I know... I just wish you told him that in a different manner" Brenda said

" I know... I know I shouldn't have called him a coward" Harry finally said with a sigh

" No you shouldn't have" Ron said

" But he was acting like one" Harry protested

" We know, but still you shouldn't have said that" Brenda said

" Well if it makes him go back to Tonks, it'll be worth it" Harry said

After that encounter with Lupin there was an awkward silence

Harry went over to the Daily Prophet and started reading

" Harry why are you reading that nonsense?" Brenda asked after a while

Harry didn't answer, he just finished reading and then gave it to Brenda

Brenda saw that Harry looked pale and gave him a questioning look

" Just read it" Harry whispered

Brenda started reading it

The article was a piece of the Biography of Albus Dumbledore from Rita Skeeter, it talked about how the Dumbledores moved to Godrics Hollow and the mother Kendra was not very neighborly and eventually people just stopped trying to be neighborly to the Dumbledores all together. According to Bathilda Bagshot she only ever saw the two boys and wouldn't have known there was a daughter until she saw Kendra bring the little girl out into the backyard and walk around the yard only once and bring her back inside. It seems that Ariana was a squib and Kendra would rather hide her daughter from the world rather than admit it to the world that she born a squib. The Dumbledore boys would answer the questions if asked at school why their sister isn't coming, My sister is too frail for school

Brenda looked up from the paper and she was as pale as Harry, she looked at Harry but before they could say anything or think anything there was a loud pop and limbs were all over the floor and they were flailing

Kreacher got out from under the flailing limbs and bowed to Harry and Brenda

" Kreacher brought back Mundungus like Kreacher was asked to" Kreacher said with a proud look on his face

" Thank you Kreacher" Brenda said with a smile

Mundungus stood up and looked around the room then took his wand out but before he could say a spell it flew out of his hand and landed in Hermione's after she cast an Expelliarmus

Mundungus gasped and then ran to the stairs

Ron was closest and tallest so he ran after him and tackled him before Mundungus reached the stairs

" WHAT?" Mundungus yelled writhing trying to free himself from Ron's grip, " What did I do? You set a bloody house elf on me, let me go, let me go or or I'll"

" You're not in much of a position to make threats" Harry said and he dropped to his knees beside Mundungus

Mundungus stopped his struggling and he looked scared

Brenda got out a chair and the four Gryffindors pushed Mundungus into it and tied him up using a binding charm

" Kreacher apologizes for the delay in bringing the thief, Master and Mistress" Kreacher said with a deep bow

" You've done very well Kreacher" Harry said

" Good job" Brenda added with a smile

" Right, well we have a few questions for you" Harry said to Mundungus

" I PANICKED, OK? I NEVER WANTED TO COME ALONG, I NEVER VOLUNTEERED TO DIE FOR YOU, THAT WAS BLOODY YOU KNOW WHO WHO WAS COMING AFTER ME, ANYBODY WOULD HAVE PANICKED AND RAN AWAY" Mundungus yelled

" For your information, nobody else disapparated" Hermione said with a glare

" Well then you're all a bunch of bloody heroes then aren't you, but I never pretended I was" Mundungus said

" Right now we're not interested why you ran out on Moody" Brenda said, " We already know that you're unreliable"

" So then why did you have that mangy house elf hunt me down?" Mundungus asked

" It's about stealing what doesn't belong to you" Brenda said

" Sirius never cared about that junk" Mundungus protested

The next thing anybody knew, Kreacher was hitting Mundungus with a frying pan and Mundungus shrieked in agony since he was helpless from being tied up

" CALL HIM OFF, CALL HIM OFF, CALL HIM OFF" Mundungus screamed

Kreacher hit Mundungus four times

" Ok Kreacher that's enough" Brenda said

Kreacher stopped but didn't put the frying pan down, " Maybe just one more Mistress? To make it an even five?"

Ron laughed at that and Hermione and Harry smiled

Brenda smiled, " Well right now we need him conscious so he can tell us what we need to know, but if he needs... persuading... you can do the honors"

Kreacher smiled and nodded and bowed low then he stepped back away from Mundungus but he still glared with loathing at the man

" Now then, when you stripped this house bare of all the valuables you could find" Harry started

" You took a bunch of stuff from the kitchen cupboard which is where Kreacher sleeps" Brenda began

" There was a locket there" Harry said

" What did you do with it?" Brenda asked

Mundungus was getting dizzy going from one Potter to the other, he hated when twins did that, the Weasley twins were even worse, since they looked alike

" Well?" Brenda asked

" Why do you want to know? Is it valuable?" Mundungus asked

" You've still got it then?" Hermione asked

" No he doesn't, he just wished he asked for more money for it" Ron said with a glare

" More? I didn't get anything for it, I gave it away" Mundungus said

" Funny, but I don't think giving away is your style" Brenda said

" It's not, I had to, I had no choice" Mundungus said

" What do you mean?" Harry asked

" I was selling in Diagon Alley and she came up to me and asked if I had a license for trading magical artifacts. Bloody toad, she was going to fine me but then she spotted the locket and she said she'd take it and she said that we never had this conversation, so I gave it to her" Mundungus said

" You said she looked like a toad?" Brenda asked her heart pounding

" Yes, she's from the Ministry" Mundungus said

The Gryffindors all looked shocked

" Umbridge" Hermione whispered

" Where's a Centaur when you need one?" Ron joked

" Or a firecracker dragon" Brenda said

" Can I go now?" Mundungus asked

Harry rolled his eyes and undid the ropes that was keeping Mundungus to the seat, " Fine, but you're not stealing anymore"

Mundungus grabbed his wand and disapperated with a pop

" So now what?" Ron asked

The others shrugged

For the rest of the month of August the four saw people dressed in black cloaks stand outside of the doors of eleven and thirteen at Grimmauld place, they knew it was there but they didn't know how to get in, they were pretty sure the four were in there but they didn't know what to do

The teens would only apperate out of Grimmauld place under the invisibility cloaks and only two at a time, on one of the occasions Harry and Ron went out to spy on Umbridge and see what's going on in the world, they came back and they were in foul moods

They went through the ritual of the Dumbledore figure confront them and the voice asking if they were Severus Snape and they're usual answer of I didn't kill you

Kreacher came up to them with a pop

" Shoes off if you please, and hands washed before dinner" Kreacher said with a bow and a smile, " Mistress Brenda and Hermione is in the kitchen where Kreacher is making dinner"

" Thank you Kreacher" Harry said and he hung up the invisibility cloaks

The boys walked into the kitchen where piles of books and parchment were scattered everywhere. The boys rolled their eyes

" Figures" They said together

The girls looked up from their research and rolled their eyes but then they looked at the boys' faces and they didn't look happy

" What happened?" Brenda asked

" You're not going to like the news we have to bring" Harry said and he threw down the news paper on top of the parchment the girls were scribbling on

There was a large picture of a familiar, hooked nosed, greasy black haired man, beneath a headline of

SEVERUS SNAPE CONFIRMED AS HOGWARTS HEADMASTER

" Poor students, I see corporeal punishment in their near future" Brenda said sadly, " And Snape has a hard hand"

" This isn't a joke" Harry said

" Who's joking?" Brenda asked

Hermione grabbed the news paper and started reading aloud, " Severus Snape, long-standing Potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was today appointed headmaster in the most important of several changes at the ancient school. Following the resignation of the previous Muggle Studies teacher, Alecto Carrow will take over the post while her brother, Amycus, fills the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor" Hermione threw down the paper without reading the rest, " Snape's going to be Headmaster... Snape's going to be in Dumbledore's office"

" There's a portrait in the office that is here... Snape could be spying on us right now" Brenda said standing up

Both girls ran out of the kitchen without saying another word and they ran to get the portrait of Phineas Nigellus

Luckily Phineas wasn't in his portrait when they took it down and brought it to the kitchen

" So what are we going to do with that?" Ron asked after the girls returned

Hermione grabbed her bag and Brenda stuffed the portrait into it

" Now the only thing Phineas will see is the inside of my handbag" Hermione said with a smile

" Good thinking you two" Ron said with a smile

The girls smiled and then Kreacher came and served them onion soup

" So anything interesting happen today?" Hermione asked

" Nothing" Harry said, " We watched the Ministry entrance for seven hours and no sign of her"

" We saw my dad though, he looks ok, I wish I could have talked to him but that would have blown our cover" Ron said

The others nodded

" I wonder why you never saw her though" Brenda said

" Well, dad always says that ministry workers always use the floo instead of walking" Ron said

" Well that makes sense, Umbit...bridge is full of herself, she wouldn't walk" Brenda said

" Is there anything else we need to know about the Ministry before we go there?" Harry asked

" Well dad says that Magical Maintenance always wear navy blue robes" Ron said

" And you didn't tell us this before because?" Brenda asked

" I didn't think it was important" Ron said shrugging

" Ron, every last detail is important if we want to get at Umbridge" Brenda said

" Sorry, it was only one little thing" Ron said

" Ron you do realize that the Ministry of Magic right now is probably the most dangerous place in the whole world right?" Hermione asked

" We should do it tomorrow" Harry said out of the blue

Everybody looked at Harry like he grew another head and turned alien green

" Tomorrow?" Hermione asked

" Harry you can't be serious" Brenda said

" Well, I am" Harry said, " Look, I don't think we're going to be much better prepared than we are now even if we spy around the Ministry for another month, the longer we put it off, the farther away the locket could be. There is already a chance that Umbridge threw it away or something if she couldn't get it open"

" Well... unless she found a way to open it and she's possessed" Ron said

" Well that wouldn't make any difference one way or another, she was already evil in the first place" Brenda said

Hermione was having second thoughts and it showed on her face

" We already know everything important" Harry said, " We know they stopped Apparition in and out of the Ministry, we know only the most senior Ministry members are allowed to connect their homes to the Floo, and we know well... roughly where Umbridge's office is, because of what Hermione heard that guy with the beard say about meeting her on level one"

" Harry, how on earth are we supposed to get in there? They have those funny looking coins to get in with" Brenda said

" Well, we'll steal them" Harry said, " You guys, it's time to act"

The others looked at each other and sighed

" One problem Harry, the potion won't be ready for another week, we can do it then" Brenda said

Harry nodded, " Then we do it in a week then"

They spent the week going over their maps they drew from what Ron remembers from all the times he's gone with Arthur to the Ministry

During dinner on the night before they were going to the Ministry, Harry's scar started hurting and he rushed to the bathroom to vomit all that he had eaten that day, of course he also had a vision of Voldemort killing a family because he was looking for Gregorovitch and she didn't know him

When Harry woke up he was staring at the other three

" I saw Voldemort murder a woman... maybe even her whole family" Harry said

" Harry how many times do I must remind you to occlude your mind?" Brenda asked, " I taught you how and you must do it"

" I don't want to... I'm glad you taught me to use it and you should keep your shields up, but with these visions I know what he's doing" Harry said

" Harry, do you like having those awful headaches all the time? That is why I taught you Occlumency" Brenda said

" Do you like it when you get the visions?" Harry asked with a glare

Brenda glared back, " No, that's why I keep my shields up and you should do the same, Dumbledore wanted both of us to learn and to occlude"

" Well I hate the fact that we get visions, but if it lets me know what he's up to, I'm going to keep my shields down and I'm going to use the curse that Voldemort gave me and use it for the greater good" Harry said, " Both of us don't need to have major headaches all the time"

" Then lets switch off, you had the last few, now you put your shields up and I'll put mine down and I can get the visions and you can have a rest for a while" Brenda said

" No Brenda, just let me get the visions" Harry said

" Stop trying to be the big brother protecting his younger sister, we're still twins" Brenda said with a glare

" Twins don't need to share every single thing you know" Harry said

" I'm putting my shields down and I'm going to get those visions too, I'm giving you a break, whether you take it or not is up to you" Brenda said

Harry glared at his sister but she glared defiantly back

It was quiet for a moment

" So why did he do that to that woman?" Ron asked

" He was asking where Gregorovitch was" Harry said finally giving up on trying to make his sister see some sense

" Who?" Ron asked

" Foreign wand maker" Harry said, " He made Krum's wand and he thinks Gregorovitch is brilliant"

" But I thought Voldemort already has Ollivander" Ron said, " Why does he need to wandmakers?"

" Well maybe he thinks Gregorovitch is better than Ollivander" Brenda suggested

They all decided that was what Voldemort thought and they stopped talking about the vision and started working on their plan to go to the Ministry the next day

The next day the girls were the first ones down to breakfast made by Kreacher, they were also getting everything they would need for their... outing, Robes, Polyjuice Potion, Invisibility cloaks, Decoy Detonators, Puking Pastilles, Nosebleed Nougat, Extendable Ears, Fire crackers etc...

Finally Harry and Ron came down and Harry looked extremely tired

" Good morning sleepy heads" Brenda said

" We have Polyjuice Potion, the Invisibility cloaks, Decoy Detonators, Puking Pastilles, Nosebleed Nougat, Extendable Ears, Firecrackers, Robes..." Hermione said

" You two better hurry up with your breakfast, we're ready to go" Brenda said

The two boys gulped down their breakfast and started heading out the door

" I'm going to make steak and kidney pie for lunch" Kreacher said with a bow

The others smiled and nodded and headed towards the exit

" And to think I wanted to strangle him just a couple years ago" Ron said

They were quiet and stepped out and onto the front step, they saw tired looking Death Eaters watching the entrance

They Disapparated and landed in a deserted Alleyway where they planned to land, it was right next to a closed theater

" So what time is it? The witch doesn't usually show up until about 8:00" Ron said

Hermione checked her watch, " We have about five minutes, everybody under the cloaks"

" Wait, didn't we plan to open up the door?" Brenda asked

Hermione gasped and took out her wand, " I almost forgot" She pointed her wand and used Bombarda and it burst open with a loud crash

" Good thing nobody is close by, or we'd be in trouble" Ron whispered

The others nodded in agreement

Hermione made the door look like it was still closed and locked

" And now we wait" Hermione said

They all got under the two cloaks and waited until the witch showed up

The witch was from the Ministry, she had gray hair and was little

Hermione pointed her wand at the witch and stunned her

Everybody got out from under the cloaks and dragged the witch into the building

" Nicely done Hermione" Ron said with a smile

Hermione smiled back and plucked a few of the witch's hairs

Brenda handed her a flask of the polyjuice potion and Hermione added the hairs

Ron was looking through the witch's handbag and found what he was looking for

" She is Mafalda Hopkirk" Ron said, " An assistant in the Improper Use of Magic Office... Maybe you'll need this, you better take it"

Hermione nodded and took the card Ron read from then Ron dug through the handbag again and found the tokens they would need

The tokens had the letters M.O.M. on them

After Hermione knew they had what they needed, she drank the polyjuice potion with a grimace, and within a minute there stood before the other three Mafalda Hopkirk

Hermione removed the real Mafalda Hopkirk's glasses and put them on

" How do I look?" Hermione asked with a smile

" Like Mafalda Hopkirk" Brenda said and rolled her eyes

Harry checked his watch, " We better get the real Mafalda Hopkirk into hiding, the Magical Maintenance will be here any second"

They dragged the real Mafalda into one of the isles in the theater and laid her down on a couple of seats

" That should be more comfortable than the floor" Hermione said

The others nodded and got under the cloaks and they all hurried out of the building to wait for the Magical Maintenance

A couple minutes later a guy showed up, he had a ferrety looking face... kind of like Draco Malfoy

" Oh good morning Mafalda" The wizard said

" Good morning... how are you today?" Hermione asked

The man sighed, " Not so good actually"

" I'm sorry you're under the weather... here maybe this will help" Hermione said and she took out a bag of the Puking Pastilles

The man took one of the pastilles not knowing what it actually was and popped it in his mouth. A minute later the man started vomiting, he was vomiting so hard that he didn't notice Hermione yank out a few hairs or take the man's bag

" Ooh goodness, perhaps you should take the day off" Hermione said

" N-no" The man gasped, " I must... go"

" But that's silly, you cannot go to work in such a state" Hermione said, " You should go to St. Mungo's and have them sort you out"

The man was propped up against a wall at this point and started heaving, " May... maybe you're right"

After getting his balance, he looked at Hermione with a nod and turned and vanished

" We should have stunned him too, less mess that way" Hermione said

" True, but a whole pile of unconscious bodies would draw a lot of attention" Ron said stepping out from under the cloak, " Give me the hairs and potion and bag already, I want to get the stuff gone as soon as possible"

Hermione glared at Ron's rudeness but handed him the stuff

Ron drank the potion with a grimace and the next minute standing before them was the ferrety faced man

" Great, that just leaves us to find two more" Hermione said with a smile

" We'll go look for them, you two stay under the cloak and don't make a sound" Ron said

Harry and Brenda rolled their eyes and obeyed their elders

After Harry and Brenda were polyjuiced as a lady who's hair is greying and a man who's hair is greying

" Sorry we don't know who they are, they Disapparated before we could get an identification" Ron said

" The man had a bloody nose and the firecrackers weren't helping" Hermione said, " The lady seemed to be afraid of dragons"

Brenda smiled at that

" Well are we ready?" Ron asked

" Yes" Harry said, " We're ready"

They had to get to the Ministry of Magic in a very unusual way, there was an entrance in a public bathroom, the girls went one way to the girls restroom and the boys went another way to the boys restroom

At first the girls didn't know what to do

" What do we do?" Brenda asked

" I don't know... we should watch what the others do

They watched as they saw the Ministry employees enter a cubicle and they heard a flush and were gone

The girls looked at each other in confusion and they stepped into a cubicle and flushed the toilet, nothing happened

" Harry do you know what we're supposed to do?" Brenda asked through thought

" Yah, you're supposed to stand in the toilet and flush, you go down a shoot and land in the Ministry of Magic... Ron and I are already here" Harry thought to Brenda

" Ew, this is so unsanitary" Brenda whispered

" What?" Hermione asked

" We're supposed to stand in the toilet and flush" Brenda said with a disgusted look on her face

Hermione looked disgusted too

Brenda went first and found out that even though she was in the toilet, her shoes, feet and robes were still dry

" Good at least we won't have squeaky feet the whole time" Brenda thought to herself and then she flushed the toilet and went down the chute

Hermione was sliding down after her

They found the boys who were looking at the Ministry in awe

" What are you looking at?" Brenda asked

" This place changed since the last time we were here" Harry said

The girls looked around and nodded, they looked in the middle of the room and there was a statue of a witch and a wizard that were sitting on something that looked like naked humans

" That's totally barbaric... they're sitting on muggles" Hermione said

" MAGIC IS MIGHT" Brenda said aloud as they walked past it and joined the rest of the Ministry workers

A couple minutes later, a death eater that Harry and Brenda recognized from that night at Hogwarts came up to Ron

" Cattermole, I requested somebody from Magical Maintenance to sort out my office, it's still raining in there" The Death Eater named Yaxley said

Ron looked around hoping the guy wasn't talking to him, but he found out the guy was talking to him, " Raining? Th-that's not good" Ron started chuckling because he was nervous

" No it's not" Yaxley said, " And you shouldn't be laughing... especially since I'm on my way downstairs to interrogate your wife... in fact, I'm surprised you're not down there with her holding her hand or something while she waits. Have you given her up already? You should have married a pure-blood... well you should remember that next time"

Ron nodded, he didn't know what else to do

" If my wife was accused of being a Mudblood and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement needed a job doing... I'd get right on that" Yaxley said

" Ye- yes sir" Ron said

" Then... get to it" Yaxley said, " If my office isn't dry in an hour, your wife's blood status will be even graver than it is now"

Yaxley smiled evilly and with a nod to the others, left without another word

" What am I going to do? If I don't do something... this guy... Cattermole's wife is going to be..." Ron said

" We'll come with you" Harry said

" No, there's no time" Ron said, " We need to get that locket... I'll sort out the office, while you three find Umbridge... but how do I stop it from raining?"

" Finite Incantatem" Hermione said

" But if that doesn't work then there's something wrong with an Atmospheric Charm... which is more difficult to fix... you can try Impervius which would protect his belongings" Brenda said

" Wow you guys slow down... you're going too fast" Ron said looking confused

The two girls went slower with their talking

After they finished talking and Ron understood what he needed to do, they got on the lift and waited until the lift stopped at Ron's stop first

" You know, somebody should go with Ron, just in case" Hermione said but before they could push a button to go back down, the lift stopped again and opened up revealing a dark haired wizard and... Umbitch... Umbridge herself

" Stop thinking Umbitch, you might say that out loud" Harry thought to Brenda

" Good morning Mafalda, Albert, Margret" Umbridge said in her too sweet voice

" Good morning" The three said

" Hmm, Margret... Yah I can see that" Brenda thought to herself

" So Mafalda, Travers sent you did he?" Umbridge asked

" Yes" Hermione said

" Good, you'll do perfectly well" Umbridge said then turned to the dark haired wizard, " That's one problem solved, Minister, if Mafalda can be spared for record-keeping we shall be able to start straightaway"

Umbridge looked at her clipboard and tutted

" Ten people today and one of them is a Ministry employee's wife" Umbridge said shaking her head as she climbed into the lift, " Just go all the way down to the courtroom" then she looked at Harry and Brenda, " Aren't you two getting out?"

" Oh... yes of course" Harry said and he and Brenda got out and the lift closed leaving an anxious looking Mafalda which is Hermione alone with Umbridge

" So... what are you two doing up here? This isn't your department" The Minister Pius Thicknese said

" Well, we need a quick word with... Arthur Weasley, we heard he was up here" Harry said

" Has he been conversing with an undesirable?" Thicknesse asked

" Nothing like that" Brenda said

" Oh... well it's only a matter of time... good day" Thicknesse said

" Good day Minister" Harry and Brenda said

They waited until the Minister was out of sight and then they both shared panicked looks

" Hermione will be in that courtroom for hours and who knows how long Ron is going to take, I doubt he knows what he's doing" Brenda thought

" We have to worry about that later, we need to find Umbridge's office, now put your cloak on" Harry thought

The two of them made sure nobody was in sight before they put their cloaks on

" Merlin this guy is tall" Harry thought to himself after he got the cloak on, he had to bend down so his feet were covered

They started searching for Umbridge's door, there were plaques on the doors with the owner's name and occupation on them which helped a lot or else they'd probably have to look through each and every room which would take a lot of time

They searched through several corridors with no one in sight

The last corridor they were in though had employees working at desks that looked like school desks but without graffiti and chewing gum on them

Harry and Brenda quietly walked closer to the employees and looked at what they were doing

They were making pamphlets about mudbloods

MUDBLOODS

and the Dangers They Pose to a Peaceful Pure-Blood Society

Beneath the title was a picture of a rose and a green weed strangling it

" Well this has Umbitch all over it" Brenda thought

" Stop saying Umbitch" Harry thought

" I'm not saying anything" Brenda thought

" Well stop thinking it then" Harry thought

" Will Umbitch be interrogating Mudbloods all day, does anyone know" A witch asked

" I'm not the only one who says Umbitch" Brenda thought, she started to like this witch

" Careful" A wizard said nervously

" What? Does she have magic ears as well as a magic eye now?" The witch asked looking at a door

Harry and Brenda looked where she was looking at and saw... Alastor Moody's magical eye

" That BITCH" Brenda thought

Harry ignored his sister and went up to the door and read the plaque

DOLORES UMBRIDGE

SENIOR UNDERSECRETARY TO THE MINISTER

HEAD OF THE MUGGLE-BORN REGISTRATION COMMISSION

" Ok well we found the door, now we need a decoy" Harry thought

" I'm all over it" Brenda thought with a smile, she took out a decoy detonator and set it loose

A minute later there was a loud bang and black smoke billowed from a corner

Everybody shrieked and everybody was very confused

Harry and Brenda took that chance and opened the door just enough to get inside the room and shut the door

" That was fun" Brenda thought with a smile

They took in their surroundings and it was like they stepped back in time to fifth year, the office was exactly the same, it had pink walls, cat pictures, lace was everywhere

Both Potters shuddered

The next thing that Harry did was look through the magical eye to make sure the decoy was still working, then he yanked the magical eye out of the door leaving a hole and he put it in his pocket

" Good, Umbitch doesn't deserve that" Brenda thought and she raised her wand and murmured, " Accio Locket"

Nothing happened

" Well it was worth a try, I guess she's smarter than she looks" Brenda thought

They began looking in different places, they began opening up drawers and such but nothing was interesting until Harry spotted a file on Arthur Weasley

" Look at this" Harry whispered

Brenda came over and read Mr. Weasley's file

" So... who's Undesirable Number One and who's Undesirable Number Two?" Brenda joked

Five minutes later Harry found a newspaper clipping with both their pictures on it and written on them was Undesirable Number One on Harry's chest and Undesirable Number Two on Brenda's, and written on a pink piece of paper said, " Need to be punished"

" The toads got punishment issues" Brenda said

Harry nodded and put the papers back in the drawer

They resumed looking for the locket but they looked everywhere three times and in this case three times was not the charm, before they could put their cloaks back on though, Minister Thicknesse opened the door but luckily was talking to someone behind him

The Potters quickly put their cloaks on before the Minister turned around and held their breath

The Minister came in and wrote a note for Umbridge and the Potters walked out without being heard and headed back to the lift taking their cloaks off

" We'll have to try another day" Brenda thought, " Like in another month or so, since we need to make more polyjuice potion"

Harry nodded, " Now we need to find Ron and Hermione"

The lift stopped at a level and a soaking wet Ron got on the lift

" Morning" Ron said miserably

" Ron it's us... Harry and Brenda" Harry said

" Blimey, I forgot what you looked like... how come Hermione isn't with you?"

" She had to go down to the courtrooms with Umbridge" Brenda explained, " She really couldn't refuse"

The lift stopped again and Mr. Weasley and a blond witch entered the lift and Mr. Weasley glared at Harry then turned to Ron

" Hello Reg" Mr. Weasley said, " Isn't your wife in for questioning today? What happened to you?"

" Yaxley's office is raining and I couldn't stop it" Ron said not looking at his father in the eyes, " They sent me to get... Pillsworth"

" Yes, a lot of the offices have been raining lately... did you try Meteolojinx Recanto?" Mr. Weasley asked, " It worked for Bletchley"

" Hmm, no I don't think I did... thanks Da... I mean Arthur" Ron said red in the face and the next time the lift opened the blond lady and Ron and Brenda walked out, Harry was right behind them but he was blocked by Percy Weasley who had his nose in papers

" What are you doing?" Ron asked

" I'm helping you with that rain" Brenda said, " And then we'll find Harry again"

Ron nodded his thanks and she followed him to the office

Brenda took out her wand and said, " Meteolojinx Recanto"

The rain stopped

Brenda smiled at Ron who smiled his thanks back

" Lets go find Harry and see if we can't get Hermione out of that courtroom" Brenda suggested

Ron nodded and they walked the way they came, they didn't like what people were saying though but when they opened the lift Harry and Hermione and Mrs. Cattermole who is the wife of the guy Ron is impersonating

" REG" Mrs. Cattermole said and she flung herself at Ron, " Runcorn let me out and he attacked Umbridge and Yaxley"

" Oh I wish I was there to see that" Brenda thought to Harry

" Yah I know you would" Harry thought

" Reg how come you're wet?" Mrs. Cattermole asked

" Water" Ron answered untangling himself from the woman’s arms, " Harry, they know that there are intruders inside the Ministry, something about a hole in Umbridge's door... we have about five minutes, if that"

" Harry, if we're trapped here" Hermione said

" We need to move fast" Harry said and then he turned to the rest of the muggle borns

" Ok, who's got wands?" Harry asked

Half of the people in the lift raised their hands

" Ok keep them out, those of you who do not, attach yourselves to somebody who does" Harry said, " We need to be fast before they stop us... now come on"

They crammed themselves into two lifts and stopped at the Atrium where the floo was at

" This is bad, people are sealing the fireplaces off" Hermione said, " What are we going to do?"

" STOP" Harry yelled at the people who were sealing off the fireplaces

" What's up Albert?" A balding man asked

" This group needs to leave before you seal the exits" Harry said

" We were told to seal all exits and not let anyone..." The man started

" ARE YOU CONTRADICTING ME?" Harry yelled, " Would you like me to have your family tree examined? You know I had Dirk Cresswell's"

" Sorry" The man gasped backing away, " I didn't mean nothing... and I thought they were up for questioning"

" Their blood is pure" Harry said and then he turned to the group, " Off you go"

The Muggleborns began vanishing in pairs as fast as they could

That's when things got out of control, the real Mr. Cattermole appeared and he look like he's seen better days

" Mary" Mr. Cattermole asked

" Reg?" Mrs. Cattermole asked and then she looked at Ron

Before an explanation could be said though, Yaxley appeared and he was shouting, " SEAL THE EXIT! SEAL IT"

All of the Muggleborns escaped except for Mrs. Cattermole

Harry did the only thing he could think of, he punched the bald man and said, " He's been helping them escape"

That got the whole room up in an uproar and Ron took the chance and took Mrs. Cattermole by the arm and pulled her into an open fireplace and disappeared

" MY WIFE! WHO WAS THAT WITH MY WIFE? WHAT'S GOING ON?" Mr. Cattermole yelled

Yaxley turned to Harry, Hermione and Brenda

" COME ON" Harry yelled and he took both Hermione and Brenda's hands and they disappeared in the fireplace a second before Yaxley's curse hit them

When they entered the bathroom stall, Ron was wrestling with Mrs. Cattermole

" Reg I don't understand" Mrs. Cattermole said

" I'm not your husband now get off of me" Ron said

" Mrs. Cattermole, you must go home to your family and get out of here" Harry said

There was a noise in the next cubicle and Yaxley appeared

" LETS GO" Brenda said

Harry grabbed Hermione's arm and Brenda grabbed Ron's arm and they turned on the spot

The next thing they knew, they were at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place... but to their horror, so was Yaxley

They turned again but there was a flash of purple light and a scream

When they landed, Ron was unconscious and Harry was dazed and to the girls' horror, Ron was splinched, there was a big gash in Ron's arm

The girls got to work on the double

" I don't have Essence of Dittany" Brenda said going through her bracelet and taking out a blood replenisher and in a panic said, " Oh how could I have forgotten that one? Of course it would have been a bit of a risk because I don't have dittany in my lab at Snape manor, but I'm sure there is some in Snape's lab" Brenda was talking to herself at that point

" Stop panicking, I packed some" Hermione said

Before Brenda or Hermione could get in Hermione's bag, Harry got out of his daze

" What happened?" Harry asked

" Ron was splinched, can you get in Hermione's bag and get the Essence of Dittany?" Brenda asked in a hurry with worry in her face

Harry's eyes grew big and he sped towards Hermione's bag and looked for the Dittany and he was growing frustrated because he couldn't find it

" Uh... accio Dittany" Harry said pulling out his wand and the bottle zoomed out of the bag and he hurried and gave it to Brenda since she was holding the potions and she opened it because Hermione was shaking

They all looked a cross between their polyjuiced appearances and their real appearances, Ron kind of looked like how the real Cattermole looked when he looked sickly

Brenda poured three drops on the wound and they watched as the wound closed and it looked several days old

" Wow that's cool" Harry said in awe

Brenda then poured a blood replenisher down Ron's throat

Ron made a grimace, even in his sleep

" Yah I don't like the metalicy taste to that either" Brenda said with a smirk

" So... how did he get hurt and... I thought we were going to Grimmuald place" Harry said

The girls looked at each other, Hermione looked like she was close to tears

" We can't go back there" Brenda said

" What? Why?" Harry asked

" As we Disapparated from the bathroom, Yaxley caught hold of me and I couldn't get rid of him" Hermione said, " He was too strong and he was still with us when we crossed the threshold and he saw the door"

Hermione and I both saw him and he raised his wand to attack and we apperated here instead" Brenda said

" You guys, I'm sorry" Hermione said, " I should have been more careful"

Hermione looked down in shame

" It's not your fault... if it's anyone's fault, it's mine, I took Mad-Eye's eye, that's how they knew there were intruders... if I hadn't done that... we could have gotten away scott free" Harry said

" Don't blame yourself Harry, it's Umbridge's fault, she shouldn't have taken the eye in the first place, she had no right... I blame this all on the toad bitch from Hell" Brenda said

Before anybody could roll their eyes at Brenda's language, Ron finally woke up with a groan

" How do you feel?" Hermione whispered

" Lousy... and I think I bit my tongue or something, my mouth tastes metalicy" Ron said scrunching up his nose

" Thats a blood replenisher" Brenda said

Ron nodded in understanding then he looked around, " Where are we?"

" In the woods where they held the Quidditch World Cup" Hermione answered, " We needed somewhere enclosed, undercover and this was the first place I thought of"

" I didn't think it was a good idea since Death Eaters attacked here, but it's the only place we could think of if we had to get away from Grimmuald in a hurry, we could always move on later" Brenda said

" So do you think we should move on?" Ron asked who still looked weak

" I don't know" Harry said, " Um... we can stay here for now"

" Good" Hermione said with a smile

Both girls took out their wands

" We're going to need some protective enchantments around the place" Brenda said after she saw the confused looks on the boys' faces, " And while we're doing this, Harry you can get out the tent that's in my bag"

The girls started the protections

Harry looked confused but then nodded and he used accio again and a pink tent popped out

After the girls put the protections around them Brenda blushed when she saw the tent and the boys looked horrified

" A pink tent?" Ron asked, " Where in the world did you get this?"

Brenda rolled her eyes, " They gave it to me when they kicked me out of the orphanage before I turned eleven, beggars can't be choosers"

" How are we all going to fit in there?" Ron asked, " It's not a magical one"

Brenda rolled her eyes again and waved her wand, not only did she change the color to brown, but she made the tent look like the one they had during the Quidditch World Cup

" Better?" Brenda asked

Ron smiled, " Much"

Brenda rolled her eyes and waved her wand and made it so the tent was pegged to the ground

" Everybody inside" Brenda said with a smile

Everybody smiled and walked inside, it was very roomy on the inside and there were two bedrooms which was nice even though they were only separated by cloth

After they looked at their surroundings in the tent, Hermione added some other protections, mostly Cave Inimicum which would notify them if any death eaters showed up

" That should do it, I think it'll keep out the Death Eaters... well I can't actually guarantee it will keep out Vold..." Hermione started

" Please don't say his name" Ron whined, " Just say You know who or something... saying his name sounds like a jinx"

Brenda was about to say that Voldemort wasn't really his name but Ron kind of figured that since she said that before

" I don't care if the V word isn't his name or not, just... don't say it" Ron snapped

It was quiet for a while... an awkward quiet

" Um... who wants tea?" Hermione asked and she headed towards the little kitchen

" I think I'm going to lay down for a while" Ron said headed over to the boys' bunks, he still looked a little pale

After everybody got their tea everybody sighed with relief, they finally had a moment of relaxation

" So... did you get it?" Harry asked

" Got what?" Hermione asked once she knew Harry was looking at her

Harry rolled his eyes and looked frantic, " What did we just go through all of that for? The locket, do you have the locket?"

" Yes, here" Hermione said getting it out of her pocket and handing it over to Harry

Harry sighed with relief

" So... there isn't any chance that somebody already destroyed it since Kreacher had it?" Ron asked, " Are we sure it's still a Horcrux?"

Brenda took it from Harry and looked at it, " It's still a Horcrux... if it was destroyed... we'd know"

" How?" Ron asked

" Well, the diary was stabbed and bloodied with a big hole in the middle" Harry said

" Don't forget the bright light" Brenda said

Harry nodded

" And the stone in the ring Dumbledore destroyed was cracked" Brenda said

" So how do you think we are supposed to destroy it?" Ron asked

Brenda didn't answer, she tried opening up the locket but it wouldn't budge, she then gave it to Harry so he could try, but he couldn't get it open either, Ron and Hermione also tried but they couldn't get it open either

Brenda smirked, " Well at least we know we're not King Arthur decedents"

Harry and Hermione smiled but Ron looked confused

" I don't get it... King Arthur?" Ron asked

" The sword in the stone" Brenda said, " It's a book and a movie"

" It's about a boy who pulls out the sword that's been in the stone for many years and on the stone is written that whoever pulls it out becomes king" Hermione explained

" It's supposed to be set in Merlin's time because Merlin is in it" Harry said, " He is actually Arthur's friend... well in the movie he is... I'd think in the book he is too?"

Hermione nodded

" What's this have to do with the locket?" Ron asked

" Nothing... it's just that neither of us could get it open, well nobody could pull the sword from the stone... I don't know it's just a bit of humor that's all" Brenda said

" I thought it was funny" Hermione said with a smile

Brenda smiled back at her

" So now what? Ron asked, " What are we going to do with it?"

" Keep it safe until we figure out how to destroy it" Harry said taking it from Ron and then he jumped and gasped

" You felt it too?" Ron asked

" Felt what?" Hermione asked

" It feels like there's something beating inside the locket... like... a metal heart" Harry whispered

Hermione and Brenda both took turns holding it

" Well it's official, this is a Horcrux" Brenda whispered handing it back to Harry who put it around his neck

" Are you sure that's a good idea?" Brenda asked, " Putting it around your neck"

" It's fine... it's just a locket, the evil is inside of it that we cannot get to" Harry reassured her then stood up, " I think we should take turns keeping watch outside the tent"

Ron nodded and started to get up

" Not you, you're still ill" Brenda said pushing him back down

Ron nodded and closed his eyes

The rest of the three took turns keeping watch, Hermione and Brenda set the sneakoscopes that Harry and Brenda got for their birthday from Hermione in different locations in the tent

By 10:00 at night everybody was starving but Hermione was panicking because she didn't think of bringing food

Brenda held in her smirk and waited until Hermione calmed down, she learned how to hold in her smirks and smiles up to a point from Snape

" So you brought tea... but didn't think about food?" Brenda asked

Hermione nodded miserably

Brenda sighed and nodded then took out her wand and headed over to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, " Revelo"

Inside the refrigerator was all kinds of refrigerated items, Brenda did the same thing to the cupboards and there was all kinds of food in there

" What? How? When?" Hermione asked not being able to get a sentence out

" Burrow, asked Mrs. Weasley, some time this summer" Brenda answered

" You just asked my mum for this much food and she let you?" Ron asked

" Uh... yah" Brenda said

" We could have eaten this when we were at Grimmauld place" Ron whined

" We were fine at Grimmauld place, Kreacher fed us well, but Kreacher isn't here now is he?" Brenda said

Ron shook his head

" So why did you let me get into a panic attack?" Hermione asked

Brenda smiled, " It was kind of funny... sorry... I can have a weird sense of humor sometimes... I say since it's so late, we all eat something light... like chicken noodle soup... I think right now that's all Ron can handle"

Ron nodded in agreement

Brenda got out four cans of chicken noodle soup and poured them in bowls then with a spell heated them up and served

" There's about three months of food in here" Harry said looking through everything

" Yep, and the cupboard have stasis charms on them to keep everything fresh" Brenda said

They were silent when they ate, nobody had anything else to say and they were all thinking about the upcoming months they had ahead of them

After dinner it was Brenda's shift so she went outside and sighed

Harry walked outside after her

" It's my shift Harry, you should get some sleep" Brenda whispered

" Can't sleep... I'll just keep you company" Harry said

Brenda nodded her thanks

They just stood there in silence, once in a while rubbing at their scars because they were prickling

" Harry, you need to occlude your mind" Brenda said

" No... you occlude yours" Harry said

They started arguing for five minutes about occluding their minds and they both went into a vision

" Give it to me, Gregorovitch" They heard Voldemort say but it was coming out of their mouths

Both Harry and Brenda were Voldemort and they were pointing their wand at a man who was upside down and he looked very scared

" I have it not, It was many years ago and it was stolen from me" The man Gregorovitch said

" Do not lie to Lord Voldemort, I always know" Voldemort said and the next thing Harry and Brenda knew, they were inside Gregorovitch's head because Voldemort used Legilmency

They saw the intruder take the wand

Voldemort got out of Gregorovitch's head

" Who was the man?" Voldemort asked

" I do not know, I never saw his face... no... please... don't" Gregorovitch pleaded but the next thing anybody knew, Voldemort cast the killing curse at him and Harry and Brenda came out of the vision with Hermione looking down at them with wide eyes and then they realized they both passed out

" Are you alright?" Hermione asked

" Um... must have dozed off" Harry said

" Don't lie to me like that, I know it was your scars" Hermione said, " You were in Volde..."

" Don't say his name" Ron yelled from the tent

" Fine... You know who's mind" Hermione said

" We didn't mean for it to happen, we were arguing about who should occlude their minds" Brenda said

" I said you should continue to occlude your mind, there's no reason for both of us to get the visions" Harry said with a glare towards her

" And I said it's your turn to occlude your mind, I didn't spend time teaching it to you for nothing you know" Brenda said with a pointed glare

" What was the vision about?" Hermione asked changing the subject

" He's found Gregorovitch... and he killed him after reading his mind" Harry said rubbing his scar

Hermione looked at both Potters and sighed, " You two should go to bed... I'll stand and watch for a while"

" No... it's my shift... you both go" Brenda said

" No, you two had a vision and need to rest, go on" Hermione said

Harry and Brenda were about to protest

" I'm not taking no for an answer, now both of you inside" Hermione ordered in a no arguing tone

Hermione won that battle and they went inside and laid down

" So what was You know who doing?" Ron asked

" Asking Gregorovitch questions about something and then killing him because he didn't have it because it was stolen" Brenda said

" The thief looked familiar though" Harry whispered

" I know what you mean... kind of like a Fred and Georgeish look about him" Brenda said, " But blond"

Harry agreed and they thought about that when they fell asleep

Brenda woke up to a rustle coming from the boy's side of the tent

" Harry?" Brenda thought

" I thought you were asleep" Harry thought

" What are you doing? It's still kind of early" Brenda thought

" I'm going to give Moody a proper burial" Harry thought

" How?" Brenda thought

" Come with me" Harry thought and the two first got dressed and then headed out of the tent

" I was thinking about this after last night's vision... I think Moody would like having his eye buried and not on Umbridge's door" Harry explained

Brenda nodded in agreement, " Should we wake the others?"

" No, let them sleep" Harry said, " They both can use it, Hermione was up for a long time and Ron still looked a little pale last night"

They walked for a couple minutes until they got to an old tree

" This should be a good place" Brenda said

Harry nodded and with his wand he made a shallow hole and placed the eye in it and buried it by waving his wand at the dirt

Brenda took her wand and carved a small cross in the tree trunk and at the bottom put Mad-eye Moody, A great Auror until the end

They spent a minute or two and then they headed back to the tent

After a while Ron and Hermione began to stir and Hermione finally got up and a few minutes later Ron woke up

" So... what's for breakfast?" Ron asked

" Cereal" Brenda said, " Cereal and a banana"

Ron made a face, " Didn't you pack any eggs, bacon, sausage, bread, or anything like that?"

" Yes, but this morning is cereal and a banana" Brenda said, " We have to save our food, who knows how long this mission is going to last"

Harry and Hermione nodded but Ron just groaned

" Which means, two meals a day and a snack in the afternoon" Hermione explained

" What kind of snack?" Ron asked

" Like a cereal bar or a piece of fruit" Brenda said

Ron groaned

" Ron, you'll get used to it in time" Harry said from experience with the Dursleys who sometimes didn't feed him for a week

After breakfast, Hermione and Brenda started waving their wands taking the enchantments down and cleaning up

" What are you doing?" Ron asked

" We're packing so we can move again" Brenda explained

" We don't want to stay in the same place for too long, just in case Death eaters are looking for us" Hermione explained

Ron nodded and the boys started helping as well by getting rid of all the marks that might be left from staying there for the night, which included foot prints, a broken twig etc...

After they cleaned up and the wards were down, Brenda packed the tent again and they Disapparated to a small town and put up the tent behind some trees and put the wards back up

" So where are we?" Ron asked

Brenda got out her ring she got from Mrs. Weasley for her birthday that turns into a map

" We're on the outskirts of a muggle town called Market Town" Brenda said

" Lets go look around the town" Harry suggested, " But we should use the cloaks just in case

Brenda nodded

" You guys go ahead, I'm going to set up the wards” Hermione said

" I still don't feel too well" Ron said, " See if there's any chocolate though, I feel like chocolate"

Brenda rolled her eyes, the only thing she didn't pack was sweets

" We should get chocolate, just in case we ever encounter a dementor" Harry thought to Brenda once they left

Brenda agreed with that

They walked towards the town and to a little market in the town to look for some chocolate, they found some and bought twenty bars of it, five bars for each of them, when they were on their way back to the tent, it suddenly got very cold and there was a faint screaming of their mum that they could hear, and it was getting louder by the second

Harry and Brenda stopped in their tracks and paled

" Dementors" Harry breathed

Brenda nodded and they both took out their wands and made sure nobody was watching them

" EXPECTO PATRONUM" They yelled at the same time, but only the unicorn appeared

Harry tried again and again but his patronus wouldn't show up

After the dementors left, thank goodness Brenda's unicorn was strong enough, the two hurried towards the tent to tell the others what happened

" Dementors showed up and Harry couldn't cast his patronus?" Hermione gasped, " What do you think happened Harry? Why couldn't you cast it?"

" I don't know" Harry said shrugging

Harry sat down in one of the chairs and he looked miserable, he looked like he did when he was first learning how to cast a patronus

" So... did you get the chocolate?" Ron asked

Harry rolled his eyes and threw all the bars at Ron

Everybody glared at Ron

" What? I wanted chocolate" Ron said

" You go fight a bunch of dementors next time then" Brenda said

" I'm kind of disabled at the moment still if you haven't noticed" Ron said

" Well that's convenient" Harry said

Ron glared

Hermione was quiet for a while but she spoke up, " Of course"

Everybody looked at her

" Harry give me the locket, you're wearing the Horcrux" Hermione said

Harry did as he was told and he was a bit confused, but after he got the locket off, it felt like a big load was off his chest

" Better?" Hermione asked

" Yah... loads" Harry said

" Maybe we shouldn't wear it" Brenda suggested, " If it messes with our magic, we'll be in big trouble"

" We should keep it in the tent" Hermione suggested

" We're not leaving the Horcrux lying around" Harry said firmly, " If we lose it or if it gets stolen"

" Ok ok" Hermione said placing the locket around her own neck, " Lets take turns wearing it so nobody keeps it on too long"

" Ok, now that that's settled, can we move someplace else? I don't want to set up camp where dementors are at" Ron said

The others agreed and they left their spot and set camp at a farm

Days passed and they moved to a different spot every day and every time somebody wore the locket, they would get snappy at the others which would make the others snappy as well, Ron was also really mad and complained that he didn't get enough to eat and that also made everybody else mad and they were trying to explain to him that it's not the end of the world if you only get two meals a day

Ron was very irritable and he always expected the other three to come up with ideas on where to go to next

The three were trying to think of ideas where the Horcruxes might be

Ron suggested for the first time about Borgin and Burkes

" No, I don't think so, that place is filled with dark objects, Borgin and Burke would spotted the Horcrux straight away" Harry said

" What about Hogwarts?" Brenda asked

" But Dumbledore would have found it already" Hermione said

" The castle is huge and has so many secrets, Dumbledore said he didn't know all of them" Harry said

" Why would he leave something that special at his school?" Ron asked not believing

Harry and Brenda looked at each other before turning to Ron

" Because it was his first real home, the first place where he felt special" Harry said

" We're talking about you know who... not you" Ron snapped

Harry and Brenda glared at Ron

" You told us that you know who asked Dumbledore for a job after he left school right?" Hermione asked

" Yes" Brenda said

" And Dumbledore thought he only wanted to come back to try and find something... probably a founders object to make a Horcrux?" Hermione asked

" Yah" Harry said

" But he didn't get the job did he?" Hermione asked, " So he never got the chance to find an object to hide in the school" Hermione said

" Ok forget about Hogwarts then... where should we go next?" Brenda asked

They ended up heading towards the orphanage where Tom Riddle stayed at but they didn't find anything there

Nobody liked wearing the locket either and every time one of the Potters wore it, their scars kept prickling whether they were occluding or not which Brenda found very annoying, they would always get visions of the thief who stole from Gregorovitch and wince... the other two would always ask what they saw but then get disappointed when it wasn't about the Horcruxes or the Order of the Phoenix

" Why can't you ever see something that's useful? Like what's going on with my family, or the Order of the Phoenix, or where the other Horcrux is at?" Ron snapped one day

Brenda glared daggers at Ron and slapped him hard across the face

" Don't think you're the only one who wants to know what's going on with your family and the order, and don't blame these visions on us... we see what Voldemort is seeing or feeling, and if we cannot see the order or your family then I say that's a good thing" Brenda said with a glare

Ron was quiet for the rest of the day that day

More weeks passed and the food that Brenda had stored was slowly disappearing, by the time autumn came, they had to hunt for food

" Why couldn't you pack more?" Ron asked, " Now we have to hunt for food"

" Ron stop complaining and be grateful you have something to eat" Brenda snapped back

" You know... my mother makes wonderful food, it's never burnt and there is always a lot of it" Ron said stabbing at the fish he and Harry caught

" Well your mother is not here now is she?" Brenda snapped

" Both of you be quiet?" Harry said

" What? Why?" Ron asked

" Number one, you two need to stop snapping at each other, and two... I can hear someone" Harry whispered

Everybody fell silent, they didn't even breathe loudly

" You two cast the Muffliato charm over us right?" Harry whispered

" We cast everything" Hermione said

" They shouldn't be able to hear or see us, whoever they are" Brenda said

" We should be safe, the Sneakoscopes are not even going off" Hermione said

Now everybody could hear that they weren't alone, they could hear stones and twigs moving and snapping which announced the intruders were getting closer to the tent

Everybody stood up and left their plates and took their wands out ready for battle, if they were death eaters then their defenses were about to be tested by Dark Magic for the first time

The voices were getting closer and they stopped twenty feet away, just far enough not to hear everything they were saying without some help

Hermione got in her bag and pulled out four Extendable Ears and passed them around

It turns out the intruders were Goblins Griphook and Gornuk and to their astonishment Ted Tonks, and Dean Thomas, their classmate from Gryffindor. They were talking about why they left and they said about wizards not recognizing things

" I don't get it" Dean said

" I had my small revenge before I left and went on the run" Griphook said

" What? Did you lock a Death Eater up in one of the old hight security vaults?" Ted asked

" If I had, the sword would not have helped him break out" Griphook said and Gornuk laughed

Dean and Ted looked confused

" Dean and I are still missing something" Ted said

" So is Severus Snape... but he doesn't know it" Griphook said with a grin and the two Goblins roared with laughter

This got the Gryffindors in the tent excited

" Didn't you hear about that Ted? Gornuk asked, " About the kids who tried to steal Gryffindor's sword out of Snape's office at Hogwarts?"

" Not a word" Ted said

" Griphook told me" Gornuk said

" I got it from Bill Weasley who works for the bank, one of the kids who tried to take the sword was Bill's younger sister" Griphook explained

Everybody in the tent were clutching the Extendable Ears as a lifeline

" She and a couple of her friends got into Snape's office and smashed open the glass case where he was apparently keeping the sword, Snape caught them as they were trying to smuggle it down the staircase" Griphook said

Ted looked worried, " What did they think that they'd be able to do with it? Use it on You know who? Or Snape himself?"

" Don't know, but whatever they thought they were going to do with it, Snape decided the sword wasn't safe where it was" Griphook said, " Couple of days later he sent it down to London to be kept in Gringotts instead" The Goblins started laughing

" I still don't get it" Dean said

" It's a fake" Gasped Griphook

" The sword of Gryffindor?" Ted asked

" Oh yes, it's a copy... an excellent copy but it was Wizard-made. The original was forged centuries ago by goblins and has certain properties only goblin-made armor possesses. Wherever the real sword of Gryffindor is, it's not at Gringotts" Griphook said with a grin

" I see, and I take it you neglected to inform the Death Eaters of this information?" Ted asked

" I saw no reason to trouble them with the information" Griphook said smugly and everybody in the group laughed

" So what happened to Ginny and the others?" Dean asked

The group in the tent all sighed with relief, that has been the question that was nagging at them

" They were punished cruelly" Griphook said indifferently

" But they're ok though aren't they?" Ted asked quickly

" They suffered no serious injury as far as I'm aware” Griphook said

" They're lucky " Ted said, " With Snape's track record I suppose we should just be glad they're still alive"

" You believe that story then?" Gornuk asked, " You believe Snape killed Dumbledore?"

" Of course I do" Ted said, " You're not going to sit there and tell me the Potters had anything to do with it?"

" Well, it's hard to know what to believe these days" Gornuk whispered

" I know both Harry and Brenda Potter and I know they're the real things... the Chosen ones... twins or whatever you want to call it" Dean said

" Yah, a lot of people want to believe that, but where are they? Run for it by the looks of things, you'd think if they really were on our side, they'd be helping us fight you know who instead of hiding... and you know the Prophet made a pretty good case against them" Gornuk said

" The Prophet?" Ted scoffed, " You deserve to be lied to if you're still reading that stuff... you want facts, try the Quibbler"

" The Quibbler? That lunatic paper by Xeno Lovegood?" Gornuk asked

" It's not so lunatic these days, you want to give it a look, it prints everything the Prophet does not, " Lovegood says whoever is against You know who ought to be helping the Potters out and it should be their number one priority" Ted said

" It's hard to help someone out who has vanished off the face of the earth" Gornuk said

There was more talking and the four Gryffindors didn't like Gornuk at all but they really liked Ted, they pulled back their extendable ears and looked at each other

Hermione got into her bag and pulled out the picture frame of Phineas Nigellus that she put in there at Grimmauld

" Hermione what are you doing?" Ron asked

" If somebody swapped the real sword for the fake while it was in Dumbledore's office, Phineas Nigellus would have seen it happen" Hermione said, " Phineas... Phineas Nigellus?"

Nothing happened

" Phineas Nigellus?" Hermione said again but still nothing happened, " Um... Professor Black?"

" Professor Black, can you please come here so we can talk to you?" Brenda said annoyed

" Please always helps" Phineas said in a cold snide voice

" Oh Merlin... Obscuro" Hermione said and a black blindfold appeared over Phineas's eyes

" What? How dare you" Phineas roared

" I'm sorry, but it's a necessary precaution" Hermione said

" What is going on? And did I hear Brenda Potter's voice?" Phineas asked, " Undesirable number 2?"

" Ok enough with the nicknames already" Harry snapped

" And Harry Potter, undesirable number one?" Phineas asked

Brenda and Harry smiled and together said, " Maybe"

" We have a couple questions for you about the sword of Gryffindor" Brenda said

Phineas talked about how Ginny, Luna and Neville were the ones who stole the sword

" Where am I and why did you remove me from my house of my forebears?" Phineas asked

" Never mind that! How did Snape punish Ginny, Neville and Luna?" Brenda asked

"Professor Snape paddled them bare bottomed like they were little kids" Phineas started with a smirk

Brenda winced when she heard that, she had only experienced that once and she doesn't want that to happen to anybody

" And then sent them into the Forbidden Forest, to do some work for the oaf Hagrid" Phineas finished

" HAGRID'S NOT AN OAF" Hermione yelled

Everybody looked relieved that the three were only sent into the Forbidden forest with Hagrid, they faced much worse than that

" I didn't come here to be yelled at, maybe I should leave" Phineas said with a huff

" No please Professor Black, I... I'm sorry but Hagrids our friend" Hermione said

" Professor, what we would really like to know is if the sword has been taken out at all" Brenda said

Phineas sighed, " I grow weary of this topic, maybe I should return to my portrait at Hogwarts

" DUMBLEDORE" Harry yelled

" I beg your pardon" Phineas said

" Can't you bring us Dumbledore" Harry said, " His portrait... can't he come into yours?"

" Portraits can commune with each other but they cannot travel outside the castle except to visit a painting of themselves hanging elsewhere... even if he could, after this kind of treatment, I don't think I want to help you anymore... good evening and I will not be coming back" Phineas said

" Professor Black please, could you just tell us when was the last time the sword was taken out of its case?" Hermione asked, " Before Ginny took it out"

Phineas sighed, " I believe the last time I saw the sword of Gryffindor leave its case was when Professor Dumbledore used it to break open a ring"

With that Phineas left

Everybody was excited, this was more information then they could hope for, the sword could destroy Horcruxes

" Harry, that sword is impregnated with basilisk venom" Brenda said excitedly

" He made a copy because he knew they wouldn't give it to us if he put it in his will" Harry said

" He put the fake in the glass case" Hermione said

" And left the real one where?" Harry asked

" Think... Think where would he have left the real one?" Hermione asked

" Not at Hogwarts" Harry said

" Hogsmeade?" Hermione asked

" The Shrieking Shack?" Harry suggested, " Nobody goes in there"

" No... Snape knows about it remember?" Brenda asked

" But Dumbledore trusted Snape" Harry said

" Well apparently not completely or he would have told Snape" Brenda said

" What do you think Ron?" Harry asked

Ron was glaring at all three of them, " So you remembered me did you?"

" What are you talking about?" Harry asked

" Keep carrying on, don't let me spoil your fun" Ron said by a wave of his hand and a glare on his face

The next few minutes were a blur, Ron was snapping at everybody complaining how he wasn't having the time of his life and how he thought before he signed up for this he thought both Harry and Brenda knew what they were doing

" Well sorry to let you down, but we did find one Horcrux" Brenda snapped

" But no where close to finding the rest of them" Ron spat, " And we still didn't destroy this one" Ron took it out from under his shirt and started dangling it

" We've been straight with you from the start, we've told you everything Dumbledore told us" Harry said

" Ron take off the locket, you'll feel better" Hermione said trying to get in between the hot headed Weasley and the frusterated Potters

There was more yelling and Brenda finally came to her senses and tried to help Hermione break the other two up but they were just having a roe

" IT'S ALL RIGHT FOR YOU THREE, YOUR PARENTS ARE SAFELY OUT OF THE WAY" Ron yelled

" OUR PARENTS ARE DEAD" Harry and Brenda yelled, Brenda might be trying to help calm the other two, but for Ron to talk bad about their parents, that's pushing it

" MINE COULD BE GOING THE SAME WAY" Ron yelled

" GO, GET OUT OF HERE, GO BACK TO YOUR MUMMY SO SHE CAN FEED YOU UP" Harry yelled

" Fine... I will" Ron said and he took off the Horcrux and Disapparated

" Well, that didn't go well" Hermione said sadly and she picked up the locket and put it around her neck

The next day everybody was quiet, nobody wished each other good morning and they packed up in silence

Hermione looked like she was dawdling, hoping that Ron would come back, because once they left, there was no chance for Ron to find them

Once they packed everything which took an hour longer than usual, they apperated to another spot and Hermione found herself a rock and she sobbed

Harry and Brenda left her alone for a while and cast the spells around the campsite and then Brenda went to comfort Hermione, she told Harry to not interfere and that it was a girl thing

Days passed and they went to a different location each day and they didn't discuss Ron at all, sometimes at night Brenda could hear Hermione crying when Hermione thought everybody was asleep

A couple of times Harry brought out the Marauders map to see if Ron was back at Hogwarts and to stare at Ginny and make sure his friends were all right

After the shock of Ron leaving, they started talking about certain places where Horcruxes might be hidden

Sometimes when the silence was unbarable, Hermione took out the portrait of Phineas, still blindfolded Phineas returned even though he said he wouldn't, they got bits of information about what was going on at Hogwarts, but as long as they didn't say anything bad about Snape because Phineas liked Snape, they found out that Ginny was banned from Hogsmeade and Snape reinstated Umbridge's decree that forbid gatherings of three or more students or any unofficial student societies

The three of them concluded that Ginny, and maybe Neville and Luna started up the DA again and Snape got wind of it

The days grew colder and they were spotting signs of Christmas, they were still trying to think of ideas where to go to find the Horcruxes

" We should look at Godric's Hollow" Harry thought to Brenda

Brenda agreed

" Let's tell Hermione" Harry thought

" You know what she's going to say" Brenda thought

" I know, but we are running out of ideas" Harry thought

Brenda nodded

Hermione was reading the Tales of Beedle the Bard when Harry spoke

" Hermione" Harry said

" Hmm?" Hermione said

" We've been thinking and..." Harry started

" Hey can you two help me with something?" Hermione asked

" She must be really enchanted by that book" Brenda thought

Harry agreed

" Look at that symbol" Hermione said and she pointed to a triangle on the cover of the book

" We never took Ancient Runes Hermione" Brenda said

" I know that, but this isn't a rune and it's not in the syllabary I was looking at either" Hermione said

" Well it looks like an eye" Harry said

" That's what I thought too, but I don't think it is... It's been inked in, look, somebody's drawn in there, it's not really part of the book. Have any of you seen it before?" Hermione asked

It was quiet for a few minutes and they just stared at the symbol

" That's the symbol Luna's dad was wearing around his neck" Brenda said, " Krum was very mad that he was wearing it"

" That's what I thought too but I wasn't sure" Hermione said

" Then it's Grindelwald's mark" Harry said

" That's odd, If it's a symbol of Dark Magic then what is Grindelwald's mark doing in a book made for children?" Hermione asked

" That is odd, and you'd think Scrimgeour would have recognized it. He was Minister and he ought to be an expert on dark stuff" Harry said

" Maybe he thought it was an eye like I did" Hermione said

" Well there are a lot of children stories that have little pictures on the covers" Brenda said

Hermione nodded and it was quiet for a while

" Hermione" Harry started

" Yes?" Hermione asked not looking up from the book

" We've been thinking and... we want to go to Godric's Hollow" Harry said

Hermione looked up and nodded, " Yes I've been thinking about that too, we really need to"

The twins were shocked

" You heard him right didn't you?" Brenda asked

" Yes he said that you want to go to Godric's Hollow and I agree" Hermione said, " I can't think of any where else where it might be"

" Come again?" Harry asked confused

Brenda finally figured out what Hermione was going to say, Godric's Hollow, Godric Gryffindor, Gryffindors sword... it makes sense

" To find the sword, Dumbledore might have left the sword at Godric's Hollow, since he would know we'd like to go back there" Brenda said

" Why would he leave Gryffindor's sword at Godric's Hollow?" Harry asked

" Because Godric Gryffindor came from Godric's Hollow" Brenda said and she rolled her eyes, " The village is named after him for Merlin sakes, surely you could have put two and two together"

Harry blushed a bit

" Sorry" Brenda thought, she knew the reason why Harry wanted to go to Godric's Hollow and she has the same reason, but now they have another reason to go

" We can also vist Bathilda Bagshot" Brenda said

" Well... I suppose we could" Hermione said and then she gasped so loud that Harry and Brenda's hearts jumped and they took their wands out and turned around to the entrance but nothing was there

" What?" Harry asked annoyed

" What if Dumbledore left the sword with Bathilda?" Hermione asked

" Another reason to go to Godric's Hollow, so are we going or not?" Brenda asked

" Yes, but we'll have to think it through carefully though" Hermione said and she started listing off things she thought would be needed

Harry and Brenda tuned her out, they were thinking that they were actually going to visit the place where they had parents, where they would spend holidays if it weren't for Voldemort, they could invite friends over whenever they wanted, it would be their parents who made their birthday special

Harry wanted to head off to Godric's Hollow the following day, but the girls had other ideas, yes Brenda was excited to go to Godric's Hollow but safety always came first and they had to practice apperating and Disapparating while underneath the Invisibility cloaks and they had to obtain hairs for the Polyjuice potion before they could leave

They decided to apperate when it was dark but first they swallowed the Polyjuice potions, Harry looked like a balding man, Hermione into his small wife, and Brenda into a pudgy looking brunette

After they looked like different people, they got under the invisibility cloaks, the girls in one and Harry in the other since he was the tallest and they held hands and apperated to Godric's Hollow

When they landed, they were standing in a foot of snow and all the houses were glistening with Christmas decorations and snow

" Oh great, after all of our precausions, we're going to be caught because of footprints in the snow" Hermione said

" Calm down, we'll just have to remove them" Harry said, " You two go ahead and I'll do it"

" Hey, lets take the cloaks off" Brenda suggested

Hermione looked at her weird

" We don't look like us and there's no one around" Brenda said and she took her cloak off of them and put it in her bag and Harry did the same stowing it in his jacket

They were quiet when they walked, everybody was lost in their own thoughts, Hermione had a good feeling what the Potters were thinking

" I can't believe we're here" Brenda thought

" I know, I just wish I remembered being here" Harry said

Brenda agreed, " But we were only fifteen months old"

They walked until they were in the heart of the village, there were many twinkling Christmas lights and Christmas trees. In the heart of the village there were several shops, a post office, a pub, a war memorial and a little church

" You guys, I think... I think it might be Christmas Eve" Hermione said

" Well it is around Christmas time for sure, but we haven't seen a paper in a while" Brenda said

" I'm sure it is, those people are just getting out of church" Hermione said indicating to the church, " They'll be in there... your parents won't they? There's a graveyard behind the church"

Harry and Brenda looked at each other in excitement and then fear, did they really want to see where they're parents were last laid to rest? It would be good to see them... but scary as well

Hermione noticed that they weren't saying anything, so she took both of their hands and started pulling them towards the graveyard, when they got closer to the church though, they saw what the war memorial was of, there were four people in it, a man with messy hair and round glasses, a woman with long hair and a pretty smiling face, and in the man's arms was a baby boy sitting in his dad's arms and a baby girl was sitting in her mum's arms, and the babies were scar free

Both Potters were silent and they went up to the statue and touched their parent's faces then ran their fingers on where the scar should be on their foreheads

They spent a good ten minutes looking at the statue of the family

" It's just so amazing, that Godric's Hollow would do something like this" Brenda said in awe

Harry agreed

After ten minutes, they headed over to the graveyard and were silent

They didn't speak until Hermione found a Dumbledore gravestone

" Right here" Hermione said

" Is it our..." Harry started

" No, but look" Hermione said

The gravestone had Kendra Dumbledore with the birth and death of her and below that was the words AND HER DAUGHTER ARIANA and below that was a quote, Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also

" Wow... Rita Skeeter actually got some of her facts straight" Brenda said, " The Dumbledore family did live here"

" And some even died here" Harry said, " He should have told us"

Brenda agreed

Once they thought about it for a while, they were getting even angrier, Dumbledore could have taken them to visit this place

The trio walked a little more and Hermione saw a grave that she thought was Potter but it wasn't but what was odd was that the grave had the same symbol as the one in the book

" The gravestone says Ig... it could be Ignotus or Ignatius... I think" Hermione said excited

" Yah... well... we're going to look for our parents alright?" Harry asked and the Potters left Hermione who was still looking at the other gravestone, they decided to split up to cover more ground

When they were looking, they saw a bunch of surnames they recognized, like Abbott

It began getting very quiet and both Harry and Brenda were spooked sometimes, they kept thinking dementors since it was quiet and cold out but then they realized it wasn't that kind of cold

It took fifteen minutes for Hermione to call out

" You guys, they're here... right here" Hermione was excited and the Potters knew she meant their parents

When they caught up to Hermione, they realized, they were only a couple rows away from the Dumbledores, their parents' headstone was made of white marble and it made it easier to read because it was shiny

JAMES POTTER LILY POTTER

BORN 27 MARCH 1960 BORN 30 JANUARY 1960

DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981 DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

" That's deep" Brenda said with a sad smile

" The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death? Isn't that a Death Eater saying? Why is that on there?" Harry asked

" Harry, it doesn't mean defeating death like how the Death Eaters mean it, it means... living beyond death... life after death... like... Heaven" Hermione explained

" They're not living though" Harry thought, " They're gone... they are laying here underneath the ground, they're nothing but bones now... or... dust... they don't care that their living children stood so near because of their sacrifice and I'm wishing at this moment that I was sleeping underneath the snow with them"

" Harry, Harry stop thinking that" Brenda said now tears were coming to her eyes

" What's wrong?" Hermione asked panicked

" Harry, they still love us...they sacrificed their lives for us, they wouldn't want us to have our lives end when they barely begun. They do care Harry, very much so, we are the most important things to them... in life or death" Brenda said

" If they loved us, they wouldn't have left us" Harry said, he knew he was being mean, he loved his parents, he was just so... frustrated right now, he just wanted to be a stubborn kid for a moment and not have to be bloody forgiving once in a while

" Harry, they sacrificed their lives so we could live, if there was another way, they wouldn't have died and left us... Harry they're still with us" Brenda said

" No they're not" Harry said, " They're down there in the ground rotting away"

" Harry stop thinking like that" Brenda scolded, " They do love us... if they didn't, they wouldn't have sacrificed themselves to save us, and they wouldn't have come out of our wands during our fourth year against Voldemort"

Harry sighed

" I know you're sad, I'm sad too, but I think it's good that we got to visit them... I wish we could have brought them something though" Brenda said looking down at the graves

Hermione was quiet through that whole thing and she waved her wand and conjured up a couple wreaths of Christmas roses that Harry and Brenda caught

" Thank you Hermione" Brenda said with a smile

Hermione smiled and conjured another one, the Potters put the wreaths on their parents' gravestone and Hermione put her wreath on the Dumbledore gravestone

They stayed there for a few more minutes, but then the three of them left, Harry put an arm around each of the girls and they headed towards the exit of the graveyard

Before they were out of the graveyard, Hermione stopped

" Hermione, what's wrong?" Harry asked

" I think somebody is watching us" Hermione whispered

" Where?" Brenda asked

" Over there by the bushes" Hermione said

They stayed quiet and still for a few minutes

" Are you sure Hermione?" Brenda asked

" I swear I heard something" Hermione said more firmly and she let go of Harry's hand and took her wand out

" Hermione, we're supposed to be muggles" Brenda scolded

" Yah, muggles who just laid flowers that were conjured out of thin air on your parents' grave" Hermione said, " You guys there's someone over there"

" It's probably a bird or a cat, come on Hermione, lets just get out of here" Brenda said

" What if it's a Death Eater?" Hermione asked

" If it was a Death Eater, we'd most likely be dead by now" Harry said, " Now come on"

" We'll put on our cloaks once we get out of here" Brenda said

Hermione nodded and they hurried faster out of the graveyard and wrapped the cloaks around themselves

They walked away from the center of the village and into open country

" How are we supposed to find Bathilda's house?" Hermione asked

Nobody answered

" Hello, Brenda, Harry... what are you two looking at?" Hermione asked

" Look... look at it Hermione" Brenda whispered

" Look at what? I don't see... oh" Hermione said understanding

They were looking at the cottage Harry and Brenda last saw their living parents in, sixteen years ago on Halloween night, most of the cottage was still standing but it was covered with ivy and snow, the right side of the top floor of the cottage was blown apart and the twins guested that was where the killing spell backfired, where their room was when they were babies

" I wonder why nobody rebuilt it" Hermione whispered

" Maybe you can't rebuild it" Harry said

" Maybe it's like the injuries from Dark Magic, you can't repair the damage" Brenda said and unconsciously both Harry and Brenda rubbed their scars

After a few minutes, Harry grabbed the gate that was rusted through

Brenda took a step forward

" You're not planning on going inside are you?" Hermione asked, " It looks unsafe... it might... wow"

A few moments after Harry touched the gate a sign rose out of the ground in front of them in golden letters there was a message

ON THIS SPOT, ON THE NIGHT OF 31 OCTOBER 1981, LILY AND JAMES POTTER LOST THEIR LIVES. THEIR CHILDREN, HARRY AND BRENDA, REMAIN THE ONLY WIZARD AND WITCH EVER TO HAVE SURVIVED THE KILLING CURSE. THIS HOUSE, INVISIBLE TO MUGGLES, HAS BEEN LEFT IN ITS RUINED STATE AS A MONUMENT TO THE POTTERS AND AS A REMINDER OF THE VIOLENCE THAT TORE APART THEIR FAMILY.

They took a few minutes to think about Lily and James and to get their emotions under control in Harry and Brenda's case

All of a sudden they all could hear a shuffling, they turned around and saw an old woman coming towards them very slow, she looked like she was very old, they all hoped that she was going to turn into one of the other cottages, but they had a feeling that wasn't the case, it took her a few minutes to stop a few yards away from them and she simply stood there looking at them, but that was weird because they were under the invisibility cloaks

After a couple minutes the old woman beckoned to them and the girls gasped silently

" How does she know?" Brenda thought to Harry

" I don't know" Harry thought back

The woman beckoned again

" Harry you don't think this is..." Brenda thought

" I think... maybe it is" Harry thought

" What are you two thinking about?" Hermione asked silently

" We think this is Bathilda" Brenda whispered

Hermione gasped silently

" Are you Bathilda?" Harry asked making the girls jump

The figure nodded and beckoned a third time

" Should we?" Harry thought

Brenda asked Hermione what Harry thought and Hermione nodded

" Yes" Brenda thought back

With their cloaks still on they stepped towards the woman and the woman turned around and walked back the way they had come leading them past many houses and then turning in at a gate. They followed her to the front door which she opened and stepped back to let them walk through first

When they got inside, they pulled off the cloaks and put them back in the bags and looked around the house

There was an old woman smell in the house and they all wrinkled their noses

They watched as the old woman shut the door and turn around to face them

" Bathilda?" Harry repeated

Again the old woman nodded and shuffled past and walked into what seemed to be a sitting room

" I have a bad feeling about this" Hermione whispered

" Look of the size of her, I think we could overpower her if we have to" Harry said, " The locket is beating, its like it knows what's here can destroy it"

Brenda didn't say anything, she was deep in thought for a few minutes then asked, " How does she know who we are? We're under the polyjuice potion and we were under our cloaks"

" Maybe she's powerful like Dumbledore was, remember that night during second year in Hagrid's hut?" Harry asked

" Well then we wouldn't be able to overpower her if we had to" Brenda said

Harry sighed, " Calm down you two, remember Muriel said she's gaga, we don't have anything to worry about"

" Come" Bathilda called from the next room

The girls looked at each other with worried faces

" You two, it'll be fine, come on" Harry said and he led the way into the next room

" Ok, but Harry, please keep your shields up... please" Brenda thought

Harry nodded and he put his shields up just to humor his sister

When they entered the sitting room, everything had a layer of dust on it and they saw Bathilda lighting candles by hand

" Well she must have forgotten she was a witch" Harry said and he went over to Bathilda, " Let me do that for you"

He took the matches away from the woman before she burned herself and he finished lighting the candles, the room was still pretty dark when he was done though

After Harry finished with that, Brenda waved her wand and muttered Terego which made the dust vanish from the room

Harry smiled his thanks at Brenda and the three started looking around the room while Bathilda was getting a fire ready in the fireplace

Harry spotted a picture of a man he's seen before... in a vision, it was the thief

Harry picked up the picture and turned to Bathilda, " Mrs... Miss... Bagshot? He asked, " Who is this?"

Bathilda didn't answer, she was just staring off into space

" Miss Bagshot?" Harry repeated

" Harry what's wrong?" Hermione asked

" Miss Bagshot, who is this person?" Harry asked again, " Do you know who this is?"

Bathilda looked up at Harry with confusion

" How did Rita Skeeter get Bathilda's memories?" Harry thought to himself, " Who is this man" Harry said louder

" Harry what is it?" Brenda asked

" What are you doing?" Hermione asked

" This picture, is the thief, the thief who stole from Gregorovitch" Harry said excitedly, " Please Bathilda, who is this?"

" Why did you want us to come with you?" Brenda asked now excited herself, " Was there something you wanted to tell us?"

Bathilda made no sign that she heard anybody, she just pointed at the Potters and herself and to the second floor

" You want us to go upstairs?" Harry asked

Bathilda nodded

" No Harry, it could be dangerous" Hermione said

" We should stick together" Brenda said

" Alright, lets go together, all of us" Harry said

Bathilda shook her head no and pointed to the Potters and herself

" She wants only us to go" Harry said

" Do you think she knows who we are?" Hermione asked

" Yes, she does" Harry said

" Why only you two though?" Hermione asked

" Maybe Dumbledore only wants us to have the sword" Harry said

" Why does she want me to go? You were the one who wielded the sword, I just saved the day by stabbing the diary with the tooth" Brenda said

" Well maybe we have to work together when we destroy the Horcruxes" Harry said, " We are twins and we've done practically everything together, why not destroying horcruxes together?"

Brenda thought of that and thought it was a good point and nodded in agreement

" You guys, be quick about it ok?" Hermione asked

" We will, lead the way" Harry told Bathilda

Bathilda nodded and led the way to the stairs

Harry put the picture in his jacket pocket

The stairs were steep and narrow and Harry was tempted to place his hands out in front of him just in case Bathilda fell, when they got to the top and entered a room, it smelled even worse than it did downstairs and it was pitch black, when Bathilda closed the door which made it even darker

" Lumos" Harry and Brenda said and both of their wands lit up and then jumped, Bathilda was in their space looking at them with piercing eyes

" You are Potters" Bathilda whispered

" Yes... Yes we are" Harry said

She nodded slowly and walked away from them

Harry could feel the Horcrux beating faster and faster, faster than his own nervous heart, it was a very weird sensation

" Do you have anything for us?" Harry asked but Bathilda didn't answer

" Do you have anything for us?" Brenda asked

A moment later Bathilda closed her eyes and the next thing that happened was that the Potters' scars prickled painfully, the Horcrux twitched so hard that Harry's sweater actually moved

" Occlude your mind Harry" Brenda said in a panicked voice

Harry's eyes closed for a moment and in a scary voice he said, " Hold them"

" HARRY OCCLUDE YOUR MIND" Brenda yelled, " YOU GET OUT OF HIM YOU BASTARD"

Harry opened his eyes and looked at Bathilda, " Have you got anything for me?" He asked again, he didn't realize that Voldemort possessed him for a moment

" Harry we got to get out of here now" Brenda said in a panicked voice

" Hold on" Harry said

" Harry you don't understand" Brenda said

" Over here" Bathilda said not paying attention to Brenda

Harry raised his wand

" What is it?" Harry asked

" There" Bathilda said pointing

" Harry we need to get out of here" Brenda said panicked

" Shh" Harry said and he rose his wand higher and saw it, it was the sword hilt, once he moved his eyes away from Bathilda though, Bathilda began to change

" HARRY" Brenda yelled

Harry jumped as he saw Bathilda changed into Nagini

That snake struck fast, before either Harry or Brenda could say a spell, Nagini bit Harry on the forearm which made him lose his wand

Brenda started casting stupifies at the snake but it kept dodging the attacks and Harry was trying to get the snake off of his arm but he was getting really dizzy from the venom

The snake finally let go of Harry and came charging after Brenda, Harry was still crushed from the snake's body though

" STUPIFY, STUPIFY" Brenda yelled but the snake kept dodging it and coming closer

Hermione could be heard running up the stairs and into the room, she saw Harry being crushed by the weight of the snake and Brenda trying to stun the snake

Finally there were two witches trying to stun the snake and the snake finally got off of Harry and started attacking both of the witches, that gave Harry enough time to catch is breath and find his wand, once Harry found his wand, he was about to say Stupify but Hermione finally hit the target and the snake went down, smacking Harry in the face

A second later both Harry and Brenda screamed in pain

" HE'S COMING" Brenda and Harry yelled, " WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE, HE'S COMING"

Hermione didn't need to know who He was

The stupify didn't last long for the snake and it began hissing wildly and started coming after them again, " CONJUNCTIVITIS" Hermione yelled and the snake's eyesight disappeared

The snake was hissing wildly because it couldn't see, it wasn't being smart and just smell it's way towards them

" HARRY OCCLUDE YOUR MIND, THE PAIN LESSENS A BIT" Brenda yelled pained

The snake used it's hearing and lunged for Brenda, " CONFRINGO" Hermione yelled before the snake could get to Brenda

That was the only way she could think of stopping the huge snake, shards of glass though exploded and they were all struck

Harry and Hermione grabbed Brenda's hand when she wasn't moving from shock most likely and Harry led them to a window and they jumped out

Harry and Brenda both ended up in Voldemort at the same time and saw what he saw, he was at the windowsill the three jumped out of and he saw three people, a balding man, his small wife, and a pudgy looking brunette twist and vanish

The Potters were having a vision or a memory of what Voldemort saw before he killed Lily and James

They saw that the night was wet and windy, they saw children dressed up for Halloween and one child actually went up to him and talked to him but he scared the child away and thought about killing the child but thought it was unnecessary, he walked up to the Potter cottage and saw that they didn't have their curtains shut, but they were open, he saw the father making little puffs of smoke for his children's enjoyment, the little boy was wearing blue pajamas and the little girl was wearing purple pajamas, both of them were hugging stuffed animals, a stag and a doe and clapping their little hands when a new color appeared out of their dad's wand. A few minutes later a door opened and the mother came out talking to the dad. The dad smiled and talked to the two little children with a smile on his face and when the babies nodded and clapped, the mother took her wand and accioed baby sized brooms and hand her children get on them and with her wand she levitated the brooms up, He could make out the words of weee coming from the little kids. The father chuckled to himself and laid his wand down and stretched. The gate creaked a little as he pushed it open but James Potter didn't hear. A white hand pulled out the wand beneath his cloak and he pointed it at the door and it burst open. He was over the threshold as James came sprinting into the hall. It was too easy, he didn't even pick up his wand

" Lily, take the kids and go! it's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" James yelled

" AVADA KEDAVRA" Voldemort said aiming the spell at James Potter

The green light filled the hallway and James Potter fell to the ground

He could hear the screaming coming from Lily Potter, if she was sensible, she, at least, had nothing to fear... he took his time climbing the stairs, he was amused by listening to Lily barricade herself in... she didn't have her wand either... these Potters were stupid relying on trusting friends, that weapons could be discarded even for a moment... he forced the door open, got rid of the " barricade" Lily made, and there she stood, her children in the same crib and she was protecting them with her body

" Not my children, please, not my children" Lily begged

" Stand aside, you silly girl... stand aside now" Voldemort commanded

" No! Take me instead" Lily begged, " Kill me instead"

" This is my last warning" Voldemort said

" Not my children, Please... have mercy... have mercy... Please not my children... I'll do anything"

" Stand aside girl" Voldemort commanded

He could have forced her away from the crib, but it seemed more satisfying to finish them all

The green light flashed around the room and like her husband, she dropped dead. The children didn't cry at all during that. They were both clutching their stuffed animals, the boy was smiling and the girl looked scared. Voldemort didn't like the smile coming from the boy's face and he thought the girl was sensible enough to be scared. Voldemort decided to scare the girl even more by killing the boy first. Voldemort cast Avada Kedavra at Harry and made Harry fall backwards in the crib and crying in agony, that made Voldemort very weak for some reason, he didn't know why the baby didn't die, he then thought it was because of the rule of ladies first, so he thought of casting the killing curse at Brenda, killing her and then finishing the job with Harry, so he cast Avada Kedavera at Brenda and she fell backwards too crying in agony, but this time there was no more Voldemort, he was nothing, nothing but pain and terror

Brenda woke up screaming and clutching her scar

" Brenda" Hermione said and she jumped

Harry was still in the vision, " No" He moaned

The snake rustled on the filthy, cluttered floor, and he had killed the boy, and yet he was the boy

" No" Harry moaned

Now he stood at the broken window of Bathilda's house, immersed in memories of his greatest loss, and at his feet the great snake slithered over broken china and glass... he looked down and saw something... something incredible

" No" Harry moaned again

" Harry, it's all right" Brenda said, " You're all right"

He stooped down and picked up the smashed photograph. There he was, the unknown thief, the thief he was seeking

" No... I dropped it... I dropped it" Harry moaned

" Harry it's ok, wake up" Hermione said

" Come on Harry, wake up, the vision's over" Brenda said

The waited a minute and Harry opened his eyes

" Harry" Hermione asked, " Are you ok?"

Harry nodded

" We got away?" Harry asked

" Yes" Hermione said, " I had to use a Hover charm on you and a sleep walking charm on Brenda to get you to your bunks"

" Why did you have to use a Hover charm on me?" Harry asked

" Well, you... you've been ill" Hermione said

" How long ago did we leave?" Brenda asked

" Hours ago, it's nearly morning" Hermione said

" And we've been unconscious all this time?" Brenda asked

" No, you both were tossing and turning, like you were in a horrible nightmare" Hermione said, " Harry... I couldn't get the Horcrux off you... it was stuck to your chest and I had to use a Severing charm to get it away... I don't know if you remember, but the snake bit you too, I've cleaned the wound and put some dittany on it, Brenda I got in your bracelet and got the snake venom antidote and gave him some"

Brenda nodded and then did a double take, " How did you get in my bracelet? Fred said only I can get in it, it knows my magic"

Hermione shrugged, " I just knew we needed the antidote and I opened it and it actually worked"

" Maybe it opened because you trust her and she wasn't going to use the potions for evil or something" Harry suggested

Brenda nodded, " That must be it... well I'm glad it worked" Brenda smiled

Hermione smiled back

"After you got the Horcrux off me, what did you do with it?" Harry asked

" It's in my bag, I think we should keep it off for a while" Hermione suggested

Harry nodded and laid back down and sighed, " We shouldn't have gone there... It's all my fault"

" No it's not" Hermione and Brenda said

" We wanted to go there too" Brenda pointed out

" I really thought Dumbledore might have left the sword there" Hermione said

" Well we were wrong, weren't we?" Harry said

" What happened when she took you two upstairs?" Hermione asked, " Was the snake hiding somewhere?"

Harry shook his head no

" She was the snake... or the snake was her" Brenda said

" What?" Hermione gasped

" Bathilda must have been dead for a while... the snake was... inside her" Harry said

" You know who put it there to wait for us... he knew we'd go back" Brenda said

" The snake was inside her?" Hermione asked in disbelief

" There was a reason why she didn't talk in front of you, it was all parseltongue, we didn't realize it because we speak it, Voldemort possessed Harry for a minute, I knew something bad was going to happen after that, but Harry... I think you were in some kind of trance or something" Brenda said

" For a bit there, but after the snake appeared, I got out of it" Harry said then he got out of bed

" Harry no, you need to go back to bed, the both of you, you just got out of that... whatever it was" Hermione said

" No, you need the rest, I'll keep watch for a while... where's my wand?" Harry asked

Hermione didn't answer

" Hermione, where's my wand?" Harry asked again

Hermione bit her lip

" Hermione?" Harry said

Hermione reached for her bag and pulled out his wand, the holly and phoenix wand was almost split in two, one strand of the phoenix feather kept the pieces hanging together

Both Potters gasped

" Mend it please" Harry chocked

" Harry I don't think..." Hermione started

" Please, just try" Harry pleaded

Hermione took out her wand and said, " Reparto"

The wand resealed itself but when Harry cast a simple spell, Lumos, the wand just sparked and then went out , Harry tried again with Expelliarmus, but nothing was disarmed

" I'm so sorry Harry... I think it was me... when I cast the blasting curse... it rebounded everywhere... well it must have hit..." Hermione started with tears in her eyes

" It was an accident" Harry said sounding empty, " We'll... find a way to repair it"

" Harry, I don't know if we can, remember Ron's wand when we crashed into the Whomping Willow with the car, he had to get a new wand" Brenda said with tears in her eyes

" Well... then I guess I'll just have to borrow one of yours while I keep watch" Harry said

Hermione handed hers over

" I'm so sorry" Hermione said again

Harry didn't say anything, he stood up with her wand and walked outside

Brenda sighed, " What a Christmas"

After ten minutes, Brenda walked over to Harry

" I just want to be left alone" Harry said

" You're digging your fingers in your arm and making yourself bleed" Brenda said

Harry sighed and stopped hurting himself, " What do you want?"

" I just thought you could use the company" Brenda said sitting down next to him

" You thought wrong... I just want to be left alone for a while... you should go back to sleep" Harry said

" Hermione should go to sleep, I want to stay out here with you" Brenda said

" I just want to be left alone" Harry said

" If you are left alone, you're going to think bad, depressing thoughts" Brenda said, " Remember during fifth year after that pensieve fiasco? Remember how I was because I thought Snape didn't want me? Well I don't want you to be that depressed, I want to help you"

" Brenda, I'm not going to get like that... I'm not going to be depressed forever... I just need... some alone time... I promise I'll eat and drink and sleep today... I just... want to be alone right now... see if you can get Hermione to go to bed"

Brenda sighed and nodded, then leaned over to hug her brother

Harry returned the hug

" I'm here if you need me" Brenda whispered

Harry nodded

Brenda left the tent entrance and tried to talk Hermione into taking a nap

Hermione was too upset to sleep and she basically ordered Brenda to go back to sleep

Brenda glared and rolled her eyes, she wasn't the one who needed the rest, instead, she got out her songs she got from Dumbledore and listened to a few of them, she didn't realize how tired she was though, after a few songs she put the songs away and closed her eyes, she wasn't going to fall asleep, just rest her eyes for a minute

Hermione was glad she fell asleep, now if she could only get Harry to rest as well

Hermione decided to make tea, it will calm her down some

When Brenda woke up an hour later, she couldn't believe she fell asleep, Hermione looked a little scared and Harry looked angry

" What'd I miss?" Brenda asked looking worried

" The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore" Harry spat

Brenda looked confused

" Bathilda had a copy and I took it from the house, it has never been opened until now" Hermione said

" Dumbledore was friends with Grindelwald" Harry said with a glare

Brenda gasped

Hermione gave Brenda the book and had her read the chapter that they read

Brenda read that after his parents died, Dumbledore had to take responsibility for his siblings. Enid Smeek said that Aberforth ran wild and Albus didn't do anything about it. The book stated that Albus was now ensuring the continued imprisonment of his sister since there was no change in Ariana Dumbledore's condition. Her very existence continued to be known only to those few outsiders like Dumbledore's friends who believe in the story of Ariana's ill health. The chapter talked about Bathilda Bagshot and how she was a magical historian who lived in Godric's Hollow for many years and at first she tried to make friends with Kendra but Kendra denied the friendship until several years later when Bathilda sent an owl to Albus at Hogwarts saying that she was impressed by his paper on trans-species transformation in Transformation Today. That contact led to an acquaintance with the entire Dumbledore family and at the time of Kendra's death, Bathilda was the only person in Godric's Hollow who was on speaking terms with Kendra. The chapter said how crazy Bathilda now was. Brenda read that like the rest of the Wizarding world, Bathilda says Kendra's death was because of a backfiring charm, the story was repeated by Albus and Aberforth in the later years. Bathilda also said that Ariana was frail and delicate like the Dumbledore family said. Rita Skeeter said she used Veritaserum to get all of what Bathilda knew about the Dumbledores. Brenda read that Bathilda Bagshot was the great aunt of Gellert Grindelwald. The name Grindelwald is famous in a list of Most Dangerous Dark Wizards of All Time, Grindelwald is in second place with first being You Know Who who stole his place as first a generation later.

There was a page on Gellert Grindelwald talking about his life, he was educated at Durmstrang and he showed himself just as brilliant as Dumbledore did at Hogwarts. Instead of using his abilities for awards and prizes, Gellert Grindelwald devoted himself to other pursuits and at age sixteen, he was expelled from Durmstrang. After he was expelled the only thing the Wizarding world knew of Grindelwald was that he was traveling for some months and in those months he came to visit his great aunt in Godric's Hollow and that is how he became friends with Albus Dumbledore

Brenda read the interviews Bathilda said about Grindelwald and Dumbledore and then she read the letter Dumbledore wrote to Grindelwald

Gellert

Your point about Wizard dominance being FOR THE MUGGLES' own good, I think, is the crucial point. Yes, we have been giving power and yes, that power gives us the right to rule, but it also gives us responsibilities over the ruled. We must stress this point, it will be the foundation stone upon which we build. Where we are opposed, as we surely will be, this must be the basis of all our counterarguments. We seize control FOR THE GREATER GOOD. And from this it follows that where we meet resistance, we must use only the force that is necessary and no more. (This was your mistake at Durmstrang! But I do not complain, because if you had not been expelled, we would never have met.)

Albus

This letter constitutes proof that Albus Dumbledore once dreamed of overthrowing the Statute of Secrecy and establishing Wizard rule over Muggles. What a blow for those who have always portrayed Dumbledore as the Muggle-borns' greatest champion! How hollow those speeches promoting Muggle rights seem in the light of this damning new evidence! How despicable does Albus Dumbledore appear, busy plotting his rise to power when he should have been mourning his mother and caring for his sister

Brenda read on and it talked about more of Albus and Gellert's friendship, it didn't last long, two months and they parted, not seeing each other again until they met for their legendary duel

Bathilda said that the friendship ended when poor little Ariana died, " It came as an awful shock. Gellert was there in the house when it happened, and he came back to my house all upset and told me he wanted to go home the next day. I arranged a Portkey and that was the last I saw of him. Albus was beside himself at Ariana's death. It was so dreadful for those two brothers, they lost everybody except for each other. Aberforth blamed Albus you know, broke Albus's nose at the funeral, that was not decent. It would have destroyed Kendra to see her sons fighting like that at her daughters funeral no less. It was a shame Gellert could not have stayed for the funeral. It would have been a comfort to Albus at least"

Skeeter talked about the fight at Ariana's funeral and asking questions like Why exactly did Aberforth Dumbledore blame Albus for his sister's death? How did the mysterious Ariana die? Was she the victim of some Dark rite? Did she stumble across something she ought not to have done? Is it possible that Ariana Dumbledore was the first person to die " For the greater good?"

That is where the chapter ended and Brenda knew why Harry was angry

" I can't believe he kept Ariana locked up, he kept his sister locked up" Brenda said

" I don't believe it" Hermione said, " Whatever was wrong with Ariana, I don't think she was a Squib. The Dumbledore we knew would never..."

" The Dumbledore we thought we knew didn't want to conquer Muggles by force" Harry spat

" He changed, Harry, he changed" Hermione said, " Maybe he did believe those things when he was young, but then the whole rest of his life was devoted to fighting the Dark Arts... Dumbledore was the one who defeated Grindelwald, the one who always voted for Muggle protection and Muggle born rights, who fought you know who from the start and died trying to bring him down"

The Potters still glared, they were glaring at the book

" I'm sorry, but I think the real reason you're angry is that Dumbledore never told you any of this himself" Hermione said

" Well we have a right to be angry" Brenda spat

" Look what he asked from us Hermione, Risk your lives, again and again and again" Harry started

" Don't expect me to explain everything, just trust me blindly, trust that I know what I'm doing, trust me even though I don't trust you" Brenda said

" It's never the whole truth even when he does explain himself, never NEVER" Harry said

" And lets not even talk about where he sent us when our parents died that night" Brenda said, " Yah I'm sure that was all for the greater good"

Hermione sighed and picked up the book

" Go take a nap Hermione, you need it" Brenda whispered

Hermione nodded and headed over to the bunks and finally laid down for a while leaving the Potters to their thoughts

I'm sorry it's been a long while since I updated last, real life got in the way and a bit of writers block as well. Well here's the next chapter and I hope it's long enough and worth the wait

When it was Hermione's turn to take watch, Harry and Brenda were having a hard time getting to sleep, they kept having nightmares about Nagini, or maybe Harry was having nightmares about Nagini which was making Brenda have nightmares, since Harry was still wearing the Horcrux, either way, they were both dreaming about Nagini and they kept waking up

Finally Brenda had enough and she just got out of bed and grabbed her songs she got from Dumbledore and walked over to Hermione who was reading A History of Magic by the tent entrance

" Couldn't sleep?" Hermione asked

Brenda shook her head and started reading the music trying to figure out why Dumbledore gave them to her, and the music calmed her down greatly and it even relaxed Hermione

" When did it start snowing?" Brenda asked

" About an hour after you fell asleep" Hermione said

" What time did I fall asleep?" Brenda asked a little embarrassed

" Just at 11:00, no big deal" Hermione said, " You looked like you needed it"

" Thanks" Brenda whispered

Hermione smiled

Fifteen minutes later Harry woke up and walked over to the girls

" Bad dreams?" Brenda asked not looking at her brother

Harry groaned and mumbled, " Yes... we should start packing and move on"

" We should go somewhere more sheltered" Hermione said, " I kept thinking I could hear people moving outside. I even thought I saw somebody once or twice"

Both Potters who were getting warmer clothes on looked at the Sneakoscope which lay there motionless

" I'm sure I imagined it" Hermione said, " The snow is dark and nighttime plays tricks on your eyes... but perhaps just in case we should Disapparate under the Invisibility cloaks... Just in case"

It took them only a half hour to pack the tent and it took another ten minutes for Harry to win the argument against Brenda that he was still wearing the Horcrux. After they were ready, they all got under either one of the Invisibility cloaks and held hands and Disapparated

" Where are we?" Brenda asked once they hit ground and she was about to get out her ring that would tell her

" The Forest of Dean" Hermione said, " I came camping here once with my mum and dad"

There was snow on the ground here too and it was very cold, the only difference was that they were protected by the wind

" Well lets set up camp and get a fire going" Harry said and the other two agreed

They spent the day huddled against each other and close to the fire to keep warm, they even had warming charms on their clothes and it was still chilly

By the time night rolled around Harry and Brenda told Hermione to go to bed and they will keep watch, after a half hour of arguing Hermione went to bed and the others kept watch

" You should go to bed too" Harry said

" Not tired" Brenda said stubbornly

Harry rolled his eyes and they just sat there in silence listening for any noise

Brenda had to wake Harry up three times when he fell asleep at an awkward angle and then she massaged his aching neck each time

" Thanks" Harry said embarrassed the third time

" You're welcome" Brenda said, " I would have let you sleep, but you were at such an odd angle"

" I don't want to sleep" Harry said

Brenda sighed and stretched, a minute later she saw something in the distance

" What's that?" Brenda asked

Harry saw it too and they both jumped to their feet with their wands out, well Brenda's and Hermione's wand. The thing was coming closer and Brenda couldn't help but unconsciously hum one of the family songs to herself

It finally got close enough for them to see what it was, it was a silver-white doe, it was dazzling, picking her way over the ground but leaving no hoof prints in the snow. She stepped towards them... well towards Harry with her head held high

The Potters stared at the creature for a while and then the doe turned and walked away

" No, come back" Harry said and he started going after it

" Harry, no, what if it's a trap?" Brenda asked

" You stay here, and we'll keep the thinking link open" Harry said and he dashed after the doe

Through the mind link, Brenda knew that Harry was chasing the doe and that the doe led him to a small frozen pool and the doe vanished

Brenda started to panic until Harry saw what was at the bottom of the pool, it was a sword with glittering rubies in its hilt... it was the sword of Gryffindor at the bottom of the pool

Both Harry and Brenda gasped and they were asking eachother questions through the mind link, but they didn't have the answers for them

" Ok so how do I get the sword out of the pool?" Harry thought

" Try accioing it to you" Brenda thought

Harry tried that but it didn't work

" Well, it was worth a try" Brenda thought sheepishly

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed, he knew what he had to do

" You be careful Harry James Potter" Brenda scolded

Harry stripped down to his underwear and he laid everything on the ground, then with Hermione's wand he cut through the ice with a Diffindo then he stepped to the pools edge, laid Hermione's wand down and jumped in

Brenda watched through the mind link as Harry dived down for the sword and then the chain on the Horcrux was constricting his windpipe

" Oh Merlin" Brenda said aloud and she started running towards her brother with her wand in hand but she knew she would be too late and she had angry and sad tears in her eyes

By the time Brenda did get to where Harry was, Ron stabbed the Horcrux and his eyes were wet

" Oh thank Merlin" Brenda gasped

Both guys turned to her and Brenda ran and hugged Harry, she was afraid he was going to die then she turned around and hugged Ron, " Thank you thank you thank you for saving him, I'm so glad you came back... Hermione will be too, she was crying for a week after you left"

" I... I'm sorry... I left...I know I was a... a" Ron started

" You made up for it by saving my life and finishing off the Horcrux" Harry said

" Ooh, can I see it?" Brenda asked, " What does it look like now?"

Ron held it up for Brenda to see it and it was still smoking

Brenda gasped, " Harry your neck, let me see it"

Harry let Brenda see his neck, " I'm fine Brenda"

" It's a little red" Brenda said

" It'll go away, it didn't break the skin" Harry said

Brenda sighed but nodded, " We should head back to camp, hopefully Hermione is still asleep or she will be frantic"

It didn't take them that long to find the camp site, Brenda had her ring that pointed them in the right direction

Hermione was still asleep and it took Harry and Brenda three times each to wake her up

" Wh...what?" Hermione asked groggily, " What's wrong? Are you two alright?"

" It's ok, everything is fine" Harry said

" We thought you'd like to see someone" Brenda said with a grin

Hermione was awake now, " Who?"

Harry and Brenda grinned and stepped back and Hermione saw Ron

Hermione gasped and hurried over to Ron only to punch him again and again and again

" Ow! OUCH! What the? Hermione! OW" Ron yelled every time Hermione punched him

" YOU COMPLETE ARSE RONALD WEASLEY!" Hermione yelled, " You crawl back here after weeks and weeks... where's my wand?"

Hermione turned to Harry but Harry cast a protego between Hermione and Ron

" Hermione calm down" Brenda said

" I will not calm down" Hermione spat, " Give me my wand Harry"

" Hermione will you please" Harry started

" Don't tell me what to do Harry Potter! Hermione screeched, " Don't you dare! GIVE IT BACK NOW! AND YOU"

She was pointing a finger at Ron now

" I begged you to come back" Hermione said

" I know... I'm sorry" Ron said

" Sorry? Sorry? You think you can come back here after weeks of being gone with a I'm sorry?" Hermione asked

" Well what else do you want me to say?" Ron asked his voice rising as well

" I don't know... Rack your brains, Ron... for you that should only take a couple of seconds" Hermione said

" Hermione he just saved my" Harry started

" I DON'T CARE" Hermione yelled, " I don't care what he's done, weeks are weeks, for all that he knew, we could have been dead"

" I KNEW YOU WEREN'T DEAD" Ron yelled and now it was kind of quiet, " Harry and Brenda are all over the Prophet, all over the radio, they're looking for you everywhere, all of the rumors and stories, I knew I'd hear straight off if you were dead... I wanted to come back the minute I Disapparated, but I walked straight into a gane of Snatchers, and I couldn't go anywhere"

" What are Snatchers?" Harry asked

" They're everywhere, they're gangs trying to earn gold by rounding up Muggle-borns and blood traitors, there's a reward from the Ministry for everyone captured. I was on my own and looked school aged, they thought I was a muggle-born in hiding. I had to talk fast to get out of being dragged to the Ministry" Ron explained

What did you say to them?" Brenda asked

" Told them i was Stan Shunpike... he was the first person I could think of" Ron said

" And they believed that?" Harry asked

" Well they weren't the brightest, I swear one of them was part troll, well he smelled like one at least" Ron said, " There were five of them and they were all arguing about if I was telling the truth or not, one of them took my wand and I got out of there by punching one in the gut, taking his wand, disarming the one with my wand, grabbing my wand and disapparating just a couple miles away from where I left you guys, but you left... I splinched myself again and lost two fingernails"

" And while you were doing that, we were at Godrics Hollow and You Know Who's snake tried to kill us and you know who missed us by like a second" Hermione spat, " But of course losing two fingernails is more scary then what we went through"

" Hermione" Harry said quietly, " Ron just saved my life"

Hermione ignored Harry or didn't hear him

" What I would like to know though is how exactly did you find us tonight?" Hermione asked, " That's important so we know we won't be visited by unwanted guests"

Ron took something out of his pocket and held it up, " This"

It was the Deluminator and everybody looked confused

" It just doesnt turn lights on and off" Ron said, " I don't know how it works or why it happened then and not any other time but I was listening to the radio really early Christmas morning and I heard... you... Hermione"

They looked confused again

" I heard you coming out of my pocket... your voice came out of this" Ron said indicating to the Deluminator, " I used it to turn off the lights and another light appeared, it was a ball of light and I knew I had to follow it so I did and it went inside of me and then I knew what I had to do and I Disapperated to where I'm sure you guys were, on a hillside but I couldn't see you, the protective spells work, I called out and then decided to set up camp, thinking I'd see you in the morning"

" We were there for two days but we left under the invisibility cloak because we swore we heard somebody and we wanted to get out of the wind" Hermione said

" I figured as much and so I used the Deluminator again and Disapperated here, I still didn't see you but I was hoping somebody would show themselves soon and Harry did... well the Doe first but then Harry" Ron said

" Doe? What doe?" Hermione asked

The other three explained what happened while Hermione was asleep

" It must have been a Patronus" Hermione said excited, " Couldn't you see who was casting it? It led you to the sword? I can't believe this, then what happened?"

They explained how Ron saved Harry's life and how Ron stabbed it with the sword

" And that was that? It's destroyed?" Hermione asked

Ron gave it to Hermione to look at

" Ron didn't you say you got away from the Snatchers with a spare wand?" Brenda asked

" What? Oh... yah" Ron said and he took it out

" Good, because Harry needs one" Brenda said

Ron looked confused

" Mine broke" Harry said gloomy

Ron gave the wand to Harry and Harry took the Protego down

Hermione put the destroyed Horcrux in her bag and without another word to anybody got back in bed and went to sleep

" Well... it could be worse" Brenda said with a grin, " She could set birds on you"

Ron shivered at that memory

Hermione was still angry the next morning and everybody tried to avoid her by doing odd chores like searching for food and water so their supply doesn't run out

The group that was still talking, meaning Harry, Brenda and Ron, started thinking about other locations for the rest of the Horcruxes

" So how did you find out about the Taboo?" Ron asked after talking about Muggle-borns attempts at escaping the Ministry

" The what?" Harry asked

" Taboo... you guys stopped saying You Know Who's name" Ron explained

" Oh yah... it's just a habit we slipped into" Harry said

" We have no problem calling him Vold..." Brenda started

" NO" Ron roared and he covered Brenda's mouth with his hand

Brenda scowled at Ron and Hermione gave him a dirty look but she would since she's still angry

" Sorry but the name's been jinxed, that's how he's tracking people... the name breaks protective enchantments... they nearly got Kingsley"

" Really?" Brenda asked

" Yah, a bunch of Death Eaters cornered him according to Bill, but he fought his way out and is on the run like us" Ron said then paused, " You don't think it was Kingsley who sent the doe"

Brenda shook her head, " Remember the wedding? His is a lynx"

" Oh yah... well what about Dumbledore?" Ron asked

" Dumbledore what?" Harry asked

" Um... what if it was Dumbledore? He was the one with the sword last" Ron said a little embarrassed

It was quiet for a few moments

" Dumbledore's dead" Harry said, " Brenda and I saw it happen, we saw the body... he's gone"

" And anyway... his Patronus was a phoenix, not a doe, if he was alive, he would just hand us the sword and make everything a whole lot easier, instead he gave Harry an old snitch, Hermione a bunch of kid stories, me a bunch of music and you a Deluminator, which by the way congrats on figuring out what it does" Brenda said

" I think Dumbledore knew what he was doing, he knew that it would be beneficial to give me the Deluminator, I think he knows it will be beneficial to give you what he gave you" Ron said

" Speaking of Dumbledore, did you hear what Skeeter wrote about him?" Brenda asked

Ron nodded, " People are talking about it quite a lot, which is kind of stupid if you ask me, I mean he was friends with him when he was young"

" He was our age" Harry said a little harshly and he cast the engorgio spell at a spider he saw

" Ok ok I'm sorry I said he was young, please don't make it bigger" Ron begged

Harry was surprised for a moment then he remembered that Ron was afraid of spiders, " Sorry... Reducio"

The spider was the same

" You need to practice with the wand a bit" Brenda said

" It's all a matter of confidence" Hermione said coming up to them

Harry sighed and nodded and they all headed back to the tent and Harry took first watch and spent his time practicing with the wand by levitating small stones at his feet but it just wasn't the same without his own wand, Hermione grabbed a book and started to read it, Brenda was about to get her music out when she saw what Ron was doing

Ron got out a wireless radio and started to tune it

" What are you doing?" Brenda asked

" There's this one program that tells it like it is, all the others are on You Know Who's side and are following the Ministry line... but this one... just wait until you hear it... it's great... Brenda I think you'll like it most of all" Ron said the last part with a smirk then frowned, " Trouble is, you need a password to tune it and it changes every time and I missed the last one"

Ron started muttering some words and tapping his wand but nothing was working, after ten minutes Hermione got up and Ron jumped thinking she was annoyed with him

" I want to go see Xenophilius Lovegood" Hermione said

Everybody looked at her

" Why?" Brenda asked

Hermione took a deep breath, " It's the mark... the mark in the Beedle the Bard... Look at this"

She gave The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore to Brenda and she looked confused

" The signature, look at the signature" Hermione said excitedly

Brenda looked at the signature and gasped, where there was supposed to be an A for Albus, there was a triangle like the once inscribed upon The Tales of Beedle the Bard

" The mark keeps popping up, Viktor said it was Grindelwald's mark, but I think he was wrong, it was also at Godric's Hollow on the headstone... we need to ask Mr. Lovegood, he was wearing it at the wedding... I'm sure this is important" Hermione said

Harry took the book away from Brenda and looked at it himself then looked at Hermione, " We don't need another night like Godric's Hollow"

" But it keeps appearing Harry" Hermione protested, " Dumbledore left me The Tales of Beedle the Bard, how do you know that we weren't supposed to find out about the sign?"

Harry sighed, " I don't know"

" It' won't be like Godric's Hollow, Lovegood is on our side, The Quibbler has been for you two all along, it keeps telling everyone that they have to help you"

" I'm sure this is important" Hermione said

" Well if it was this important, don't you think Dumbledore would have told us before he died?" Harry asked

" Um... maybe it's something you need to find out by yourself" Hermione said

" Well... that makes sense" Ron said

Brenda rolled her eyes, " No it doesn't... but I think we should go to Lovegood, a symbol linked to Dumbledore, Grindelwald and Godric's Hollow... this is important and we need to know about this"

" Lets take a vote" Ron said, " Those in favor of going to see Lovegood raise your hand"

Three out of four raised their hands

" Outvoted Harry, sorry" Ron said

" Fine... but after we see Lovegood, lets start looking for more Horcruxes shall we?" Harry sounded irritated

Brenda sighed, " Yes Harry... where do the Lovegoods live anyway?"

" I don't know exactly where but close to my house, but Mum and Dad always point towards the hills whenever they mention them... I don't think it'll be too hard to find" Ron said

Brenda nodded and then yawned and she and Hermione headed towards the bunks

They Disapparated the next morning and were really close to the Burrow

" It's weird being this near but not going to visit" Ron said a little sadly

" Well you just seen them, you were there for Christmas" Hermione said coldly

" HA, I wasn't at the Burrow! Do you think I was going to go back there and tell them all I'd walked out on you? Yah Fred would have understood and welcomed me back with open arms, George would throw fireworks because I returned, and Ginny would be real understanding" Ron was being sarcastic

" Then where were you?" Brenda asked

" Bill and Fleur's new place... Shell Cottage... Bill wasn't impressed when he heard what I'd done, but he didn't go on about it and he knew I was sorry, none of the rest of the family knew I was there and Bill said to the family that he wanted to have Christmas alone with his new wife, so it was just us three" Ron sighed then turned his back on the way to the Burrow and to the hills, " Lets try up there"

They started going up the hill to find the Lovegoods' house

They walked for a few hours under the invisibility cloaks and saw a cottage but they didn't think it was the Lovegoods', it was too ordinary

" Lets try the next lot of hills" Ron said

They all agreed and disapparated to the next lot and they spotted what they knew had to be the Lovegoods' place, it was so... strange looking

" That's got to be it" Ron said, " Come on"

Ron ran out of the invisibility cloak and ran up to the house and the others caught up to him

" It's there's, look" Ron said with a grin and pointed

There were three signs that were hand-painted and they knew they had the right house, one sign said THE QUIBBLER. EDITOR: X. LOVEGOOD

They walked up to the door and made sure nothing was going to pop up and chase them like those creatures Luna keeps talking about in school

" We should take off the invisibility cloaks" Brenda said

They took them off and put them away

Hermione knocked on the door and after about ten seconds the door was flung open and Luna's dad was standing in front of them in what looked like a night shirt

" What? What is it? What do you want?" Lovegood asked and he looked all of them over recognizing the Potters, " Oh"

" Hello, Mr. Lovegood" Harry said, " I'm Harry Potter"

Mr. Lovegood nodded then looked at Brenda, " And you're Brenda Potter right?"

Brenda nodded

" And your friends Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley" Mr. Lovegood said

The other two nodded as well

" We were wondering if it would be ok if we came inside" Harry said, " There is something we'd like to ask you"

" I... I don't think that... advisable... I don't think" Mr. Lovegood started

" It won't take long" Brenda said before Mr. Lovegood could finish

" I... oh, all right then... quickly, come in" Mr. Lovegood said and he looked around making sure nobody saw them and he led the four inside

When they entered the house, they were in a kitchen, but what was strange about the kitchen was that it was a perfect circle and everything was curved to fit the room; the counters, the stove, sink and cupboards. What they also noticed was that everything was painted like it was spring time, there were flowers, insects and birds painted all over and they were all in bright colors

" Definitely Luna's house" Brenda thought to Harry

Harry agreed

In the middle of the room was an iron staircase that led to the other floors of the house

" You all better come up" Mr. Lovegood said

They all climbed the stairs and entered what seemed to be a mix of a living room and workplace, there were books everywhere and there was an old fashioned printing press that was churning out Quibblers

" Why have you come here?" Mr. Lovegood asked once everybody was inside

" We need some help" Harry said

Mr. Lovegood was quiet for a minute, " I'd like to... but... helping the Potters is... rather dangerous"

" But you're the one who keeps telling everyone it's their first duty... to help the Potters" Ron said, " In that magazine of yours"

" Um... well... yes... that's true but..." Mr. Lovegood started

" But not you personally" Ron finished

Mr. Lovegood was silent and he looked like he was having an internal struggle

" Where's Luna?" Brenda asked, " Lets see what she thinks about helping us"

Mr. Lovegood gulped and silently gasped and then in a shaky voice said, " She... she is down at the stream... fishing for Freshwater Plimpies... she... she will like to see you... I'll go call her... I... I will try to help you"

Mr. Lovegood headed back down the staircase and the four of them were alone

" What a coward" Ron said, " Luna has ten times his guts"

" He's most likely worried about what will happen to them if the Death Eaters find out we were here" Brenda said

" That may be true" Hermione said, " But he is an awful old hypocrite when he tells everyone else to help you two but he cannot"

They were silent for a while, just listening to the printing press and looking out the window, they were so close to the Burrow, yet so far

Finally Mr. Lovegood came back up the stairs with refreshments in his hands

" May I offer you all an infusion of Gurdyroots?" Mr. Lovegood asked, " We make it ourselves"

He poured the drinks without an answer from anybody, the juice was a deep purple

" Luna is down beyond the Bottom Bridge and she is very excited that you all are here" Mr. Lovegood said, " She shouldn't be too long, she caught enough Plimpies to make soup for all of us, please sit down and help yourself to sugar"

After everybody was situated with a drink and was sitting down Mr. Lovegood was now all business

" How may I help you Mr. and Ms. Potter?" Mr. Lovegood asked

" Well" Harry started, " It's about that symbol you were wearing around your neck at Bill and Fleur's wedding"

" We were wondering what it meant" Brenda finished

" Do you mean the sign of the Deathly Hallows?" Mr. Lovegood asked

It was silent for a minute while the four of them absorbed the information, the girls were trying to remember if they read anything about the Deathly Hallows

" The Deathly Hallows?" Hermione asked

" That's right" Mr. Lovegood said

" I haven't heard of the Deathly Hallows" Hermione confessed

" Me either" Brenda said

" I'm not surprised" Mr. Lovegood said, " Very few wizards believe as we all know because of the knuckle headed young man at your brother's wedding" He nodded at Ron, " He attacked me for wearing the symbol of a well-known Dark wizard... such ignorance... there is nothing dark about the Hallows... well not in that sense... one simply uses the symbol to reveal ones self to other believers, in the hope that they might help one with the quest"

Everybody looked confused

" I'm sorry, but... we don't understand" Harry said

" Well, you see, believes seek the Deathly Hallows" Mr. Lovegood explained

" But what are the Deathly Hallows?" Brenda asked

" I assume that you are all familiar with ' The Tale of the Three Brothers'?"

Three out of four said yes

" Well, Mr. Potter, the whole thing starts with 'The Tale of Three Brothers' I have a copy here somewhere" Mr. Lovegood said getting up

" Wait... I have a copy" Hermione said and she pulled out The Tales of Beedle the Bard out of her bag

Mr. Lovegood nodded, " Why don't you read it aloud? It's the best way to make sure we all understand"

" Um... Ok" Hermione said and she started reading, " There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure. And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him. 

So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence, a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there and gave it to the oldest brother. 

Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still farther, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead. 

And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death most unwillingly handed over his own cloak of invisibility.

" Death has an invisibility cloak?" Harry asked

" So he can sneak up on people" Ron explained

Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so, talking with wonder of the adventure they had had and admiring Death's gifts. 

In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination. 

The first brother traveled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he won the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and of how it made him invincible. 

That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay, wine sodden upon his bed. The thief took the wand and for good measure, slit the oldest brother's throat. And so Death took the first brother for his own. 

Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry before her untimely death, appeared at once before him. 

Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as to join her. And so Death took the second brother for his own. 

But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and equals, they departed this life. 

Hermione stopped reading

" Well there you go" Mr. Lovegood said

" Sorry?" Hermione asked

" Those are the Deathly Hallows, the Elder wand, the Resurrection Stone and The cloak of Invisibility" Mr. Lovegood said, " Put them together and you have the Deathly Hallows"

" But there is no mention of the Deathly Hallows in the book" Hermione said

" Of course there isn't" Mr. Lovegood said, " It's a children's tale and only those who understand recognize that the story refers to the three objects or Hallows if united will make the possessor master of Death"

" Mr. Lovegood" Hermione began, " We all know that there are such things as invisibility cloaks, they are rare but exist but..."

" The Hallow is a true cloak of invisibility Ms Granger, it's not a traveling cloak with a Disillusionment charm... we are talking about a cloak that really and truely makes the wearing completely invisible no matter what spells are cast at it. How many cloaks do you know that can do that?"

The four were quiet and were all thinking the same thing, but the story only says about the one cloak, not two, so how can two cloaks be a Hallow?

" Ok, say the cloak did exist, what about the Resurrection stone? How can that be real?" Hermione asked

" Prove that it's not" Mr. Lovegood said with a smile

Harry knew an argument was brewing so he changed the subject to the other Hallow, " What about the Elder Wand?"

" That's easier to prove because it's the easiest to trace, the possessor of the wand must capture it from its previous owner if he is to be the true master of it" Mr. Lovegood said

" So where do you think it is now?" Ron asked

Mr. Lovegood shrugged, " Who knows"

" Mr. Lovegood, does the Pervell family have anything to do with the Deathly Hallows?" Hermione asked

Mr. Lovegood gasped, " You have been misleading me, I thought you were new to the Hallows Quest, the Peverells have everything to do with the Hallows"

" Who are the Peverells?" Ron asked

" That was the name on the grave with the mark on it... in Godric's Hollow" Hermione said, " Ignotus Peverell"

" Exactly" Mr. Lovegood said with a smile, " The sign of the Deathly Hallows on Ignotus's grave is proof"

" Of what?" Ron asked" That the three brothers in the story were actually the three Peverell brothers, Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus... they were the original owners of the Hallows"

Mr. Lovegood looked out the window

" Will you stay for dinner?" Mr. Lovegood asked a little hurriedly and he went down the stairs without anybody answering him

It was quiet for a few moments

" Well? What do you think?" Brenda asked Hermione

Hermione sighed, " I think this is rubbish, just like... Snorkacks"

" It's just a tale for children, but for fun... which gift do you think is best?" Ron asked with a smile

Brenda and Harry said the stone, so they could bring their parents, Sirius, Cedric, Dumbledore and Mad-Eye back to life

Hermione said the cloak because it helped them out a lot in the past

Ron said the wand because it is unbeatable and powerful and if he had it he could be more powerful than any of his brothers

" I don't know if I believe Mr. Lovegood to the fullest, but... he might be right about the cloak... I never stopped to think... it never occurred to me before but I've heard stuff about charms wearing off cloaks when they get old, and Harry and Brenda's cloaks are not new but are old and they work like they were new" Ron said

" Here's another thing I don't understand. There is only one cloak mentioned... how come both of our cloaks have the same effects?" Brenda asked

They were all stumped on that one and they went on to the next topic, the stone

Hermione thought Beedle just took the idea from the Sorcerer's stone, instead of an immortal stone, the stone can reverse death

While they were arguing, they also began looking around, they ended up in what they were sure was Luna's bedroom, they only reason they thought that was because of the painting of six faces: Harry, Brenda, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville and bordering the picture in gold lettering was friends

" Wow that's so sweet" Brenda said with a smile

Everybody else smiled too

They looked around the room some more and Harry and Brenda thought something wasn't right

" Oh look at these books" Hermione said and she headed towards the bookshelf that was in a corner

" You guys, something isn't right here" Harry said

" What's wrong mate?" Ron asked

Brenda squatted down, " There is a layer of dust on everything, the carpet... the picture frame... I think that's her mother"

Everybody looked around and then with wide eyes they looked at each other and then they all ran back to the room where they last saw Mr. Lovegood

Mr. Lovegood was just coming into Luna's room when they came out

" Mr. Lovegood, where's Luna?" Harry asked

" Excuse me?" Mr. Lovegood asked a little taken aback

" Where's Luna?" Brenda asked this time

Mr. Lovegood looked a little worried, " I... I already told you... she is fishing for Plimpies"

Ron looked down at the tray, " Then why is the tray only set for five and not six?"

Mr. Lovegood didn't say anything

" I don't think Luna has been here for weeks" Harry said

" Her room doesn't look lived in for a while" Brenda said

" Where is she and why do you keep looking out the window?" Hermione asked

Mr. Lovegood dropped the tray and the bowls that were on it and the four of them drew their wands and Mr. Lovegood froze with his wand hand in his pocket

At that moment, a bunch of Quibblers came streaming across the floor and Hermione picked one up and read the headline, it had the words on the front page UNDESIRABLE NUMBERS ONE AND TWO and it was captioned with the reward money

" I guess the Quibbler is going for a new angle" Brenda said coldly

" Is that what you were doing when you left? You sent an owl to the Ministry?" Harry asked

" They took my Luna" Mr. Lovegood whispered, " Because of what I've been writing. They took her and I don't know where she is... or... what they've done to her. I might get her back if I..."

" Hand over Brenda and Harry" Hermione said

" No deal" Ron said, " Get out of the way, we're leaving"

Mr. Lovegood looked determined now, " They will be here any moment... I must save Luna... you must not leave"

Mr. Lovegood blocked their only exit

Brenda gasped, and Harry's eyes widened, they both had a sudden vision of their mother doing anything to protect them

Brenda and Harry looked at each other with knowing looks

" We have to get out of here Harry" Brenda thought to her brother

Harry nodded

" Don't make us hurt you" Harry said

" Get out of our way Mr. Lovegood" Brenda said

" This is your only warning" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

All of a sudden Hermione screamed which made Harry and Brenda to look at her then at the window where there were figures flying on brooms. Looking away was a mistake because Mr. Lovegood got his wand and aimed a stunning spell their way and they all dodged it just in time and Brenda was the first one to recover the hasty dodge and sent a tripping hex his way and Mr. Lovegood fell down the flight of stairs

The door crashed open

" I told you there was no need to hurry" A rough voice said, " This nutter was just raving as usual"

The four teenagers heard a bang and a scream of pain from Mr. Lovegood

" No... no... upstairs... both... Potters" Mr. Lovegood gasped

" I told you last week Lovegood, we weren't coming back for anything less than some solid information, none of your crazy ideas to get your daughter back" The voice said

" No I beg you" Lovegood cried, " It really is them"

" You're wasting our time" The voice said and he sent another agonizing spell Lovegood's way

" I swear... I swear... they're upstairs" Lovegood cried

" Hmm, we shall see" The voice said, " Homenum revelio"

There was an odd sensation that swept over the four teens

" There's someone up there all right" The other voice said

" It's the Potters" Lovegood cried, " Please, let me have Luna"

" You can have your little girl Lovegood" The first voice said, " If you get up those stairs and bring me down the Potters... but if this is a trick... then we'll leave a bit of your daughter for you to bury"

Lovegood wailed with fear then he hurried up the stairs

" I have an idea" Hermione announced, " Ron get under the cloak"

" Why me?" Ron asked

" Just do it" Hermione snapped

Ron groaned but did as he was told

" Brenda when Mr. Lovegood gets up here, I'm going to obliviate him... then I want you to... get rid of this floor" Hermione said giving Brenda a pointed look

Brenda understood and nodded, it was a spell she and Hermione learned that the boys didn't learn because... well reading isn't their favorite thing to do

Once Mr. Lovegood reached the room he had his wand out ready to hex the teens but the teens were faster and ready, Hermione obliviated Mr. Lovegood at the same time Brenda yelled, " DEPRIMO" to the floor

The spell blasted a hole and the rubble landed on the two men who were hurting Mr. Lovegood and threatening his daughter

The next thing that happened was that the four disapparated and landed in a field

Right when they landed, Hermione and Brenda started putting up the protection charms

" That traitor" Ron panted taking Harry's cloak off, " I can't believe we got out of that... what do you reckon they'll do to him?"

" Hopefully not kill him" Brenda said

" That's why I wanted to do that plan, so they know Mr. Lovegood wasn't lying when he said Harry and Brenda were there" Hermione said

" Why hide me though?" Ron asked

" Because Ron, you're supposed to be in bed with spattergroit" Hermione said, " They kidnapped Luna because her father supported Brenda and Harry, I shudder to think what they would do to your family if they knew you're with them"

" What about your parents?" Ron asked

" They're in Australia" Hermione said a little sadly, " They... don't know anything"

" Genius" Ron said in awe

" I'm worried about Luna" Brenda said

" Well if they're telling the truth and she's still alive" Ron began

" Don't say that... she must be" Hermione said

" Well... then I expect she's in Azkaban, I hope she makes it" Ron said

" She will" Harry said, " Luna's tough... much tougher than she looks... she's probably teaching all the inmates about Nargles" Harry smiled at that thought

That got everybody else to smile as well

" I feel sorry for Mr. Lovegood" Brenda said

" Too bad he just tried to sell us to the Death Eaters" Ron said with distaste

" He wanted to get his daughter back" Brenda said

Ron nodded, " I know he had his reasons, but... I still think he's a traitor"

They ended the discussion and set up the tent, after the day they had at the Lovegoods', the tent felt very... homey

" That was a complete waste of time" Hermione said, " The Deathly Hallows? What rubbish... he probably made the whole thing up to keep us there until the Ministry came"

" I don't think so Hermione, nobody can think up a story like that under the stress he was under" Ron said

" Mr. Lovegood probably thought it was real" Brenda said

" Well, it doesn't matter now, " Even if he was being honest, it's still a lot of nonsense"

" Hang on... wasn't the Chamber of Secrets supposed to be a myth?" Ron asked

" But the Deathly Hallows can't exist" Hermione protested

" You keep saying that but we have one of them here... the invisibility cloak" Ron said

" No we don't, we have two invisibility cloaks, and the story only talks about one" Hermione said, " Besides, the Tale of the Three Brothers' is just a story"

" I don't know, we could benefit from an unbeatable wand" Harry said

" There is no such thing" Hermione said firmly

" But there have been wands that were very powerful, almost destructible, like the Deathstick, Wand of Destiny... Professor Binns mentioned it in one of our lessons" Brenda said, " What if it's the same wand?"

Hermione sighed, " Ok, even if the Elder Wand is real, what about the Resurrection Stone? No magic can bring the dead back to life"

" That's not true Hermione, when Harry and my wand connected with You know who's, it made our mum and dad and Cedric appear" Brenda said

" But they weren't back from the dead were they? Just pale imitations... not brought back to life" Hermione said

" But the girl in the tale didn't really come back to life either, but the second brother still got to see and talk to her... he even lived with her for a while" Harry said

Just thinking about that scared Hermione

It was quiet for a few minutes

" So... that Peverell guy who's buried in Godric's Hollow... you don't know anything about him?" Harry asked both girls

They shook their heads no

" I looked him up after I saw the mark on his grave but I only found the name Peverell in Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy which has a list of all the pureblood families that are now extinct in the male line... Peverell was one of the earliest families to vanish"

" Extinct in the male line?" Ron asked a little scared

" It means the name died out" Brenda said

" They could still have descendants but they would be called something different" Hermione said

Harry and Brenda were quiet and deep in thought

" Peverell... that sounds familiar... we heard it somewhere else" Harry said

" The memory of the Gaunt family" Brenda said

" Who are the Gaunts?" Ron asked

" You know who's grandfather" Harry and Brenda said together

" The ring that was a Horcrux, it had a coat of arms on the stone... I couldn't tell what it looked like though" Brenda said

Harry gasped, " The stone... what if that's the Resurrection Stone?"

" Would it still work even though Dumbledore broke the ring?" Ron asked

" There is no such thing" Hermione said exasperated, " You all are trying to fit everything into the Hallows story"

" Hermione, everything is falling into place, both Harry and I have invisibility cloaks, that is one Hallow... I don't know how we both have them but we do, and the Gaunts were descended from the Peverells and so was the ring which has a stone on it, it makes perfect sense" Brenda said

" What do you think Dumbledore did with the ring after he broke it open?" Ron asked

Harry and Brenda were silent, they were remembering something that Mr. Lovegood said, they were also putting the pieces together

" Three objects, or Hallows, which, if united, will make the possessor master of Death" Brenda thought to Harry

" The saying on the tombstone... The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" Harry thought to Brenda

Brother and sister looked at each other and thought, " Neither side can live while the other side survives"

" Hallows" Harry thought

" Versus Horcruxes" Brenda thought

" We both need to be the masters... that's why we have two invisibility cloaks" Brenda thought

They both pulled out their invisibility cloaks

" You guys what's going on?" Ron asked

They ignored Ron, they were looking at their invisibility cloaks and Brenda waved her wand at both of them and saw that both of their cloaks was the Hallows cloak. Brenda figured out how both of them have the same cloak, a while ago, probably their father spelled his cloak bigger to twice its size and cut it down the middle and transfigured another cloak and gave it to Lily so she could be part of his pranks or for protection, he didn't realize that it was a Hallow

" Ignotus Peverell is buried in Godric's Hollow... the only way our dad would have the cloak is that it was past down from generation to generation... Ignotus Peverell is our ancestor... we are descended from the third brother... it makes sense" Harry cried out

" Ew, that means, you two are related to You know who" Ron said

Harry and Brenda cringed at the thought of that

" Ok, we have one Hallow, and Dumbledore had the other, wouldn't he have given us the other?" Brenda asked

Harry gasped and took out the pouch around his neck and took out the Snitch

" It's in here... he left the ring in the snitch" Harry said excitedly

" Are you sure?" Ron asked

" We have two Hallows, once we figure out how to open that" Brenda said, " We have the third and second... and all we need is the first Hallow... the Elder Wand" Brenda gasped

" Now what?" Hermione asked she still wasn't believing this Hallow nonsense

" The wand... that's what he's looking for" Brenda said

" Who?" Ron asked

" You know who" Brenda said, " He's after the Elder Wand"

" Why would he be after that wand? Wouldn't he be after the other Hallows as well?" Ron asked

" You know who has been raised in a Muggle orphanage and nobody could have told him The Tales of Beedle the Bard when he was a child" Brenda explained, " And not many witches and wizards now believe in the Deathly Hallows, they all think it's a story... if he knew about the Hallows he would have looked for all three of them and he wouldn't have made Horcruxes, he wouldn't have too because if he had all three he would be the master of death... he turned the resurrection stone into a horcrux... that just proves that he doesn't know about the Hallows"

" Why would he be going after the Elder Wand?" Ron asked

" He probably knows that it's very powerful" Harry said

" More powerful then mine and Harry's wands put together" Brenda said

" He doesn't want to create another priori incantatem" Harry said

" Why can't you three see reason, there is no such thing as the Deathly Hallows" Hermione said

" But Hermione, it all fits" Harry said

" No it doesn't, you all are just getting carried away, if they really existed, don't you think Dumbledore would have said something to you?" Hermione asked

" He usually wants us to find things out for ourselves, try our strengths and take risks" Brenda said

" This isn't a game or practice, this is real life and Dumbledore left clear instructions... find the Horcruxes and destroy them, the symbol doesn't mean anything, forget the Deathly Hallows, we can't afford to be sidetracked" Hermione argued, " Now Ron and I will take first watch"

Ron groaned but did as he was told

The subject of the Deathly Hallows was dropped except for Harry and Brenda, instead of talking out loud, they were thinking to each other trying to come up with ideas to opening the snitch and trying to figure out where the Elder Wand is at and where Voldemort was searching

Weeks passed and privately Harry and Brenda were still discussing the Deathly Hallows while the other two were discussing the Horcruxes and that Silver doe. By this time, it almost seemed like Ron was taking charge instead of Harry and Brenda

" There are three Horcruxes left, now where haven't we looked?" Ron asked, " Lets go through the list again"

They all listed all the places that would be connected to Tom Riddle

Sometimes the group would walk into a Wizarding territory and brought them within site of Snatchers

" Snatchers can be as bad as Death Eaters" Ron said, " Well according to Bill and Potterwatch"

" On what?" Harry and Brenda asked

" Potterwatch" Ron said, " Didn't I tell you that's what the program I keep trying to get on the radio is called? It's the only one that tells the truth about what's going on... but it's tricky tuning in"

It took Ron weeks to get the right password to Potterwatch, it was now March

" I'VE GOT IT... I'VE GOT IT... THE PASSWORD WAS ALBUS" Ron shouted with glee

They all kneeled by the radio

" I apologize for our temporary absence from the airwaves, which was due to a number of house calls in our area by those charming Death Eaters" The radio began

" That's Lee Jordan" Hermione exclaimed

" I know" Ron said, " Cool right?"

The group listened to the radio, first it was Lee Jordan who's code name was River and he talked about the deaths and how Ted Tonks and Dirk Cresswell were murdered and how a goblin named Gornuk was also killed. Dean Thomas could have escaped along with another goblin. Then Kingsley who's code name was Royal began talking and he talked about how the new Wizarding order is affecting the Muggle world, he talked about how witches and wizards are risking their own families to give protection the muggles in their area. Next it was Remus who's code name was Romulus and he was going to talk about Pals of Potters

" So Romulus, do you still think the Potters are alive?" Lee asked

" I do" Lupin said firmly, " There is no doubt at all in my mind, if they were dead then we would hear about it from the Death Eaters and You Know who"

" If both Potters were listening right now, what would you say to them?" Lee asked

Lupin was silent for a couple seconds, " I would say that we're are with them in spirit... and I would tell them to follow their instincts which are good and nearly always right"

The radio was quiet for a minute

" Ok, now our usual update on those friends of Harry Potter's who are suffering for their allegiance" Lee said

" Well, several of the more outspoken supporters of Harry Potter have now been imprisoned, as in Xenophilius Lovegood, editor of the Quibbler" Lupin said

" Well, at least he's still alive" Ron said

" We have just heard in the last few hours that Rubeus Hagrid, Games keeper at Hogwarts was rumored to have hosted a Support Potter party in his house and is now to be believed on the run" Lupin said

" I guess it helps when escaping from Death Eaters if you have a sixteen foot high half brother on your side" Lee said

Lupin agreed, " May I add that while we here at Potterwatch applaud Hagrid's spirit, we would urge supporters of the Potters to not follow Hagrid's lead with Potter parties"

" That is a good suggestion Romulus, if you want to support the twins with scars on their heads, please tune in and listen to Potterwatch... now lets move to news concerning the wizard who we like to call the Chief Death Eater, and here to give his views on some of the more insane rumors circulating about him, I'd like to give the microphone to Rodent" Lee said

" Rodent?" A very familiar voice said

Brenda gasped, " Fred"

" It could be George" Hermione said

" I think it's Fred" Ron said

" It's Fred, Oh Merlin it's Fred" Brenda said excitedly and she accioed her bag and took out her unicorn that Fred gave her and she hugged it tight, " I am your girl Fred, Forever and for always" Brenda thought to herself after she read the necklace on the unicorn

" I don't want to be Rodent, I'm Rapier" Fred said

Lee sighed, " Fine, Rapier could you please give us your take on the various stories we've been hearing about the Chief Death Eater?"

" Well, as our listeners will know, You know Who's strategy of remaining in the shadows is creating a nice little climate of panic, if all the alleged sightings of him are genuine, then we must have a good... nineteen You know who's running around... So, people, let's try and calm down a bit. Things are bad enough without inventing stuff as well. For instance, this new idea that You know who can kill with a single glance from his eyes. That's a basilisk listeners. One simple test: Check whether the thing that's glaring at you has got legs. If it has, it's safe to look into its eyes, although if it really is You know who, that's still likely to be the last thing you ever do"

That lifted the spirits of the four teens and Brenda was smiling and hugging her unicorn, Merlin she missed Fred

" And the rumors that he keeps being sighted abroad?" Lee asked

" Well, who wouldn't want a nice little holiday after all the hard work he's been putting in?" Fred asked, " Point is, people, don't get lulled into a false sense of security, thinking he's out of the country. Maybe he is and again maybe he isn't, the fact remains is that he can run faster than Severus Snape confronted with a bottle of shampoo when he wants to. Don't plan on taking big risks because he can get to you... safety first people"

" Thank you very much Rapier" Lee said, " Well that brings us to the end of another Potterwatch, we don't know when we will be aired again, the next password is Mad-Eye... Keep each other safe, Keep faith, good luck and goodnight"

" That was Fred" Brenda said her smile not leaving her face

" I knew you would like it" Ron said with a smile

" That was brilliant" Harry said with his own smile

" It's so brave of them" Hermione said, " If they were found... I shudder the thought"

" They keep on the move" Ron said, " Like us"

" Did you hear what Fred said?" Brenda asked excitedly, " He's abroad, he's looking for the wand"

" I knew it" Harry said

" Harry" Hermione said

" Come on Hermione, why are you so determined not to admit it? Vold" Harry started

" HARRY NO" The other three yelled but it was too late

" Emort is after the Elder Wand" Harry finished

" The name's Taboo" Ron bellowed, " I told you Harry, we can't say it anymore... we got to put the protection back around us... quickly, it's how they find non supporters of you know who"

It was now silent, the only sound was the Sneakoscopes spinning and lighting up and they could hear voices coming nearer and nearer

Brenda put her unicorn back in her bag and Ron pulled the Deluminator out of his pocket and clicked it which made the lamps go out

" Come out of there with your hands up" A voice commanded, " We know you're in there and you've got half a dozen wands pointing at you and we don't care who we curse"

The four were very worried now

" They can't know who we are" Hermione whispered

" They're going to recognize us" Brenda whispered sticking her bag down her shirt, she had a feeling her pockets will be searched if they are caught and nobody can find the unicorn with "Fred's girl" on it

" Polyjuice?" Hermione asked and after hesitating a moment did the same thing as Brenda just to be on the safe side

" Don't have any" Brenda said

" We need to make you two unrecognizable" Hermione whispered, " Engorgio"

Hermione's wand was pointed at Harry's face and Harry's face blew up and was now swollen and puffy

Hermione did the same thing to Brenda's face

Before anything else could be done, like hiding the scars for instance, the men outside the tent came inside and seized them and they tried fighting them off but they couldn't, after their pockets were searched, they were thrown on the ground and rolled onto their backs

" Lets see who we have here" A familiar voice said, it was Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf

Greyback started laughing when he saw the looks of Harry and Brenda, " What happened to you two?"

Harry and Brenda were quiet

" I said, what happened?" Greyback asked again

" Bee hive... got stung" Harry said

" Looks like it" Another voice said

" What's your name?" Greyback asked

" Dudley" Harry said

" And your first name?" Greyback asked

" Uh... Vernon... Vernon Dudley" Harry said hoping the werewolf would buy it

" Check the list, Scabior" Greyback ordered then he turned to Ron, " And you?"

" Barney Weasley" Ron said

" A Weasley... so... related to the Blood traitors " Greyback said and then he turned to Hermione, " What's your name?"

" Penelope Clearwater" Hermione said shakily

" What's your blood status?" Greyback asked

" Half-blood" Hermione said

" That's easy enough to check" The other man said

" And what's your name?" Greyback asked turning to Brenda

" Wilma Weasley... I'm Barney's cousin" Brenda said

" Another relative of the blood traitors" Greyback said

" This lot looks like they could still be Hogwarts age" The other man said

" We left" Ron said

" Left have you? And you decided to go camping?" The man said, " And you thought for a laugh you would use the Dark Lords name?"

" It wasn't for a laugh, it was an accident" Ron explained

" The Order of the Phoenix likes to use the Dark Lord's name Weasley... does that mean anything to you?" Greyback asked

" No" Ron said

" Well, they don't show the Dark Lord proper respect, so the name has been tabooed, a few order members have been tracked that way... bind this lot up with the other two prisoners" Greyback ordered

They were yanked by their hair and were dragged a ways then were pushed down into a sitting position and were tied up

" Does anybody still have a wand?" Harry asked

" No" The other three said

" This is all my fault, I said his name... I'm sorry" Harry said

" Harry?" Somebody asked and it sounded very familiar

" Dean?" Harry asked

" It is you! Merlin if they find out who they've got... They're Snatchers, they're only looking for truants to sell for gold" Dean explained

" We have a nice little haul, not bad for one night... lets see, a Mudblood, a runaway goblin and four truants, did you check their names on the list yet Scabior?" Greyback asked

" Yah and there is no Vernon Dudley on here Greyback" The man named Scabior said

" Hmm, interesting... very interesting" Greyback said looking down at Harry, " So... you're not wanted... or you are on the list with a different name... what house were you in at Hogwarts?"

" Slytherin" Harry said automatically

Scabior snorted, " It's funny how they all think we want to hear that, but none of them can tell us where the common room is"

" It's in the dungeons" Harry said convincingly " You enter through the wall, it's full of skulls and stuff and it's under the lake which makes the lights look green"

" Thank you second year" Brenda thought to herself

There was a pause

" Well it looks like we really caught a little Slytherin" Scabior said, " Good for you Vernon, there ain't a lot of Mudblood Slytherins... so who is your father?"

" He works at the Ministry... Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes" Harry said

" Hmm... There is a Dudley there" Scabior said

Harry couldn't believe his luck

" Well Ugly, if you are telling the truth then you have nothing to worry about, I'm sure your father will reward us for returning his son to him" Greyback said with a smirk

" But... if you just let us" Harry started but he was interrupted

" Hey" A shout came from inside the tent and a wizard came out with Gryffindor's sword, but it was too dark to see that it was Gryffindors, " Look at this"

" Nice... Very nice... looks goblin made... now where did you get something like this?" Greyback asked

" It's my father's" Harry said, " We were using it to cut firewood"

The man went back into the tent seeing what he could find

" Hey look at this... the Prophet... it has a picture of the Mudblood who is known to be traveling with the Potters... this looks a lot like you" The man said

Hermione gasped, " It isn't me... it isn't me"

" Known to be traveling with the Potters" Greyback said to himself and he looked at both Harry and Brenda, " Well... this changes things doesn't it?"

Greyback squinted and looked at the two and saw their scars, " It is them... we caught the Potter twins"

" What should we do? Should we go to the Ministry?" Scabior asked

" To hell with the Ministry" Greyback growled, " They'll take the credit... we should take them straight to You know who... he is using the Malfoys' place as a base... we'll take them there"

" Are you sure they are the Potters? If it's not... then we're dead" Scabior said

" I'm sure its them, and we will be so rich, it's 200,000 galleons apiece for them and their wands, so that's 400,000 galleons" Greyback said

" And what about the others?" Scabior asked

" Well, we have two Mudbloods and they are worth ten galleons and if that sword has rubies on it, that is another small fortune" Greyback said then he saw Brenda's bracelet" That's a pretty bracelet you got there, much too expensive for a Weasley... who did you get this from?" Greyback lifted Brenda's wrist and held it at wand light

" It was a present" Brenda said

" A very expensive looking present... with these rubies and emeralds... that is a small fortune" Greyback said and he tried taking it off but it wouldn't budge, " It won't come off" He bared his teeth at Brenda and growled

" It's... it's an innocence bracelet, it won't come off until I am married to my one true love" Brenda lied, she didn't want them to know that it held many potions

Greyback glared at Brenda but sighed and let go of her wrist, " Fine... but that sword would still be worth something... now Scabior are you in or out?"

Scabior thought for a moment, " I'm in"

The half dozen wizards took a hold of the prisoners and they disapparated and landed in a country lane and they were pushed and pulled up to a wrought iron gate and up to what looked like a long drive

" Harry why haven't you been occluding your mind" Brenda thought to Harry, she knew he's been getting Voldemort visions and his scar was hurting, hers was prickling a little because she was occluding

" We need to find out where he is going and what he is doing" Harry thought back

" Well take a break and let me take the vision over, now occlude your mind" Brenda ordered

" No, now stop thinking at me and let me concentrate, he is angry, the man knew he would come and knew what he was coming for but he doesn't have it" Harry explained through thought

They made it to the front door and it was answered

" What is this?" A woman asked

" We're here to see He who must not be named" Greyback said

" Who are you" The woman asked

" You know me... Fenrir Greyback" Greyback said

" What do you want?" The woman asked

" We caught the Potters" Greyback said with a smug look and the Potters were dragged to face the woman who was Narcissa Malfoy

After a moment of Narcissa scrutinizing the whole lot she had them bring the prisoners in and they were led to a sitting room

" My son Draco is home for the Easter Holidays, if they are who you say they are, he will know" Narcissa said

" What is the meaning of this?" Lucius asked

" They say they have got the Potters" Narcissa said in a cold voice, " Draco, come here"

Draco did as he was told and Draco looked at both Harry and Brenda but didn't say anything

" Well Draco?" Lucius asked, " Is it them?"

" I can't... be sure" Draco said

" Look at them carefully, go closer to them" Lucius demanded, " If we are the once who hand the Potters over to the Dark Lord, then everything will be forgiven"

" Don't forget who actually caught them" Greyback said menacingly

" Of course not" Lucius said with impatience, " How did they get in this state anyway?"

" We found them like this" Greyback said

Lucius squinted and looked closely at Harry and Brenda's foreheads, "There is something there... it could be their scars... Draco come here and look properly... what do you think?"

Draco stood next to his father and looked

" I don't know" Draco whispered

" Well, we better be certain Lucius" Narcissa called, " Completely sure that they are the Potters and not some disfigured lookalikes"

" What about the Mudblood then?" Greyback asked, " I'm sure she wouldn't go anywhere without her friends

Everybody looked at Hermione

" Yes, that's the girl who was in Madam Malkin's with the Potters... Draco isn't that the Granger girl?" Narcissa asked

" Um... maybe... yah" Draco said

" Then that's the Weasley boy" Lucius shouted, " These are the Potters friends... this is Arthur Weasley's youngest son... what's his name again?"

" Yah... it could be" Draco said not looking at the prisoners

All of a sudden there was another noise and another woman entered the sitting room

" What is going on here?" A very familiar voice asked, it was Bellatrix

Before anybody said anything, Bellatrix looked at Hermione

" This is the Mudblood girl... Granger" Bellatrix said

" Yes, yes it is Granger... and beside her is the Weasley boy and the Potter brats... they are caught at last" Lucius said with triumph

" Potters?" Bellatrix asked and she got a better look at the puffy faced twins, " Then we must contact the Dark Lord at once"

Bellatrix was about to contact Voldemort by putting her wand on her dark mark but Lucius stopped her

Bellatrix gave Lucius a dark look

" I was about to call him and since this is my house, it is upon my authority" Lucius said

Bellatrix gave Lucius an even darker look but then she noticed something, she noticed the sword of Gryffindor and she paled

" STOP! DON'T CALL HIM" Bellatrix yelled, " We will all perish if the Dark Lord comes now"

Lucius froze with his index finger an inch away from his mark

" Give that to me" Bellatrix said indicating the sword

" No, it's mine, I found it" One of the snatchers said

Bellatrix took out her wand and stunned the snatcher and took the sword

The other snatchers were angry and Scabior took out his wand

" What are you doing woman?" Scabior asked

Bellatrix stunned all of the snatchers, there were four of them and it was them against her, but she is crazy and has no conscience, the only snatcher who was not stunned was Greyback, but he was in a kneeling position and he couldn't get out of it

" Where did you get this sword?" Bellatrix asked with a glare

Greyback didn't say anything he just glared at Bellatrix

" Answer me" Bellatrix ordered, " Where did you get this sword?"

" Let me up woman" Greyback ordered and bared his teeth

" Where did you find this sword?" Bellatrix asked again, " Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts"

" It was in their tent" Greyback said, " Now let me up I say"

With a wave of her wand, Bellatrix let Greyback up, Greyback wanted to attack her but he restrained

" Draco, moved this scum outside" Bellatrix ordered and indicated to the snatchers that were stunned, " If you have the guts, finish them... if you don't... leave them to me"

" Don't you dare speak to Draco like a house elf" Narcissa said furiously

" Be quiet" Bellatrix screamed, " The situation is graver than you can possibly imagine, we have a very serious problem"

Bellatrix looked down at the sword then at the Potters

" If they are the Potters, they must not be harmed... The Dark Lord wants to finish them off himself... place the prisoners in the cellar and I'll think of what to do" Bellatrix ordered

" Stop giving orders in my house Bella" Narcissa said

" Do it, you do not know of the danger we are in" Bellatrix shrieked and she looked frightening and mad

Narcissa hesitated for a moment then ordered Greyback to take the prisoners down to the cellar

" Wait... I want the Mudblood" Bellatrix said sharply

" NO" Ron shouted, " Take me instead, leave her alone"

That resulted in Ron getting slapped in the face

" If she dies, then you are next" Bellatrix said with an evil smile, " Take them down Greyback and make sure they are secure, but nothing else"

Bellatrix took a silver knife from under her robes and cut Hermione free and dragged her by her hair into the middle of the room

The rest of them were forced down a steep flight of stairs and then forced into a dank and musty room and were left in total darkness still tied up

" HERMIONE! HERMIONE!" Ron yelled and he was moving as much as possible, trying to get the ropes off, but they were just getting tighter

" Ron stop moving, you'll make the ropes even more taut" Brenda ordered

" And we need to figure out a plan, so stop yelling" Harry ordered

" Harry... Ron... Brenda... is that you?" A familiar voice asked

Brenda gasped, " Luna"

" Yes it's me... oh, I didn't want you all to get caught" Luna said

" Luna, can you help us get these ropes off?" Harry asked

" Oh yes, I'm sure, there is an old nail we use if we need to break anything... just a moment" Luna said

They heard Hermione scream from overhead and Bellatrix was screaming too

" HERMIONE! HERMIONE" Ron shouted again

" Mr. Ollivander do you have the nail?" Luna asked

A few seconds later she was back

" You need to stay still" Luna said and she began digging at the ropes that were binding Harry

They could still hear Bellatrix interrogating Hermione and it was making Ron very anxious

" Ron you need to stay still please" Luna said, " I can't see what I'm doing"

" The Deluminator" Ron said, " It's in my pocket... it's full of light"

A few seconds later the room was illuminated with light and it took a couple minutes for everybody to adjust to the brightness

In the room the three saw Luna, Dean and Griphook who looked unconscious and still tied up and Ollivander who was curled up in a corner

" Ooh, yes, that's much better... thank you Ron" Luna said with a smile and she started working on the bindings again

" YOU LYING FILTHY MUDBLOOD" Bellatrix's voice came from above, " YOU HAVE BEEN INSIDE MY VAULT AT GRINGOTTS... TELL THE TRUTH, TELL THE TRUTH"

There was another scream coming from Hermione

" HERMIONE" Ron yelled

" What else did you take? What else? Tell me or I'll run you through with this knife" Bellatrix threatened

Luna undid Brenda's bindings after she undid Ron's who was now trying to disapparate without a wand

" There's no way out Ron" Luna said while cutting through Dean's bindings, " The cellar is completely escape proof, I tried when I got here, but Mr. Ollivander has been here for a long time and he's tried everything"

" You can't disapparate without a wand anyway" Brenda said with a sigh

That didn't stop Harry and Ron for trying to find a way out

" What else did you take? Answer me... CRUCIO" Bellatrix bellowed

Hermione's screams were earsplitting, they echoed off the walls

Ron was pounding the walls with his fists and sobbing, " HERMIONE! HERMIONE!"

" How did you get into my vault?" Bellatrix asked, " Did that dirty little goblin help?"

" We only met him tonight" Hermione sobbed, " We never been inside your vault... the sword... it... it isn't real... it's a copy... just a copy"

" A copy?" Bellatrix screeched, " What a likely story"

" We can find out easily" Lucius said, " Draco... fetch the goblin, he can tell us if the sword is real or not"

Harry and Brenda ran towards the goblin

" Griphook" Brenda whispered to get his attention, " You must tell him the sword is fake"

" They must not know that it is real" Harry said

" Please Griphook" Brenda begged

Before anything else could be said, there was a shaky voice that sounded like Draco Malfoy

" S...s...stand back, line up against the back wall... do...don't try anything... or I'll k...k...kill you" Draco said shakily

" Yah right" Brenda whispered

" Shh" Harry hissed and everybody did as they were told and before the lock unlocked, Ron turned out the lights and they were left in darkness again

The door opened and Malfoy marched inside with his wand held out in front of him, he looked pale and determined... after he grabbed the goblin, he backed out again dragging Griphook with him

Right after the door slammed shut, there was a crack and when there was light again, everybody saw a house elf, not just any house elf, but Dobby the house elf

Everybody looked at Dobby first bemused then with excitement, they could escape

" Dobby has come to rescue Harry and Brenda Potter" Dobby squeaked

" How did you?" Brenda started but she was cut off by Hermione screaming

" You can disapparate out of the cellar?" Harry asked

" And you can take humans with you?" Brenda finished

Dobby nodded with a smile

" Ok... first, we want you to grab Luna, Dean and Mr. "Ollivander and take them too... um" Brenda started

" Bill and Fleur's" Ron said, " Shell Cottage... it's on the outskirts of Tinworth"

Dobby nodded

" And then come back" Harry said then thought for a second, " You can do that right?"

" Of course I can Harry Potter sir" Dobby said with a smile and he hurried to Mr. Ollivander and took his hand then held his hand out for the other two but they wouldn't budge

" We want to help you guys" Luna said

" We can't leave you here" Dean said

" Go, both of you, we'll see you at Bill and Fleur's" Harry said

Harry sounded a bit snappy and Brenda knew why, his scar was burning something fierce, her's was prickling uncomfortably and she was occluding her mind

" You guys, seriously go" Brenda said in a no nonsense manner

Luna and Dean took a hold of Dobby's hand and the four vanished with a crack

" WHAT WAS THAT?" Lucius Malfoy shouted from over their heads, " What was that noise in the cellar?"

It was silent for a moment

" Draco... call Wormtail and make him go and check the cellar" Lucius ordered

" Yes Father" Draco said and he got up and left

" What are we going to do?" Ron asked panicked

" We're going to have to tackle him" Harry said, " We have no other choice"

" Leave the lights on, it'll be better if we are able to see clearly" Brenda whispered

Before anything else was said, they heard somebody descend the steps and stop at the door

" Stand back" Wormtail commanded, " Stand away from the door, I am coming in"

A second later the door opened and Wormtail was there, at first he looked confused when he only saw three people in the room and that the room was lit up when it should have been dark

The trio took Wormtail's momentary confusion as their cue and they jumped him, Ron took away Wormtail's wand, Brenda got on Wormtail's back and covered his mouth so he couldn't cry out for help

They all struggled and after two minutes Lucius called down

" What is it Wormtail?" Lucius asked

" Nothing" Ron rasped in an imitation of Wormtail's wheezy voice, " All is fine"

Somehow Wormtail got his iron hand around Harry's throat and he began squeezing

Brenda got her arms around Wormtail's neck and she squeezed and said, " Wormtail, guess what... you owe us a life debt and it's time to pay up"

Wormtail's eyes went wide and his iron grip on Harry's neck loosened and Harry got away

" No" Wormtail whispered

" Oh yes" Brenda said smirking and kind of looking like Snape... well if Snape had red hair that is, " Four years ago, we let you live"

A minute later, that silver hand was creeping up to Wormtail's throat

Brenda's smirk vanished

The three tried to stop Wormtail from killing himself, but it was no use, Wormtail's hand chocked him to death before the teens' very eyes

" I didn't know that would happen" Brenda whispered

Brenda then had an idea... she didn't think it felt right that one of her father's friends should have the mark... it just wasn't right... and, she needed a rat for her experiment and Wormtail was perfect, Brenda opened up her bracelet and took out the darkmark remover

" What are you doing?" Harry whispered

" I need a rat to test this out, I made it myself" Brenda explained and she took the vial and opened it, then she squatted next to Wormtail after making sure Ron had the wand trained on Wormtail's face just in case and she lifted up Wormtail's sleeve and revealed the mark

" One of Dad's, Sirius's and Lupin's friends shouldn't have the mark, even though he was a Death Eater... it just isn't right" Brenda said and she poured the contents on Wormtail's mark and waited

A minute later, the mark dissolved and it was like Wormtail never had the mark

Brenda smiled, " It worked"

" What was that?" Ron asked

Brenda stood up and put the empty vial back in her bracelet, " Darkmark remover... I made it myself before I knew Snape was evil, I needed it tested anyway, and a rat is the perfect tester... lets get out of here"

The other two didn't have to be told twice, they ran up the stairs and into the shadows towards the room everybody was in

They stopped at the ajar door and had a perfect view of Bellatrix looking at Griphook with disdain and Griphook was holding the Gryffindor sword, Hermione was lying at Bellatrix's feet and she looked unconscious

" Well?" Bellatrix asked, " Is it the real sword?"

The three who were hiding were holding their breath

" No, it is fake" Griphook said

" Are you sure?" Bellatrix asked with a worried look

" Quite sure" Griphook said

Relief broke across Bellatrix's face and she smiled evilly

" Good, now we can call the Dark Lord" Bellatrix said and she touched her finger to the Dark mark, " And we can now dispose of the Mudblood... Greyback, you can have her if you want her"

" NOOOOOOO" Ron yelled and he burst into the room and using Wormtail's wand yelled, " Expelliarmus"

Bellatrix's wand flew through the air and Harry caught it

Brenda stood behind the two boys because she didn't have a wand and right now she was defenseless

Harry yelled Stupefy and Lucius fell to the floor

Draco, Narcissa and Greyback threw their own spells at Harry and both he and Brenda dodged them by falling to the floor and rolling behind a sofa for protection

" Stay down" Harry whispered and he peered around the edge of the sofa ready to battle again

" STOP OR SHE DIES" Bellatrix yelled

Bellatrix was holding Hermione up and she still was unconscious, what was scary was that a knife was at Hermione's throat

It was now very quiet and Brenda stood up to see what was happening

" Drop your wands" Bellatrix whispered, " Or we'll see exactly how filthy her blood really is"

Nobody moved at first but then Bellatrix pressed the blade into Hermione's skin and drops of blood began to appear

" Ok, ok" Harry shouted and he dropped Bellatrix's wand at his feet

Ron did the same with Wormtail's wand

The three of them raised their hands to shoulder height in surrender

" Good" Bellatrix said with an evil smile, " Draco, pick up the wands, the Dark Lord is coming... Potters... your deaths approach"

Both the Potters knew it, Harry wasn't occluding his mind and he could see where Voldemort was at, Brenda was occluding her mind and her scar still burned something fierce, it was a mixture of Voldemort being angry and him getting closer

" Now" Bellatrix said softly after Draco got the wands and was back next to her, " I think we should tie these little heroes up again and Greyback can take care of Miss Mudblood... I am sure the Dark Lord will not mind you having her for yourself after what you have achieved tonight"

All of a sudden there was a grinding noise coming from up above and all of them looked up and saw the crystal chandelier trembling and then the next moment, it began to fall

Bellatrix was directly beneath the chandelier and she dropped Hermione and threw herself out of the way of the chandelier

The chandelier fell on top of Hermione and the goblin and many tiny crystals and chains exploded every which way

Harry, Brenda and Ron took cover behind the couch and after the explosion was over with, they saw that Draco was doubled over and he was covering a bloody face

Ron hurried and pulled the still unconscious Hermione out of the wreckage and both Harry and Brenda went after Draco and wrestled all of their wands out of Draco's grip and pointed them at Greyback and yelled Stupefy

That stupefy was four times as powerful because they used all four of the wands and Greyback flew up to the ceiling and fell to the floor hard with a hard thud

They saw Narcissa drag Draco out of the way of further harm and they saw Bellatrix jump to her feet and held the knife like she was going to stab somebody, Narcissa looked and directed her wand at the doorway which Bellatrix followed her gaze

" Dobby" Narcissa screamed, " You... you dropped the chandelier?"

The elf entered the room and pointed a shaking finger at Narcissa

" You must not hurt the Potters" Dobby squeaked, " Or their friends"

" KILL HIM CISSY" Bellatrix screamed

There was another loud crack and Narcissa's wand flew into the air and landed on the other side of the room

" Why you dirty little monkey" Bellatrix yelled, " How dare you take a witch's wand, how dare you defy your masters"

" Dobby has no master, Dobby is a free elf and he has come to save the Potters and their friends" Dobby declared

" We have seconds before Voldemort comes" Harry thought to Brenda

Brenda didn't doubt that, " Get Griphook out of there, I'll throw Ron a wand" Brenda thought

Harry nodded slightly

" Ron" Brenda yelled and she threw one of the wands, " Catch and go"

Ron caught the wand and with Hermione still unconscious but with him, he disapparated out of the manor

Harry at the same time hoisted the groaning goblin up who still held onto the sword and the Potters grabbed Dobby's hands and spun to Disapparate, the last thing they saw when they left was a blur of flying silver that was Bellatrix's knife and it flew across the room at the same spot where they were vanishing

The Potter's concentrated as hard as they could on their destination, Bill and Fleur's Shell Cottage

They knew they made it out of Malfoy Manor and to their destination when they smelled the salty air and felt the solid ground

Harry put Griphook down and jumped when Brenda shrieked

Harry whipped out one of the wands and was looking everywhere for danger but there was none, no, it was much worse, the knife Bellatrix threw was in the elf's chest

" Dobby... no... HELP" Harry yelled

" HELP! SOMEBODY HELP" Brenda yelled along with Harry towards the cottage where people were at

They laid Dobby sideways on the grass

" Dobby, don't die" Harry said

" Please don't die Dobby" Brenda said with tears in her eyes

Dobby smiled up at the Potters and took their hands, " Dobby's... friends"

Those were his last words and his last breath


	10. Chapter 10

Seeing the body of their house elf friend brought back the memory of Dumbledore's body at Hogwarts, another one of their loved ones died

A couple minutes after Dobby's death, Bill, Fleur, Dean and Luna gathered around them as they knelt over the elf

" Where's Ron and Hermione?" Brenda asked

" Ron took Hermione inside" Bill said, " She's going to be ok"

Nobody said anything else for a while

Harry took the knife out of Dobby's body

" We should have a funeral for him" Brenda said with a sniffle

Everybody nodded in agreement and Bill was about to use his wand to make a hole

" No, not by magic, I want to do it properly... do you have a spade?" Harry asked

" We have a couple" Bill said

Harry nodded and five minutes later, both he and Brenda were digging the grave in the place that Bill suggested they bury him

Both Brenda and Harry were quiet while they worked, it was like they were taking their anger out of the dirt, and that was ok, they needed to blow off some steam

Their scars were burning and they saw that Voldemort was furious at Malfoy Manor because they escaped

They didn't know it, but they were both thinking the same thing Hallows, Horcruxes, Hallows, Horcruxes, they knew where Voldemort was and why he killed who he killed and they knew what he was after but he didn't get it

After the hole was deep enough, Bill, Ron and Dean came out and didn't even say anything about doing it the muggle way

" How's Hermione?" Harry asked

" Better" Ron said, " Fleur and Luna are looking after her

" Well" Brenda said, " I think it's deep enough... we should get something for a headstone"

Before they could do anything to lay Dobby to rest, the others came out, along with Hermione who looked very pale and unsteady

" We wanted to be here for the funeral" Hermione rasped

Luna knelt by Dobby and made his eyes closed

" Now he looks like he's asleep" Luna said

Harry nodded and he picked up Dobby and gently placed him in the grave

Brenda arranged his limbs so it looked like he was sleeping

They were having a hard time not sobbing, they shed a lot of tears though

It was quiet for a minute

" I think... we should say something" Luna said, " I think I'll go first"

It was quiet and everybody was looking at Luna

" Thank you so much Dobby, for rescuing me from that cellar. It is so unfair that you had to die, when you were very good and brave. I'll always remember what you did for us. I hope you're happy now" Luna said and then looked at Ron

" Um... thanks Dobby" Ron said a little uncomfortable

" Thanks" Dean muttered

Harry sighed and swallowed, " Goodbye Dobby" It was all he could manage without breaking down

It was now Brenda's turn and she felt like she was going to choke up and sob but she had something she really wanted to say, " Thank you Dobby, for everything you have done for us, if it weren't for you... Harry and I... would probably have been dead our second year... you helped me out during my fifth year when I didn't want to eat and I thank you for that as well... Thank you so much for being such a great friend Dobby, we all owe you a lot for what you just did for us" Brenda sniffled, " Goodbye Dobby, Rest in Peace"

Brenda was crying by then and Harry embraced her and cried with her

After a couple of minutes the Potters calmed down and Bill raised his wand and the pile of dirt by the grave rose up in the air and fell neatly upon the grave

" We should go inside, it's getting cold" Bill said

" You guys go... I want to stay here a moment" Harry said

" Yah... me too" Brenda said

The others nodded in understanding and they slowly walked towards the cottage

" He needs a headstone" Brenda said

Harry nodded

" There's some stones over there, it looks like their marking the edge of the flower beds, I'm sure Fleur and Bill won't mind if we take one" Brenda said

Harry nodded and they selected one together, it was one of the largest ones and they placed it on the grave

" What should we say?" Harry asked

" How about... Here lies Dobby, Dobby The Free Elf" Brenda suggested

Harry smiled, " I think he'll like that"

They carved the saying together using their wands, Harry carved the first part, and Brenda carved the second part

When Harry and Brenda left the grave and went inside, everybody was in the living room and Bill was talking

" It's lucky that Ginny is on holiday. If she'd been at Hogwarts, they could have taken her before we reached her. Now we know she's safe too" Bill said

Brenda gasped she didn't know all the details but if Ginny could have been taken from Hogwarts, that's scary

Bill looked around and saw Harry and Brenda in the doorway

" I got everybody out of the Burrow and moved them to Muriel's. The Death Eaters know that Ron is with you now, they're bound to target the family" Bill said and saw the guilty looks on Harry and Brenda's faces, " Don't be guilty and don't apologize, it was always a matter of time, Dad has been saying so for months now. The Weasley's are the biggest blood traitor family there is"

" How are they protected?" Harry asked

" Fidelius Charm with Dad as the secret keeper... we've done it on this cottage too and I'm the Secret keeper here... none of us can go to work but that is hardly the most important thing right now... once they are better, we will move Ollivander and Griphook to Muriel's too, she has plenty of room... we'll probably move them in about an hour" Bill said

" No wait" Brenda said

" What?" Bill asked

" We need them here" Harry said

" We need to talk to them... it's very important" Brenda said, " But first... we should wash up"

Bill pointed to the kitchen and they washed up and they were both in their own thoughts

After they finished washing the dirt and blood off of their hands, they left the kitchen and went back into the living room

" We need to talk to Ollivander and Griphook, privately and one at a time" Harry said

" No, they are too ill" Fleur said, " You will have to wait"

" I'm sorry Fleur but this cannot wait, this is urgent" Brenda said

" What the hell is going on here?" Bill asked, " You turn up here with a dead house elf and a half conscious goblin, Hermione looks like she's been tortured and Ron is refusing to tell me anything"

" We can't tell you anything" Harry said, " You're in the Order and you know that Dumbledore left Brenda and I with a mission, and we're not supposed to talk to anybody who doesn't know about it"

Bill was quiet for a couple minutes, " All right. Who do you want to talk to first?"

Harry and Brenda looked at each other and a minute later came to a decision

" We'll talk to Griphook first" Brenda said

Bill nodded and led them to Griphook

" Ron, Hermione, we need you as well" Brenda said

Hermione and Ron nodded and followed them

" How are you Hermione?" Brenda asked

" I'm doing better" Hermione said with a weak smile

" You were amazing coming up with that story when they were hurting you like that" Harry said

Hermione smiled in thanks and Ron put an arm around her in comfort

" So what are we doing now?" Ron asked

" You'll see" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

Bill led them to his and Fleurs bedroom

" Wait here and I'll get him" Bill said

Everybody but Hermione stood, Hermione was seated in a chair

A couple minutes later Bill brought Griphook in and set him down on the bed

Griphook grunted his thanks and Bill left shutting the door behind him

" Sorry to wake you like this" Harry said, " How are your legs?"

" Painful... but mending... and I wasn't asleep" Griphook replied

The goblin was still holding the sword of Gryffindor and he didn't look like he was going to let go any time soon

" You two are very strange" Griphook said indicating Harry and Brenda

That confused both of them

" How are we strange?" Brenda asked

" You buried the elf... I was watching from the window in the bedroom next door" Griphook said

" How is that strange?" Harry asked

" You dug the hole" Griphook said

They were both waiting for him to make a muggle comment, but he didn't

" You also rescued a goblin" Griphook said, " You brought me here and saved me"

" Well I take it you are greatful right?" Brenda asked

Griphook nodded, " Yes I am... but still, you two are strange"

" Right... well, we need some help and you can give it to us" Harry said

Griphook didn't say anything

" We need to break into a Gringotts vault" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

Hermione and Ron gasped

" It is impossible" Griphook said and he had a deep frown on his face

" No it isn't" Ron said, " It's been done before"

" Yah" Harry said, " Seven years ago"

" The vault in question was empty at the time" Griphook snapped and he sounded offended of somebody even suggesting that the vaults defenses could be breached, " Its protection was minimal"

" Well the vault we need to get into isn't empty and I'm guessing the protection will be pretty powerful" Brenda said, " It belongs to the Lestranges"

Ron and Hermione didn't know what was going on in their friends' heads

" You have no chance at all" Griphook said, " We have a saying at Gringotts... Enter, stranger, but take heed of what awaits the sin of greed. For those who take, but do not earn, must pay most dearly in their turn. So if you seek beneath our floors, a treasure that was never yours; thief, you have been warned, beware, of finding more than treasure there"

" But we're not trying to get any treasure, we don't want to take anything for personal gain... can you believe us?" Brenda asked

Griphook was silent for a moment then sighed, " If there were a witch and wizard among all of the witches and wizards who I would believe would not seek personal gain... it would be the two of you Potters... Goblins and elves are not used to kindness that you showed me tonight from wand carriers"

" What are wand carriers?" Harry asked

" The right to carry a wand" Brenda said

Griphook nodded

" Why would you want a wand when you can do magic without them?" Ron asked

" That doesn't matter... Wizards and witches refused to share their wandlore secrets with other magical beings... we are denied the possibility of extending our powers" Griphook said

" Well goblins won't share their magic either" Ron said, " You won't tell us how to make swords and armor the way you do"

" Ok, enough of this arguing, will you help us get into the Lestrange vault or not?" Brenda asked

" What do you seek within the Lestranges' vault?" Griphook asked, " The sword that is in it is the fake one... this is the real one... which I think you already know"

" The fake sword isn't the only thing in the vault is it?" Brenda asked, " Have you seen other things in there?"

" It is against our code to speak of the secrets of Gringotts" Griphook said

" But you will help us right?" Harry asked, " You are our only hope"

Griphook sighed, " I will think about it"

Harry smiled, " Thank you

Griphook nodded and sighed, " I am very tired now"

" Of course, we will leave you" Brenda said but before she left, she took the sword away from Griphook

Griphook glared a little at that

" You cannot sleep with a sword, who knows what might happen" Brenda said

Griphook nodded and closed his eyes

" Do you think there is a Horcrux in the Lestranges' vault?" Hermione asked once they left the bedroom

" Why else would Bellatrix get so worked up when she saw the sword?" Harry asked, " She thought we saw something and taken something else and she was petrified You know who would find out about it"

" But I thought we were looking for places you know who has been... why would he be in the Lestrange vault?" Ron asked

Brenda sighed, " Bellatrix is one of you know who's most loyal servants, we all know that... and Gringotts is the most safest place besides Hogwarts... well according to Hagrid... and a Horcrux should be in a place that is very hard to get to"

" Why would You Know Who tell Bellatrix that he made a Horcrux?" Ron asked

" Who said she was told?" Harry asked

" Lucius Malfoy wasn't told that the diary was a Horcrux and look what he did with it" Brenda said

" All that Bellatrix would need to know is that the object is very important to him and she would keep it as safe as she possibly could" Harry said

It was quiet for a few minutes

" Come on, lets go talk to Ollivander now" Brenda said

They knocked on Ollivander's door and a weak " Come in" was heard

The four of them entered the room and saw that Ollivander was laying down on a twin sized bed by the window, he looked sickly looking, he looked like he was nothing but skin and bones and his skin had a yellowish tint to it

" We're sorry to disturb you" Harry said after they were all in

Ollivander smiled weakly, " You saved us... I thought we would die in that horrible place... I can never thank you enough"

" We were glad to do it" Harry said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes

Harry took out his broken wand from his pouch around his neck

" Mr. Ollivander, I need some help" Harry said

" Anything... anything" Ollivander said

Harry held out his wand, " Is it possible to mend this?"

Ollivander held out his hand and Harry gave him the broken wand

" Hmm, Holly and phoenix feather" Ollivander said, " Eleven inches... nice and supple"

" Yes" Harry said, " Can you fix it?"

" No" Ollivander whispered sadly, " I am so very sorry, but a wand that has suffered this much damage cannot be repaired by any of the means that I know of"

Harry sighed sadly

" Um... what about these, can you identify these wands?" Brenda asked taking the two wands that were stolen from Malfoy Manor

Ollivander took the first wand, " Hmm, Walnut and dragon heartstring... Twelve and three quarter inches... Unyielding... this wand belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange"

" What about this one?" Brenda asked handing over the other wand

" Hawthorn and unicorn hair... exactly ten inches long... Reasonably springy... this was the wand of Draco Malfoy" Ollivander said

" What do you mean was?" Harry asked

" Won't it still be his?" Brenda asked

" Perhaps not if you took it" Ollivander said

" I did" Harry said

" Then it may be yours... when the wand has been won, its allegiance will change" Ollivander said

" Are you saying that the wands have feelings?" Harry asked

" The wand chooses the wizard" Ollivander said

" But a person can still use wands that haven't chosen them" Harry said

" True, any witch or wizard can channel their magic through almost any instrument, but wands have the best results" Ollivander explained

" I took this wand from Draco Malfoy by force" Harry said, " Can I use it safely"

" I think so, the conquered wand will usually bend its will to its new master" Ollivander said

" And that holds true to all wands doesn't it?" Brenda asked

" I think so" Ollivander said

" So it isn't necessary to kill the previous owner to take true possession of a wand?" Harry asked

Ollivander looked nervous, " Necessary? No... it is not necessary to kill"

" But there are legends though" Brenda started, " About a wand that has been passed down from hand to hand by murder"

" Yes" Ollivander said and he looked pale

" And You Know Who is after it" Brenda said

Ollivander gasped, " How do you know this?"

" Because he wanted you to tell him how to overcome the connection between our wands" Harry said

Ollivander looked terrified, " He tortured me with the Cruciatus Curse, I... I had no choice but to tell him what I knew" Ollivander cried

" We understand" Brenda soothed, " You said he just had to borrow another wizard's wand?"

Ollivander nodded slowly, he didn't know why they knew so much

" It didn't work though" Harry said

" And he came back and asked about the other wand" Brenda said

Ollivander nodded, " Yes... the Deathstick, also known as the Wand of Destiny.. or the Elder Wand... He was very happy with his wand he had all through his school... Yew and Phoenix Feather, thirteen and a half inches... but then he discovered what happened that fateful night when he returned... Priori Incantatem"

" So now he is after the Elder Wand because he thinks that is the only wand that can beat us" Brenda said

" The Dark Lord doesn't want the Elder wand only for your destruction... he is also determined to possess it because he believes it will make him truly invulnerable" Ollivander explained

" You don't truly believe the Elder Wand exists do you Mr. Ollivander?" Hermione asked

" Oh yes I do" Ollivander said, " It is perfectly possible to trace the wand's course through history"

" So you... you don't think it can be a fairytale or a myth?" Hermione asked

" No" Ollivander said, " Whether it needs to pass by murder, I do not know, Its history is bloody, but that could be due to the fact that it is a very desirable object"

" Mr. Ollivander, you told You Know Who that Gregorovitch had the Elder Wand right?" Brenda asked

Ollivander looked even paler, " How did you?"

" Never mind" Harry said, " You told him that Gregorovitch had the wand?"

" It was a rumor... years and years ago, before any of you were even born... Gregorovitch himself started it"

" We have one more thing to ask and then you can get some rest" Brenda said

" What do you know about the Deathly Hallows?" Harry asked

Ollivander looked confused, " The what? Does it have something to do with wands?"

Harry sighed, " Nevermind"

" Thank you for all of your help Mr. Ollivander" Brenda said with a smile, " Please get some rest"

The four of them left the room and saw Bill, Fleur, Luna and Dean sitting at the kitchen table with cups of tea in front of them

They looked up when the four entered the kitchen, but with only a nodd, they headed outside, they could see the mound of earth that was Dobby and they walked to it

Harry and Brenda were quiet for a few minutes thinking to each other and when they started speaking, both Ron and Hermione jumped

" Gregorovitch had the Elder wand a long time ago" Harry said

" You Know Who tried to find him, when he tracked him down, he found that Gregorovitch didn't have it anymore" Brenda said

" It was stolen from him by Grindelwald" Harry said " Grindelwald used the Elder Wand to become powerful"

" And at the height of his power, when Dumbledore knew he was the only one who could stop him, he dueled Grindelwald and beat him... and he took the Elder Wand" Brenda said

" Dumbledore had the Elder Wand?" Ron asked, " But... then where is it now?"

" Hogwarts" Harry said

" Then lets go and get it, before he does" Ron said

" It's too late Ron" Brenda said grabbing at her scar like Harry was, even Occluding was very painful

" He knows where it is... he's there now" Harry said

" We could still go" Ron said

" No" Harry and Brenda snapped, their heads hurt

" Our mission is to find the Horcruxes, Dumbledore didn't want us to have the wand" Brenda said... now please go back to the cottage" Brenda said

" We want to be alone" Harry said

Hermione and Ron left and Brenda and Harry blacked out into the vision of Voldemort breaking into Dumbledore's tomb and taking the Elder Wand

That night after the vision was over and after everybody was settled in and sleeping arrangements were made, Everybody was getting ready for bed, the girls shared a room and the boys shared a room. Both Luna and Hermione were already laying down. Brenda took out her unicorn out of her bag and hugged it, she missed Fred so much and it lifted her spirits to hear his voice on the radio. To know that he was ok made her feel less guilty for what she did to him. She knew that there wouldn't be a future for them, because she probably wasn't going to make it and that made her very sad. She hoped after this war was over, if the light side won, she hoped Fred could move on

Brenda started singing a song in her head that she felt was appropriate for what she was feeling

Everybody's got something they had to leave behind. One regret from yesterday that just seems to grow with time. There's no use looking back or wondering, how it could be now or might have been. All this I know but still I can't find ways to let you go.

I never had a dream come true, till that day that I found you. Even though I pretend that I've moved on, you'll always be my baby. I never found the words to say, you're the one I think about each day. And I know no matter where life takes me to, a part of me will always be with you.

Somewhere in my memory I lost all sense of time. And tomorrow can never be, 'cause yesterday is all that fills my mind. There's no use looking back or wondering, how it could be now or might have been. All this I know but still I can't find ways to let you go.

I never had a dream come true, till that day that I found you. Even though I pretend that I've moved on, you'll always be my baby. I never found the words to say, you're the one I think about each day. And I know no matter where life takes me to, a part of me will always be

You'll always be the dream that fills my head, yes you will, say you will, you know you will, baby. You'll always be the one I know I'll never forget. There's no use looking back or wondering. Because love is a strange and funny thing. No matter how I try and try, I just can't say goodbye! No no no no

I never had a dream come true, till that day that I found you. Even though I pretend that I've moved on, you'll always be my baby. I never found the words to say, you're the one I think about each day. And I know no matter where life takes me to

A part of me will always be... A part of me will always be... with you

Brenda smiled sadly down at her unicorn and at the necklace around it's neck that says Fred's Girl on it. She gave it another hug, but this time she didn't let go and she fell asleep with the unicorn in her arms

During the days they stayed at the cottage, both Harry and Brenda were having doubts, did they do the right thing by not going after the wand?

The four were outside having a conversation

" We couldn't have gone there and taken it" Hermione said, " Unlike You Know Who, we couldn't break into Dumbledore's grave"

" Are we completely sure that Dumbledore is dead?" Ron asked, " I mean, we've been getting a lot of help, Dobby, the sword... the silver doe... what if that is Dumbledore?"

" He is dead Ron, Harry and I saw him die... by... well... you know" Brenda said sadly, " And if anything, Dumbledore's Patronus would be a Phoenix, not a doe"

Before anything else was said, Fleur came outside

" Griphook would like to speak with you" Fleur said

The four looked at each other then back at Fleur and thanked her for the message

They got up from the ground and walked back into the cottage and into Griphook's bedroom

" I will help you" The goblin said once the door was shut, " Though the goblins of Gringotts will consider it treachery"

" That's great" Harry said with relief

" Thank you so very much, we really appreciate" Brenda didn't get to finish her statement

" In return" The goblin interrupted, " For payment"

" Um... how much do you want? We have gold" Harry said getting ready to dig into his pockets

" No, I have gold... I want the sword... The sword of Godric Gryffindor"

It was silent for a moment

" Um... you can't have that" Brenda said

Griphook glared and crossed his arms, " Then I'm afraid we have a problem"

" We can give you something else... how about something in the Lestrange vault, I'm sure they have loads of stuff" Ron said

Griphook looked angry, " I AM NOT A THIEF BOY, I WILL NOT TAKE TREASURES TO WHICH I HAVE NO RIGHT"

" The sword is ours" Ron said with a glare

" It is not" Griphook said

" We're Gryffindors and it's Godric Gryffindor's sword" Ron said

" It was Ragnuk the First's sword before it was Gryffindors" Griphook said, " It was taken from him by Gryffindor, it was a lost treasure, a masterpiece of goblin work and it belongs with the goblins... that is my price... take it or leave it"

Harry looked over at the other three, " We need to discuss this, please give us a few minutes"

The goblin nodded

The four headed back downstairs and discussed the situation

" He's lying, we can't have him have the sword" Ron said

" Is it true?" Harry asked the girls, " About the sword being stolen by Gryffindor?"

" I don't know" Brenda said

" Me either" Hermione said, " Wizarding history often skates what the wizards have done to other magical races, I haven't read anything that says Gryffindor stole the sword"

" I bet it's one of those goblin stories" Ron said, " Making us look like the bad guys"

" Goblins have good reasons to dislike us Ron" Brenda said, " They have been treated brutally in the past"

" They're not innocent either, they killed plenty of us and fought dirty as well" Ron argued

" Ok, enough arguing, what are we going to do about Griphook and the sword?" Harry asked

It was quiet for a moment

" Well... how about this... We tell Griphook we need the sword until we get inside the vault, and then he can have it" Ron said

" How does that solve our problem?" Brenda asked

" Well, there's a fake in there isn't there? We switch them and give him the fake" Ron said with a smile

Brenda rolled her eyes

" Ron, he'd know the difference better than we would" Hermione said

" True, but we could run away before he realizes it" Ron said

" Ron... that is despicable" Hermione scolded, " Ask for his help and then double cross him?"

" That's what a Slytherin would do" Brenda said

" And you wonder why goblins don't like wizards" Hermione said shaking her head

Ron's face and ears turned red, " Well, that was the only thing I could think of, I don't see any of you coming up with any brilliant ideas"

" We need to offer him something else... something just as valuable" Hermione said thinking

" Like what?" Ron asked, " The other ancient goblin made sword?" He was being sarcastic

Harry sighed, " Maybe he's lying... maybe Gryffindor didn't take the sword... we don't know that the goblin version of history is right"

Brenda sighed, " That still doesn't solve our problem"

" I know, but I feel better about it" Harry said, " Ok, this is what we'll do... We'll tell him he can have the sword after he's helped us get into the vault... but we will be careful to avoid telling him when he can have it"

Hermione gasped, " Harry we can't"

" He can have it" Harry said, " After we used it on all of the Horcruxes... we can give it to him then... I'll keep my word"

" But that could be... years" Hermione said

" I know that, but he doesn't... I won't be lying... not really" Harry said

" Brenda, talk some sense into him, he's your brother" Hermione said

" Hermione... this is the best plan we have so far... it's very Slytherin... but... what choice do we have?" Brenda asked

Hermione crossed her arms, " I don't like it"

" Well I think it's genius" Ron said with a smile, " Lets go and tell him"

They walked back to Griphook's bedroom and Harry told him the deal

" I have your word, Harry Potter, that you will give me the sword of Gryffindor if I help you?" Griphook asked

" Yes" Harry said

They ended the deal with a shake

They started to plan

" I have visited the Lestranges' vault only once" Griphook told them, " It is one of the most ancient chambers... the oldest Wizarding families store their treasures at the deepest level, where the vaults are largest and best protected"

They have been planning for days

" How are we going to get in to the vault?" Ron asked

" Polyjuice potion" Hermione said, " We need to make some more" She looked at Brenda

Brenda smiled, it's been a while since she made a potion

" Do we have the ingredients for the potion?" Ron asked

Brenda sighed, " Some of the ingredients will be easier to acquire than others"

" We can see if Bill and Fleur have some of the ingredients" Ron suggested, " They do have a potions lab down in the basement"

" It would be very handy if they had fluxweed, Boomslang skin, and bicorn horn" Brenda said with a hopeful smile, " I'm sure we can find the leeches, the lacewing flies and the knot grass around here"

" Ok, Brenda and I will go see if we can get the polyjuice ingredients, and you two distract everybody so they don't know what we're doing" Hermione said and then sighed, " I don't like stealing, but desperate times call for desperate measures"

They split apart to do their tasks

" I didn't even know cottages had basements" Brenda whispered

" I guess the magical ones do" Hermione said and they entered the basement

" I hope there are no wards or anything to keep us out" Brenda whispered, " They'd be strong ones since Bill is a curse breaker"

Thankfully there were no wards in the lab and they saw shelves of ingredients

Brenda inhaled and smiled, " I love the smell of a potions lab"

Hermione smiled at her, " Come on lets see if they have the ingredients we need"

They were in luck, they found the fluxweed, the Boomslang skin, the bicorn horn and the knot grass, they didn't find any leeches or lacewing flies... but those would be easy to find since they were by an ocean and both leeches and lacewing flies live near water

" Now the hard part would be brewing the potion without anybody finding out" Hermione said

Brenda frowned and sighed, " We'll have to do it at night when everybody is sleeping, and pray that nobody comes down here during the day"

Hermione nodded and they left the potions lab for now and went back outside after getting the boys' attentions

" Well?" Ron asked

" Everything but the lacewing flies and the leeches" Brenda said with a smile

" And we can find those here?" Harry asked

Brenda smiled wider, " Well I can see lacewing flies flying right now, just accio them to us and I'll put them in this jar"

Brenda held up a jar she got from the potions lab

Harry did as he was told and they were now trapped in the jar

" What about the leeches?" Ron asked

Brenda sighed, " That might be a little trickier, leeches stick to rocks that are close to the water, we're on a cliff... um... does Bill have a broom?"

Ron shrugged, " He might... I'll go ask him"

Ron took off and asked his brother for a broom

" What are you all planning?" Bill asked

" Can't tell you" Ron said, " About the broom?"

Bill nodded and went into a closet and came out with a Cleansweep

" Thanks" Ron said taking the broom and running back outside with it

" So... who wants to go down there?" Ron asked with a smile, he didn't

" I'll go, I know what I'm looking for, and after, Harry, you can ride the broom" Brenda said with a smile

Harry smiled, he missed flying

Brenda took the broom from Ron and got on it and flew down close to the water and with her wand, lifted some of the rocks to look for leeches, it took her about fifteen minutes to find enough for the potion and she flew back up kind of wet looking

" That was fun" Brenda said sarcastically but she was smiling

" So do we have everything now?" Ron asked

" Yes, we make the potion... tonight" Brenda said with a smile

" But we don't tell anybody what we're doing" Hermione warned

The boys nodded

They all took a break from their planning and went flying for a while before it was time for dinner

That night, when they knew everybody was asleep, Hermione and Brenda took the ingredients they hid in their room they were sharing with Luna and snuck out of their room and down into the potions lab

They selected a cauldron and began making the potion

" It takes 21 days for the Lacewing flies to stew" Brenda reminded Hermione

Hermione nodded " I think we should take turns brewing the potion, each night one of us comes down and do whatever that needs to be doing and we switch off"

Brenda nodded in agreement, " That way we won't be so tired every day"

After they got the first part of the potion completed, they headed off to bed, Brenda was going to come down the next night and Hermione the night after that

The days passed and so far nobody knew what was brewing down in the Potions lab, Griphook was getting on everybody's nerves, at first after he was healed, he still demanded to be waited on in bed because Ollivander was still being waited on, but Ollivander was still too weak to get up

Fleur got fed up with Griphook and made him join the rest of them at the dinner table

Griphook didn't like that but he grudgingly ate with the rest of them, knowing that he wouldn't be waited on anymore

They were still planning the mission to get into the Lestranges' vault but nobody outside the four teenagers and Griphook knew anything about it

By the middle of April, Ollivander was now well enough to be moved to Muriel's, he was still weak and frail though

" We're sorry for all the trouble that we have been causing you, with all of these mouths to feed and... Griphook in general" Harry said one night when he was helping Fleur make dinner

" It's no trouble Harry, I'm glad you're here, you're safe" Fleur said with a smile

" We're going to be leaving soon" Brenda said coming in and hearing some of the conversation, " Harry, Hermione, Ron and I"

" Oh no you cannot" Fleur said in a tone that sounded like Mrs. Weasley, " You cannot put yourselves in danger again"

Before anything else was said, everybody else came in and helped set the table and get ready for dinner, Bill went upstairs and brought Ollivander down

" I thank you for your kindness these past weeks" Ollivander said

" It was our pleasure Mr. Ollivander" Bill said with a smile

" Au revoir Mr. Ollivander" Fleur said, " I wonder if you would do me the honor and return the tiara that Bill's Auntie Muriel let me borrow"

" Of course my dear" Ollivander said with a smile, " It is the least I could do"

Fleur accioed a worn velvet case and opened the case to reveal the tiara

" Moonstones and diamonds" Griphook said, " Made by goblins"

" And paid for by wizards" Bill whispered but everybody heard

Griphook glared at Bill and Bill just lifted his eyebrow in a challenge

A few minutes later, after all of the goodbyes, Bill and Ollivander flooed to Muriel's home where all of the Weasleys were at

" Just a floo away from Fred... so close... yet so far" Brenda whispered and she touched the bracelet that she never takes off

Dinner began and before it was over Bill returned

Fleur sighed with relief when she saw her husband

" Everything is fine there" Bill said, " Ollivander is settled, Mum and Dad say hello"

" Do they know we are here?" Brenda asked

" Yes, I told them so they wouldn't worry" Bill said, " They miss you all terribly, Ginny sends all of her love and wishes you good luck, Fred and George are driving Muriel up the wall and they are still operating an Owl Order business out of her back room... Fred wanted me to give you this Brenda"

Brenda frowned, " It's not the ring is it?"

Bill shook his head no, " That is around his neck and he never takes it off... he wanted me to give you this"

He took a piece of parchment out of his pocket and handed it to Brenda

Brenda looked at the parchment and put it in her pocket, she would look at it later

" He loves you a lot you know" Bill said

Brenda nodded

" Was Muriel glad to get her tiara back?" Fleur asked changing the sad subject

Bill chuckled, " Yah, she thought we stole it"

" Well, isn't she charming" Fleur said sarcastically and she levitated all of the dirty plates and headed towards the kitchen to wash them and Bill followed

" Oh did I tell you? My Daddy made a tiara... he's trying to recreate the lost diadem of Ravenclaw" Luna piped in

Before anything else was said there was a loud noise coming from outside

Everybody jumped and took out their wands

" Who is it" Bill called

" It is me" Somebody said, " Remus John Lupin... I am a werewolf, married to Nymphadora Tonks, and you, the Secret Keeper of Shell Cottage, told me the address and said I could come in an emergency"

Everybody loward their wands and Bill hurried and opened the door to let the werewolf in

" It's a boy" Lupin blurted, " We've named him Ted, after Dora's father"

The girls shrieked

" Tonks? She.. she had the baby?" Brenda gasped

" Yes, she had the baby" Lupin said with a smile

The room except for the goblin because he could care less, congratulated him

" Yes, a boy" Lupin said again with a smile, then he turned to Harry and Brenda, " And you two are the godparents"

" Us?" Brenda asked

" Yes, Yes, and Dora agrees" Lupin said

" But... I don't understand, how can both of us be the godparents? We're brother and sister... not married, don't the godparents have to be married?" Harry asked

" Godparents don't have to be a married couple, there only can be a male and a female, not two of one gender" Lupin explained, " Do you two accept?"

The twins smiled, " Yes we accept"

Lupin smiled in thanks

" Well, I cannot stay long, I must get back" Lupin said, " I just had to share the news"

" Not until we celebrate" Bill said and he handed him a glass of wine

Once everybody had a drink, they made a toast

" To Teddy Remus Lupin" Lupin said raising his glass, " A great wizard in the making"

" Who does he look like?" Fleur asked

" I think he looks like Dora, but Dora thinks he looks like me, we know he's going to be like Dora, his hair was born black but an hour later his hair was red and when I get back, it'll probably be blond" Lupin said, " Tonks' mother Andromeda said that right when Tonks was born, her hair started changing color"

After a couple of drinks, Lupin had to leave

" Goodbye, I'll try and bring some pictures in a few days time, they'll be so glad to know that I have seen you all" Lupin said and he made his farewells and left

" Harry, Brenda, may I have a word with you in the kitchen?" Bill asked with a smiling face

Harry and Brenda followed Bill into the kitchen

" First of all, I want to congratulate you both" Bill said with a smile

" Thank you" The twins said with a smile

But then Bill frowned, " You all are planning something with Griphook and it involves Polyjuice potion"

Brenda gasped

" We were going to pay you back for the ingredients we took" Brenda said red in the face

Bill shook his head no, " What are you planning?"

" We cannot tell you that" Harry said, " Sorry"

Bill sighed, " I figured as much, but just to warn you, If you have made a deal with Griphook and if that deal involves a treasure you must be very careful. Goblin notions of ownership, payment and repayment are not the same as human ones, we are talking about a different breed of being. Goblins believe that wizards cannot be trusted in matters of gold and treasure, that they have no respect for goblin ownership... To a goblin, the rightful and true master of any object is the maker and not the purchaser... if a goblin made it, then it is rightfully theirs, even if it was bought"

" How could the object still be theirs if it was bought?" Brenda asked

"They would consider it rented by the one who paid the money for it, they do not like it when the goblin made objects are passed down from wizard to wizard, they think that passing the objects from wizard to wizard without further payment is little more than theft" Bill explained, " Be careful what you promise goblins... it would be less dangerous to break into Gringotts than to trick or lie to a goblin"

With that said, Bill left the kitchen, leaving the other two in their thoughts

Later that night Brenda went up to the bedroom she was sharing with the other two girls and after she got ready for bed she opened up her letter from Fred

Dear Brenda... no no no... that sounds to formal... 

My Dearest Brenda... no no no still not right...

My Dearest Love Brenda

Yes... Three times the charm... or however the saying goes

 

My Dearest Love Brenda,

 

You cannot imagine what I've been going through. I am always thinking about you, day after day... I'm trying to figure out what I have done wrong. I was so happy when Bill said that you were at the cottage. I had to be restrained by George and dad, I was seriously going to come after you. I'm still thinking about it actually... if only I can get past those two. I miss you so much. Why did you have to go? Why couldn't I come with you? Ron and Hermione got to go. Why did we have to break up? I love you so much, it is hard to be away from you, I never take off your ring... we will both be waiting for you to take us back... I'm sorry, I know you don't want to hear me whine and everything and so far this letter is sounding whiny. I know you are doing something important... and you broke up with me to keep me safe. I wish I could see you again, I miss you so much, your beautiful red hair, your puppy dog brown eyes, your sweet smile... the list can go on and on what I love about you. I wish I could wrap you in my arms again and just kiss you like we used to, Merlin I miss that. 

George and Ginny say hi and George wants me to tell you about how our business is still going, even though it's not at the WWW shop, at least there is still some light and happiness in this world.

Brenda smiled at that

Well he just wanted to let you know just in case Bill didn't say anything about that. I hope your bracelet is being useful, I knew you could use it... also... I hope you have that unicorn that I gave you, because I cannot find it, I looked all over for it and I couldn't find it... please don't be angry. If it's lost... after this war is over... I'll buy you another one... if you want another one that is. Oh by the way, Angel is here and she is doing fine, she misses you as much as I do, and I polish your broom a lot... I think the flowers are cute...

Well I'm sorry but I have to stop writing, Aunt Muriel is nagging at me and saying that I'm using too much ink and parchment... something about that it doesn't grow on trees... I thought that was a muggle saying... and technically it does... well the parchment since parchment is paper and paper is made from wood... but you won't catch me telling that to her.

Brenda chuckled at that

Well my dearest love Brenda, I am sad to say that this letter is at an end... Good luck on your mission and please wish Harry, Ron and Hermione good luck as well.

Love,

Fred

Brenda re-read the letter a couple of times and smiled, she was so happy she got a letter from him, she put the letter in her bag she got from Hagrid then she got out a piece of parchment and quill and ink and began writing a reply

My Dearest love Fred,

Thank you for the letter, you do not know how much it means to me. I am glad that you were restrained because it would be even harder to leave you then it was the first time. We are leaving the cottage soon, we have a plan, but I cannot go into details. I too think about you day after day. You have done nothing wrong so put your mind at ease... It isn't you... it's me... I broke up with you because of me. You know why I had to go and Ron and Hermione just kind of invited themselves and they have been a big help. That is sweet that you never take off the ring... but... I'm sorry to say but... I don't know if I am going to come back... that is also a reason why I broke up with you... There is a good chance that I am going to die in this war and I do not want you to be alone... that is why I broke up with you early, hoping that you could find somebody else... I'm sorry that I'm causing you so much pain, that wasn't my intent. Thank you for taking care of Angel and my broom, now I think it's kind of silly asking you to take care of my broom when there are more important things... tell Angel that I miss her a lot too. You can set your mind at ease, I have the unicorn you gave me. It brings me comfort. I use the bracelet all the time and I thank you again for the lovely birthday gift. 

I am glad that you are still doing the WWW business, you're right, we could use some light and happiness in this world. Tell your family that we all send our love and tell Aunt Muriel to stuff it... ok don't but it would be funny... Oh... and by the way, we listen to the radio, tell them... thanks.

With love,

Brenda

P.S. Please do not send me another letter, because it will not get to me.

 

Brenda read over her letter to Fred and smiled, she liked it, she decided she wasn't going to give it to Bill to give to Fred until the very last minute, just in case Fred got some ideas and decided to drop by

Finally the Polyjuice potion was finished and Bill didn't say anything else about it. Everything was complete, they had their plans made, told Bill and Fleur they were leaving in the morning and would not be returning. Brenda asked Bill to give the letter to Fred tomorrow after they were gone and Bill said he would. Bill gave them a tent to replace Brenda's old one, this one was not pink and he stocked the tent with food. It was packed inside Hermione's bag. They had the last ingredient to the Polyjuice Potion, the hair which was now in a small glass vial of Bellatrix Lestrange, provided by Hermione who plucked it off her shirt she was wearing that night at the Malfoy's, somehow, they got their own wands back and along with Bellatrix's wand before they escaped, they were lucky that Draco was holding all of their regular wands

They decided that Hermione would be polyjuiced as Bellatrix, since it was her shirt the hair was on

Hermione didn't like that idea since she was tortured by the woman she was becoming

" You'll do fine Hermione" Brenda said with a smile

" And it will be very convincing since we have her wand as well" Harry added

" I don't want to be her, I was tortured by her for Merlin's sake... please Brenda you be her... if anything, you're a better liar than I am" Hermione said

Brenda rolled her eyes, " Gee thanks"

"I didn't mean it like that." Hermione said.

"I know... ok... I'll play Bellatrix... who knows... it could be fun" Brenda smiled at the last part

A few moments later Griphook entered the room and Harry automatically reached for the hilt of the Gryffindor sword, but he regretted it because Griphook noticed and glared

" Uh... We've just been checking last minute stuff, Griphook. We've told Bill and Fleur that we're leaving tomorrow and we told them not to get up to see us off" Harry said

Everybody was sad that they had to leave after weeks of having the comforts of home, but they were also relieved to be leaving all of the secrets and they couldn't wait to get rid of Griphook who was always a pain, he didn't leave them alone for more than five minutes at a time and he was getting really annoying

They said their goodbyes to Bill, Fleur, Luna and Dean that night since they knew they would be gone before anybody got up

None of the four got much sleep that night, they were too nervous and they were relieved when it was time to get up and start their plan

Hermione and Brenda silently walked into the kitchen and in the fridge were five toasted egg, cheese and ham sandwiches on a plate and a note that said GOOD LUCK

The girls smiled at each other then frowned

" Lets just get this over with" Brenda said making a face

Hermione nodded

Brenda took a vial of the potion out of her bracelet and Hermione added the hair to the potion

" Bottoms up" Brenda whispered making a face and then she drank the muddy looking potion and headed towards the sink covering her mouth

It took her a minute and a half to get the gross stuff down and then she began changing

Hermione put up a silencing charm so Brenda wouldn't wake up anybody

Finally Brenda looked exactly like Bellatrix Lestrange

" That stuff tasted worse than an old gym sock and the smell of a dungbomb" Brenda said

Hermione made a face, " Lets just bring these sandwiches and lets go, the others are waiting for us"

Brenda nodded and put her wand in the bag that is usually around her neck but is now in her pocket and she took out Bellatrix's wand

The girls quietly went outside of the cottage and to the other three and passed around the sandwiches

" I wanted meat" Griphook complained

" Just eat it, we need our energy " Brenda snapped

Griphook glared at Brenda but didn't say anything else

" So how did the Polyjuice taste?" Ron asked

" Like old gym socks and the smell of a dungbomb" Brenda said not too happy about it

" Ok Ron, you done? Now lets rearrange your face" Hermione said once she finished her sandwich

" Ok, but I don't want a very long beard, it gets in the way" Ron said

Hermione nodded and transformed certain characteristics of Ron's face, like no more freckles, longer and wavy hair and brown, with a thick brown beard and a mustache, and his eyes were turned brown as well

" Well?" Hermione asked, " How does he look?"

" Hmm, well, not my type, but he will do" Harry joked

Brenda smiled, " I prefer older red heads... but yes, he will do"

Ron rolled his eyes

" So this is what it feels like to be taller than Harry" Brenda joked

" Shall we go then?" Harry asked and rolling his eyes at the joke

Everybody sighed and nodded, they all took one last look at Shell Cottage before walking toward the point where the Fidelius charm ended and they could Disapparate

" Griphook, why don't you get on Harry's back now before we Disapparate to the Leaky Cauldron?" Hermione suggested

Griphook nodded and part of their plan was in affect

Hermione threw one of the invisibility cloaks over Harry and Griphook

" Perfect" Hermione said, " And I cannot see your feet Harry"

" Good" Harry said

Brenda gave Hermione her cloak and Hermione put it around herself

" And we cannot see your feet either" Brenda said

" Good, shall we go then?" Hermione asked

They all Dissaperated and landed just outside the Leaky Cauldron

" Is everybody here?" Brenda whispered

" Yes" Harry and Hermione said, Ron was standing next to Brenda

" Ok, lets go" Brenda said and they all walked into the Leaky Cauldron

" Ah, Madam Lestrange" Tom said and he bowed his head

Brenda just sneered at Tom and ignored him after that and headed towards the brick wall and took out her wand to tap the brick that will reveal Diagon Alley

After a minute, the archway appeared and all of them walked into Diagon Alley

When they entered, they saw how most of the shops were boarded up and only Dark Arts shops were open that were not there years before

Also, they saw many posters of Harry and Brenda of being the 'Undesirables'

There were also a lot of beggars huddled in doorways begging for gold or for food, and saying that they were really wizards

When the beggars saw Brenda, they all shrunk back and looked away

They made their way to Gringotts and up to a counter where a goblin was examining a gold coin and threw it aside

" Leprechaun" The goblin said then looked at Brenda

" Madam Lestrange" The goblin seemed startled, " How... How may I help you today?"

" I wish to enter my vault" Brenda said

The goblin looked startled and so did other nearby goblins

" And... do you... have any identification?" The goblin asked

Brenda looked offended, " Identification? I have never been asked for identification before"

" Your wand will do madam" The goblin said and he held out his trembling hand

" They know Bellatrix's wand has been stolen" Harry thought to Brenda

" So do something" Brenda thought back, handing the wand to the goblin in an annoyed look

Harry cast the Imperius Curse on the goblin, the four have been practicing it on each other over the weeks, they knew it was an unforgivable but they had to use it just in case, they weren't going to try the other two on anything

The goblin nodded once he saw the wand and gave it back to Brenda, then he spoke to another goblin, " I will need the Clankers"

The goblin ran away and returned a moment later with a bag that sounded like it was full of jangling metal and he handed it to the goblin who was helping Brenda

" Right then, now if you will follow me Madam Lestrange" The goblin said and they all followed the goblin, " I will take you to your vault"

" Wait... Bogrod" Another goblin said and he hurried towards them, " We have instructions... Forgive me Madam, but there have been special orders regarding the vault of Lestrange"

" I am aware of the instructions... but Madam Lestrange wishes to visit her vault... she comes from a very old family and old clients... this way madam" Bogrod said with a bow

They entered the room that would take them down to the vaults

Harry and Hermione took the cloaks off and Brenda gasped

" It's fine, he's still under the curse" Harry said, " I think they suspect something"

" So what do we do?" Ron asked

" We do what we been planning to do, get that Horcrux" Brenda said

" We need Bogrod to control the cart" Griphook said, " I do not have the authority anymore"

Harry nodded and had Bogrod summon a cart that came down the tracks toward them

They all crammed into the cart, three in the front and three in the back

There were shouting coming from the other side of the door

" Now I know they suspect something" Harry said, " We have got to hurry"

The cart moved fast downward, everybody's hair was blowing in the wind and it was very noisy because of the tracks

They went down further than any of them have been down before, and to Griphook's horror, there was a waterfall and they were headed straight towards it

" NO" Griphook yelled

They went through the waterfall and were tossed out of the cart that crashed into a wall, the only way they didn't get hurt is because both Hermione and Brenda cast cushioning charms

" Since when is there a waterfall in Gringotts?" Ron asked

Everybody looked at him and everybody gasped, Ron didn't look like he did a second ago, and neither did Brenda, she was herself and Ron was himself

" What happened?" Harry asked and everybody looked at Griphook

" The Thief's Downfall" Griphook said, " It washes away all enchantment and all magical concealment... they know there are impostors in Gringotts and they have set off defenses against us"

Everybody checked to see if they had all of their magical items, the invisibility cloaks and the bags

" You guys, I think Bogrod is coming to his senses" Ron said

Bogrod was looking confused

" Imperio" Harry said again and the confused look on Bogrod's face relaxed into the face of somebody under the Imperious curse

" Good, we need him to get to the vault and we need the clankers" Griphook said

" We need to hurry, I think I can hear people coming" Hermione said with a gasp

" We need to block them somehow" Ron said

Hermione nodded and took out her wand and yelled, " PROTEGO... that should hold them off for a while"

" Good thinking... well Griphook, lead the way" Harry said

" How are we going to get out of here?" Ron asked

" Let's worry about that later" Brenda said, " So how far until we get there?"

" Not far" Griphook said

He was right, less than five minutes later, tethered to the ground, in front of them was a dragon which brought everybody to a hault

The dragon had gigantic spiked wings, pale scales, and milky pink eyes

It heard them and turned it's head towards them and let out a fire breathing roar which made them all run back up the passageway a couple of meters

" How are we going to get past that?" Ron asked

" It is half blind, and that is what the clankers are for... the noise scares him, he expects pain when he hears them" Griphook said and handed the metal things out to everybody, " What needs to be done is we shake these and when the dragon is away from the vault, Bogrod must place his palm upon the door of the vault"

They walked closer to the dragon and the vault and shook the clankers and the dragon gave a roar and then began retreating backwards

" Now make him press his hand to the door" Griphook told Harry

The goblin who was under the curse obeyed and pressed his palm to the vault door and the door melted away revealing an opening crammed from floor to ceiling with gold coins and goblets, silver armor, creature skins, potions in jewled vials and a skull wearing a crown

" Lets hurry" Harry said

Everybody entered the vault and after everybody was in it, the door reappeared and they were encased in darkness

Everybody except for Griphook was startled

" Don't worry" Griphook said, " Bogrod will be able to relase us... now light your wands, we have little time"

The four of them took out their wands and all said, " Lumos"

They all began to look around for the Hufflepuff cup

Hermione picked up a cup to study it and then she yelled, " Ouch, it burned me"

" Gemino and Flagrante curses have been added" Griphook said, " Everything you touch will burn and multiply, but the copies are worthless... if you continue to handle the treasure, eventually you will be crushed to death by the weight of expanding and burning gold"

Everybody's faces paled

" Ok, do not touch anything" Harry ordered

After he said it though, Ron accidentally nudged one of the fallen goblets and twenty more exploded and the one that Ron nudged, burned a spot on Ron's shoe

" Everybody stay still and look around, the goblet is small and gold and will have a badger on it" Brenda said, " It has two handles... we should also look for anything that has Ravenclaw's symbol... the Eagle"

" What I never understood is why isn't Ravenclaw's symbol the Raven? I mean it's called Ravenclaw, not Eagleclaw" Ron said

Everybody looked at Ron and gave him a look

" Now is not the time to discuss that Ron" Brenda scolded

" Sorry, just thinking about it" Ron said

Everybody rolled their eyes and kept searching

They searched every nook and cranny, and it was impossible not to hit something and have many more fake ones come burning down. After five minutes of being in the vault, it was getting hot because of the burning gold and it was hard to move anywhere

Harry kept searching and he saw something on a shelf

" There it is" Harry said and everybody lifted their wands to where Harry's wand was pointing, and there it was Helga Hufflepuff's cup

" Good, now how are we supposed to get it without touching anything?" Ron asked

Brenda sighed, " Well Accio won't work"

Griphook told them that while they were planning at the cottage

" What about using the sword?" Brenda asked

" Lets try it... Hermione give it here" Harry said and Hermione handed him the sword that was in her bag

Harry grabbed the sword by the hilt and tested it by touching the tip of it to an object nearby

Everybody held their breath, but nothing happened

" Good, this can work... but... how am I supposed to get up there? Even if Ron took the sword he's still too short" Harry said

" Well we need to do something, and quick, it's getting way too hot in here" Brenda said

Everybody was dripping with sweat

Before anybody else could say anything, they heard the dragon roar on the other side of the vault door and there was a sound of clanking

Everybody had terror in their faces, that was their way out, they were trapped

" We have to get rid of it, I need to get up there" Harry said

" Hang on Harry" Brenda said and she yelled, " Levicorpus"

Harry was lifted up into the air by his ankle and he was knocked into a suit of armor and replicas burst out of it filling the cramped space and it burned the ones down below

The bodies down below were knocked into other objects which replicated and it all was very hot

" IMPERVIUS" Both girls yelled, trying to shield everybody on the floor from getting burned or buried to death

It wasn't working like they thought it would

With the sword's help, Harry got the sword through the cup's handles

The people on the floor were waist deep in treasure and the three humans were trying to keep the goblins from slipping beneath the rising tide of treasure, Bogrod was safe for now, but they couldn't find Griphook

" I SEE HIM" Harry yelled and he seized Griphooks fingers and pulled the blistered goblin up who was howling in pain, " Liberacorpus"

Harry and Griphook landed on the surface of the treasure and the sword fell out of Harry's hand

" GET IT" Harry yelled fighting the pain of the hot metal on his skin

Everybody tried going after it but it was Griphook who grabbed the sword and everybody knew then that the goblin never expected them to keep their word

After Griphook had the sword, he kept it out of Harry's reach, since Griphook was on Harry's back and he had a fistful of Harry's hair

The tiny golden cup that was on the swords blade, was flung into the air and even with the goblin on his back, Harry dived for the cup and caught it, he didn't let go even when many more Hufflepuff cups burst from his hands and rained down upon him

While that was happening, the other three pulled Bogrod towards the vault door and had him open the door and they were all sliding uncontrollably on an expanding avalanche of fiery treasure

Before Harry could get the sword away from Griphook, Griphook was off of Harry's back and ran towards the safety of the other Goblins yelling THIEVES! THIEVES HELP and in his hand was the Sword of Gryffindor

The four looked terrified, they knew the only way out was through the goblins who all had weapons in their hands

" STUPEFY" Harry yelled and the others joined in

There were jets of light flying all over, and not from just them, there were also wizard guards who were shooting off their own spells

" There's too many of them" Hermione said to the others

The scared dragon let out a roar and a gush of flame flew over the goblins and towards the wizards, somehow the four were out of the way of the blast

Harry looked at the dragon and got an idea

" You have got to be kidding me" Brenda said aloud

" What?" Ron asked

" It's the only way" Harry said looking at Brenda

The goblins were coming closer with their weapons and more Stupefies were being fired off by the four

" RELASHIO" Brenda said then thought to Harry, " You better be right"

The cuffs on the dragon were broke open with loud bangs

" THIS WAY" Harry yelled at the other two as he and Brenda hurried over to the dragon

" WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Hermione cried

" Get up, climb up... come on" Harry and Brenda said once they were on

The dragon didn't realize he was free

The dragon's body was hard as steel and it didn't seem to feel them on it's back

Once the dragon realized it was free, luckily by that time everybody was on, it roared and reared up, everybody had to hang on to it's scales and then the magnificent wings opened knocking the goblins aside like dominoes, then it soared into the air... well as far as it could, the dragon was too big and the four on it's back were pinned between the dragon and the ceiling

The goblins were throwing there weapons at the dragon but it didn't do anything to the dragon

" It's too big, we're never going to get out" Hermione cried

All of a sudden, the dragon roared and flame came out of it's mouth again, but it was aimed at the ceiling and the ceiling cracked and crumbled, the dragon began clawing and fighting it's way free from the evil goblins with their clanking weapons

Everybody looked at each other and aimed their wands and helped the dragon out by yelling DEFODIO

It took a while but finally they were free and the dragon flew with the four on his back to freedom

The four rode the dragon in silence, it took them about five minutes to relax and know that the dragon wasn't going to buck them off, they still didn't want to be too loud just in case the dragon hears them talking

It was about sunset when the dragon began to descend into the wilderness

The dragon wasn't going to stop, it seemed to just be thirsty and it saw a lake and it was going towards the lake

" We should get off of it when it gets closer to the water" Brenda said

The others nodded and when they were close enough, they all slid off of the dragon and the dragon didn't even notice them

They splashed into the freezing water

When they came up, they all saw that the dragon was at least fifty feet away from them

They all climbed out of the lake which wasn't that deep and they collapsed on the slippery grass for a few moments before setting up camp

Brenda took out a jar of burn healing paste and everybody used it for their burns

After their burns were attended to, they changed into dry clothes and then made themselves a couple of sandwiches and drank some pumpkin juice

" Well, our plan worked, we got the Horcrux" Ron said

" Yes... but we lost the sword" Harry said angrily

Ron sighed, " That double-crossing little..."

The Potters didn't know what Ron was going to finish saying, they both got a vision of Voldemort, he knew that they knew about the Horcruxes, but he didn't know that three were destroyed

Harry and Brenda were in Voldemort's thoughts and he was thinking of the places where his Horcruxes were at, Voldemort didn't realize it, but he helped Harry and Brenda find out where another Horcrux was

Harry and Brenda woke up to the other two staring at them

" He knows" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

" And he's going to check to see that the others are still safe" Brenda said

" There is one at Hogwarts" Harry said

" He thinks it's safest there because Snape is the Headmaster there" Brenda said

" How do you know this?" Ron asked

" We were in his head, he is very angry and scared too" Brenda said

" Did you see where it was?" Ron asked

" No, he was thinking that that one was safe" Harry said, " We need to get going... we need to go to Hogsmeade"

" Wait, we can't just go to Hogsmeade... we need to plan first" Hermione said

" No time to plan... once he realizes the ring and locket are gone, what do you think he's going to do? He might think that the one in Hogwarts isn't safe... we have to go" Brenda said and she put the tent back into her bag and made sure it didn't look like anybody was camping there

Brenda and Hermione were under one cloak and Harry and Ron were under the other cloak, and they all held hands and turned on the spot 

 

When they landed, they were in Hogsmeade and they took time just to look at the familiar place

A minute later there was a scream that sounded like Voldemort's and a dozen cloaked and hooded Death Eaters dashed into the street from the Three Broomsticks with their wands out

The four were getting ready to Disapparate again because there were too many to stun without revealing where they were hiding, but before they could, a Death Eater raised his wand and canceled the screaming

" ACCIO CLOAKS" One of the Death Eaters yelled

It didn't work, the cloaks stayed on the four much to the four's relief

" Not under your cloaks then Potters? The Death Eater yelled then ordered, " Spread out... their here"

There were six Death Eaters who were coming towards the four, and they were missed by inches because they moved to a side road just in time

" Lets get out of here" Hermione whispered to the others, " Disapparate now"

" I like that idea" Ron said

Before Harry or Brenda could reply there was a shout coming from a Death Eater

" We know you're here Potters, and there is no getting away... we will find you"

" They were ready for us" Harry whispered

" They set up that spell to tell them we'd come... They most likely done something to keep us here... trap us"Brenda whispered

" What about dementors?" A Death Eater asked, " Let them find them... it will be quick enough"

" The Dark Lord does not want the Potters dead by any hand but his own" A Death Eater said

" But the dementors won't kill them... the Dark Lord wants their lives, not their souls... they'd be easier to kill if they were kissed first" The Death Eater said

The Death Eaters all agreed which filled the four with dread

" We need to try to Disapparate" Hermione whispered again

Before they could do anything, they could feel the sudden cold that only comes when dementors are near

They tried to Disapparate but they couldn't, the Death Eaters knew their charms well

Everything was getting dark and cold, there were no stars, and no lights from the buildings

" Lets keep walking" Harry whispered

The cold was biting deeper and deeper into their skin

The four moved down the street groping along the wall trying not to make a sound

Around the corner, to the four's horror, there were ten dementors, they could tell they were dementors because their darkness was blacker then the black night

The dementors were coming after them, Brenda and Harry thought that dementors can smell fear and taste despair, they were hurrying towards them

Harry took out his wand and only thinking about his sister and two best friends, he whispered, " Expecto Patronum"

The silver stag burst from Harry's wand and charged scattering the dementors away

" IT'S THEM, IT'S THEM, DOWN THERE... I SAW THE BOY'S STAG" A Death Eater yelled

Once the dementors retreated, the night got brighter again and the stars were out

The four were scared now, they didn't know what to do, their cover was blown, but they still didn't take off their cloaks

The footsteps of the Death Eaters were becoming louder but before anything could be done about the Death Eaters, a grinding of bolts was heard and a door was opened and a man who looked a lot like Dumbledore was standing in the doorway

" In here quickly now" The man said

The four obeyed without hesitation

" Upstairs quickly, and keep the cloaks on" The man ordered

The four on their way up the stairs took a look of their surroundings and noticed that they were at Hogs Head

When they got up the stairs, they saw that they were in a sitting room with an old looking carpet, a small fireplace, and above the fireplace hung a large oil painting of a blonde girl with a vacant sweet gaze

With their cloaks still on, the four looked out of a window to see what was going on

They couldn't hear everything that was going on but the Hogs Head owner looked mad and he had his Patronus appear and his looked like a big goat

" Why did he do that?" Ron whispered

" I think he is trying to prove that he was the one who cast the patronus and not Harry" Brenda whispered, " Both of the Patronuses have horns"

They watched the scene for a little while longer, then the Death Eaters left, the barman went back inside and everybody sighed with relief

Before they took off the cloaks, they pulled the curtains over the window and then they sat down in a couple of chairs

After the barman locked his door again, he headed upstairs to the four teenagers

" You bloody fools" He said gruffly, " What were you thinking coming here?"

" Thank you for saving us" Brenda said

" You saved our lives" Harry said

The barman grunted

" You're Aberforth aren't you?" Brenda asked, " I could see the resemblance"

Aberforth didn't say anything but he bent to light a fire

" Ok, well we need to think of the best way to get you out of here... can't be done by night... that Caterwauling charm goes off if anybody sets their nose out of their homes... I don't think I'll be able to pass off my goat for a stag a second time... it's a good thing it wasn't you Ms. Potter who set the patronus off... yours only has one horn" Aberforth said

Brenda nodded

" We'll wait for daybreak when the curfew is lifted, then you will put your cloaks back on and set out on foot... Get out of Hogsmeade and up into the mountains... you could Disapparate there" Aberforth said

" We're not leaving" Harry and Brenda said firmly at the same time, " We need to get into Hogwarts"

" Don't be stupid" Aberforth snapped

" We have to" Harry said

" What you need to do is get out of here as far as you can" Aberforth said

" You don't understand, there isn't much time... we have got to get into the castle... Dumbledore... your brother wanted us to..." Brenda started

" My brother" Aberforth spat, " Wanted a lot of things and people tend to get hurt while he was carrying out his grand plans, you lot get away from this school and out of the country if you can... forget about my brother and his schemes... he's gone and you don't owe him anything

" We cannot leave" Brenda said, " We have a job"

" So quit and give it to somebody else" Abeforth said

" We can't... it has to be us... it was explained by Dumbledore" Brenda said

" Did he now?" Abeforth asked, " Did he tell you everything, was he completely honest with you?"

Brenda nor Harry said anything

Abeforth got his answer

" Professor Dumbledore cared for them very much sir" Hermione said

" Did he now" Aberforth said, " Funny thing how many of the people my brother cared about very much and they ended up in a worst state than if he'd left them well enough alone"

" What do you mean?" Hermione asked

" But that's a very serious thing to say... are you talking about your sister?" Hermione asked

Aberforth glared at Hermione then looked up at the oil painting and began his speech

"Ariana was attacked by three muggle boys when she was six years old and seen doing magic... she was never the same again and she never wanted to use her magic, but it was still in her and it drove her mad... it exploded out of her sometimes making her dangerous... most of the time she was sweet, scared and harmless... my father went after those three who did it and ended up in Azkaban for it... he never said why he did it because if the Ministry knew, then my sister would have been confined to St. Mungos for good... they would consider her as a threat... we had to keep her safe and quiet so we moved around a lot and told anybody who knew her that she was seriously ill... my mother looked after her trying to keep her calm and happy... I was her favorite... not Albus who was always up in his bedroom when he was home reading his books and counting his prizes and awards... Albus didn't want to be bothered with her... Ariana liked me best, I could get her to eat when she was being fussy, I could get her to calm down when she was in a rage and she used to help me feed the goats... When she was fourteen... I wasn't there... Ariana had one of her rages... and my mother... well she wasn't as young as she used to be... it was an accident... Ariana couldn't control it... my mother was killed... I wanted to quit school and look after Ariana but Albus wouldn't let me, he thought since he was the oldest he was the head of the house... Ha, I was the one who always looked after Ariana... you don't win awards for taking care of your little sister who is half mad... I went to school and Albus took care of Ariana and he was doing a good job... well... until he came"

A look of pure rage was on Aberforth's face

" Grindelwald" Aberforth spat, " My brother's equal somebody just as bright and talented as Albus... they had plans for a new Wizarding order and taking care of Ariana came second... I didn't like that and I told Albus that Ariana couldn't be moved around like that... Grindelwald didn't like what I was saying at all and he got angry and said what a stupid little boy I was trying to stand in the way of him and my brilliant brother... he said that after their plans are set that Ariana wouldn't have to be hidden from the world and they would teach the Muggles their place... there was an argument and I ended up being under the Cruciatus Curse by my brother's best friend... Albus was trying to stop him and then all three of us were dueling and all of the noise and flashing lights set her off... she couldn't stand it... she wanted to help but she didn't know what she was doing... and the next thing we know... Ariana is dead"

" I'm... so... so sorry" Hermione whispered

" Gone" Aberforth croaked, " Gone forever... of course Grindelwald fled... he had a record here, Albus was free of the burden of his sister and free to become the greatest wizard"

" Don't say that" Brenda said

Aberforth glared at Brenda

" Why?" Aberforth asked

" Because he wasn't free" Harry said, " The night your brother died, he drank a potion that drove him out of his mind, he started screaming and pleading with someone who wasn't there... Don't hurt them, please... hurt me instead... He thought he was back there with you and Grindelwald... I know he did"

" He thought he was watching Grindelwald hurting you and Ariana... It was torture to him" Brenda said

" If you had seen him then... you wouldn't say he was free" Harry said

Aberforth was quiet for a moment lost in thought

" How could you be so sure that you two aren't dispensable like my sister was?" Aberforth asked, " Why didn't he tell you two to hide, save yourselves"

" Mr. Dumbledore, this is war, and sometimes you have to think of others and not just your own safety... you need to think about the greater good" Brenda said

" You two are seventeen years old, you shouldn't have to sacrifice yourselves" Aberforth said

" We're of age... and we're going to keep fighting even if you have given up" Harry said

Aberforth lifted an eyebrow, " Who says I have given up?"

" Well it doesn't sound like you're trying to fight the war" Brenda said

" We need to get into Hogwarts" Harry said, " If you can't help us then we will wait until daybreak and leave you in peace and try to find a way in ourselves"

" But if you can help us... now would be great" Brenda said

Aberforth looked at the four for a few minutes then turned to the portrait of his sister, " You know what to do"

The portrait smiled, turned and walked away through a long tunnel in her portrait

" Um... what?" Ron asked

" I am not giving up... there is only one way in Hogwarts now" Aberforth said, " They have all of the old secret passageways covered at both ends, dementors are all around the boundary walls... the place has never been so heavily guarded... and with Snape in charge... he has a thing for spanking"

Brenda rolled her eyes

" Well at least that is better then the Cruciatus Curse that everybody else likes to use as punishments" Aberforth said, " The Carrows are his deputies and all I can say is good luck"

A couple minutes later Ariana was back in her portrait along with a very poor looking Neville Longbottom

All of a sudden the portrait swung open and the real Neville Longbottom appeared

" I knew it, I knew you would come" Neville said excitedly, " I kept telling that to Seamus"

" Neville, what happened to you?" Brenda asked

" What? This? This is nothing... Seamus is worse... you'll see" Neville said

" Worse? What's going on?" Harry asked

" Well, we are punished for everything it seems, Snape likes to spank, but others like to be original... Snape's the most lenient one and it still hurts like the dickens... Brenda I feel for you, you had to live with him" Neville said

" Yah, don't remind me" Brenda said and her face was already a little red

" Well, we should get going... Oh, Ab, there might be a couple more people on the way, and since the Caterwauling Charm is still up, they will be apperating straight here, just send them through the passage when they get here... thanks" Neville said and he didn't even wait for Aberforth to say either ok or no, " Lets get going"

" Thank you for saving our lives" Harry said to Aberforth

" Well take care of your lives because I don't know if I can do it again" Aberforth said gruffly

They all climbed up on top of the fireplace and through the portrait of Ariana

There were stone steps to walk down on the other side

" I wonder how long this passage has been here... it wasn't on the maps was it?" Ron asked

" No, all of those are sealed off, they did it before the start of school" Neville said before Harry and Brenda could say anything about the map, " So is it true?"

" Is what true?" Hermione asked

" Did you all break into Gringotts? Did you escape on a dragon? It's everywhere, everybody is talking about it" Neville said

" Yes, it's true" Harry said

Neville laughed with glee, " So what did you do with the dragon?"

" Released it into the wild" Ron said

" So what else have you been doing?" Neville asked, " People have been saying that you have been on the run, I don't think so... I think you lot are up to something"

" You're right, we are up to something" Brenda said, " Tell us about Hogwarts... we haven't heard anything"

Neville's smile faded, " Well, it's not really like Hogwarts anymore... do you know about the Carrows?"

" Snape's deputies?" Brenda asked

" They are also teachers... and they deliver the worst punishments" Neville said

" Like Umbitch punishments?" Brenda asked

Neville smirked at that name, " No they make that toad look tame... also there is no Defense Against the Dark Arts anymore, it is now called the Dark Arts... we are supposed to practice the Cruciatus Curse on the people who earn detentions"

Everybody gasped

" Yah, that's how I got this gash on my cheek because I refused to do it on a first year" Neville said pointing to his cheek, " Some people like to do it, like Crabbe and Goyle... that's probably the only thing they're good at"

Neville explained more about what was going on at Hogwarts, like how Dumbledore's Army was still having meetings and how Neville, Ginny and Luna were the leaders but it has been getting harder and harder to have meetings because Luna was kidnapped and Ginny didn't come back after Easter, he also said that the Carrows found out that he was the leader of Dumbledore's Army and they started going after Neville's Gran

" WHAT?" They all gasped

Neville smirked, " Yah, they underestimated my Gran, now the Death Eater who went after her is still in St. Mungos and my Gran is on the run... she sent me a letter saying that she's proud of me and that I'm my parents son and to keep up the good work"

" Cool" Ron said with a grin

" Yah" Neville said happily, " The only thing was, once they realized they had no hold over me, they decided they could do without me, I don't know if they wanted to kill me or send me to Azkaban, either way, I knew I had to disappear"

" But... why are we going to Hogwarts if you need to be gone?" Ron asked

Neville smirked, " You'll see... we're here"

They walked to the end of the passage and to steps they had to climb up then Neville pushed open another one of Ariana's portraits and climbed through

" Look who it is, I told you" Neville said to people that the others couldn't see yet, " Come on through you guys"

One by one the four entered the room and they saw members of Dumbledore's Army

A half a minute later there were yells of everybody calling their names and they were squished by hugs, hands shaken, hair ruffled, pounded on the back etc...

" Ok, ok everybody calm down" Neville shouted

The four took in the room, it looked like a tree house or a gigantic ship's cabin, there were hammocks strung from the ceiling and there were Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tapestry hangings on the walls, and there were bookshelves full of books, there were a few broomsticks on one wall and in the corner was a radio

" Where are we?" Harry asked

" The Room of Requirement of course" Neville said proudly, " When the Carrows were chasing me, I knew I had to hide and I managed to get through the door and this is what I found... well not as big... it expanded as more and more people from the D.A. arrived"

" And the Carrows can't get in?" Brenda asked looking around for the door

" Nope" Seamus Finnigan said

The girls gasped when they saw his face, Seamus's face was bruised and puffy

" It is a perfect hideout, as long as one of us stays in here, they can't get to us... the door won't open... you have to ask for exactly what you need... like for example... I don't want any Carrow supporters to be able to get in, and then it will do it for you"

Neville explained how he was in the Room for a day and a half when he was getting hungry and that is when the secret passage opened up and it led to the Hogs Head

" From then on Aberforth has been providing food" Neville said

" Tell us what you've been up to" Ernie Macmillan said, " There have been rumors and we've been trying to keep up with you on Potterwatch... you didn't break into Gringotts did you?"

Brenda smirked, " Hey if Professor Quirrle could do it when he was possessed by You Know Who, then we could do it... and it was cooler when we did it"

" The dragon is true too" Neville said

There was an applause

" So what were you after?" Seamus asked eagerly

Before the question could be answered, both Harry and Brenda's scars were searing with pain and they had a vision of Voldemort in the shack where the ring was at, but the ring wasn't there, and Voldemort was angry

When they got out of the vision, everybody was looking at them with confusion and concern

" Are you two alright? You must be tired, you should lay down, we have enough hammocks" Neville said

" No" Harry and Brenda said at the same time then they looked at Hermione and Ron hoping they'd get the message, " We need to get going"

The other two got the message

" So what are we going to do then? What's the plan?" Seamus asked

" Plan?" Brenda asked, " Well... we have a plan... but it's only for Harry, Ron, Hermione and I... we will do it and then... get out of here"

Everybody was silent

" What do you mean get out of here?" Neville asked

" We haven't come back to stay... there is something important we need to do" Harry said

" What is it?" Lavender Brown asked

" We can't tell you" Hermione said

" Why? It's something that has to do with fighting You Know Who right?" Neville asked

" Well... yah but..." Harry started

" Then we'll help you" Neville said firmly

The other members of Dumbledore's Army were siding with Neville

" You don't understand, you can't help us" Brenda said

" Well why not?" Seamus asked

" Because... Dumbledore wanted just the four of us to do it... he left us a job... and we weren't supposed to tell" Harry said

" Well, we're his army and we've been keeping it going while you four were missing... Everybody in this room were fighting and they have been driven in here because the Carrows were hunting them down... everybody is in here because they are loyal to Dumbledore and... loyal to you" Neville said

Before anything else could be said, the portrait opened and Luna and Dean entered

" We got your message... oh, hello you four, I thought you might be here" Luna said

Seamus cheered when he saw his best friend Dean and he ran to hug him

" Hi everybody... it is great to be back" Luna said happily

" Luna" Harry said, " What are you doing here and how did you...?"

" I sent for her" Neville said holding up the Dumbledore's Army fake Galleon

" You being here means revolution, we now can overthrow Snape and the Carrows" Luna said with a smile

" Listen... that isn't what we came back for" Brenda said

" Then you're going to leave us in this mess?" Michael Corner asked

" No" Hermione said, " What we're doing will benefit everyone in the end, it's all about trying to get rid of You Know Who"

" Then let us help" Neville said angrily, " We want to be part of it"

Before anything else was said, there was another noise coming from the passageway

Ginny started climbing through the hole and Harry silently gasped

“Harry” Ginny gasped

Ron smiled and waved at his sister but she ignored him

“How do you like that? Six months without seeing me and she completely ignores me” Ron said

“She has 6 more brothers, but there’s only one Harry Potter” Seamus said

“Shut up Seamus” Ron said

Harry smiled and nodded

A minute later three more people entered the Room of Requirement, George, Lee and to Brenda’s horror Fred

“We got the message from Potterwatch” George said

“The Order has been reached” Fred said not taking his eyes off the girl he loves

Fred and Brenda just stared at each other for a minute not knowing what to do

" Screw this distance thing, it's been too long" Fred said and he walked up to Brenda and had her in a big hug before Brenda could even protest, not that she would protest, she missed him so much

"Aberforth is getting a bit annoyed" George said happy that Brenda didn't push away his brother

" So what's the plan?" George asked, " It looks like we are all here"

" There isn't one" Brenda said trying to get out of Fred's grasp, it's going to be very hard getting away from him now

" Just going to make it up as we go along?" Fred asked not letting go of Brenda no matter how much she struggles, " I like that"

" You need to stop this" Harry said to Neville, " Why did you call them back?"

 

Harry and Brenda thought together and agreed that the DA could help, " OK" They said to the whole room, " You all could help us find something"

" What is it?" George asked

" It's something that will help us overthrow You Know Who" Harry said

" It's here at Hogwarts, but we don't know where. It might have belonged to Ravenclaw. Has anybody come across something like that, with her eagle on it for instance?" Brenda asked

Everybody looked at the Ravenclaws in the room

The only Ravenclaw who spoke was Luna, " Well, there's her lost diadem"

" Oh yah that's perfect Luna, but it's lost" Michael Corner said rolling his eyes

" When was it lost?" Brenda asked who was still trying to get out of Fred's grasp and more importantly off of his lap that he somehow got her on

Fred just chuckled at her

" I'm glad you find this so funny" Brenda glared

" No harm is coming to you by sitting on my lap" Fred said, " Now just calm down and relax"

The Diadem was said to be lost centuries ago according to Cho and Professor Flitwick

" If it was lost centuries ago then most likely it's not a Horcrux" Brenda thought to Harry

" If you'd like to see what it looked like, you could come up to our common room and I can show you Harry" Cho said, " Ravenclaw is wearing it in her statue"

Harry and Brenda's scars burned again and they saw that Voldemort was on the move again

" Brenda... are you ok?" Fred asked worriedly

Brenda rubbed at her scar but then nodded

There was an announcement on the loud speaker, “All students and staff will report to the Great Hall immedietly” It was Snape’s voice

“He wants us to march in line, it’s very orderly” Seamus said

“We have to march in rhythm” Cho said

“If we march out of order, we get punished” Colin Creevey said

“What do you think this is about?” Ron asked

“Oh, I have a feeling, what do you say Harry, want to join our fellow classmates and report to the Great Hall immedietly?” Brenda asked 

Harry smirked and nodded

“Fred you’re going to have to let me go” Brenda said

“I’m coming with you” Fred said

“No, you, George and Lee have to stay here and wait for the Order to show up” Brenda said

“Something big is going to happen and it’s going to happen tonight” Harry said

“Well then, there’s only one thing to do at a time like this” George said with a smirk, Fred was on the same page

“Lets get down to business to defeat Voldemort.. Can you do your spells right, with all your might? You need to cast spells from there to there but you can bet before we're through, we have made Dumbledore's Army out of you" Fred and George sang

Brenda looked at Fred and George with confusion but they just smiled which made Brenda smile " Tranquil as a forest but on fire within. Once you find your center, you are sure to win. You'll be the greatest defenders we have got, and Death Eaters won't have a clue, we have made Dumbledore's Army out of you" Brenda sang

Brenda smiled at Fred and they both sang " We must be swift as a Nimbus 2000, with all the force of a Hippogriff, with all the strength of a scary giant. Mysterious as Divination class with Trelawny" 

" Time is racing toward us till Voldemort attacks. Heed our every order and you can fight back. You are suited for the rage of war so ready, aim, fire, we have made Dumbledore's Army out of you" Harry, Ron, Hermione and Brenda sang

" We must be swift as a Nimbus 2000, with all the force of a Hippogriff, with all the strength of a scary giant. Mysterious as Divination class with Trelawny" The whole DA sang

" We must be swift as a Nimbus 2000, with all the force of a Hippogriff, with all the strength of a scary giant. Mysterious as Divination class with Trelawny

Brenda and Fred kissed… finally

The students all had to march in line according to their houses. There was no talking just marching in rhythm. Harry and Brenda were blending in the middle of the Gryffindor group, they didn’t want to be noticed… yet

“That’s Snape for you, always has to be orderly” Brenda thought to Harry

“How are you holding up?” Harry asked through thought, “This must be difficult for you”

“I’m fine” Brenda said more trying to convince herself than Harry

All the students faced where the Head Table is usually at, they were waiting for the Headmaster to show up

Harry and Brenda noticed that all of the uniforms were black, including the teachers, McGonagall had to wear black, Sprout had to wear black, Madame Pomfrey was in black, the whole staff and all the students were wearing black

"Snape's favorite color" Brenda thought sarcastically

Finally about five minutes waiting, Snape came billowing into the Great Hall and he hurried to the front and faced his students

“Many of you are surely wondering why I have summoned you at this hour. It’s come to my attention, that early this evening. The Potter Twins were sighted” Snape said

There were a lot of whisperings

“Gosh he looks paler and greasier than usual, look at his eyes” Brenda thought to herself

Snape had dark circles under his eyes

“Now, should anyone, student or staff, attempt to aid the Potters, they will be punished in a manner consistent with the severity of their transgressions.

“In otherwords, spanked, though… spanking a teacher… that’s… wrong…” Brenda thought

“Furthermore, any person to have found to have knowledge of these events who fails to come forward, will be treated… equally guilty” Snape said and he started moving down the room “Now then, if anyone here has any knowledge of the Potters’ movements this evening. I invite them to step foreward… now”

It was deathly quiet in the Great Hall

“Ready?” Harry thought

Brenda nodded

Together side by side, they walked away from the group and faced Snape, everybody in the Great Hall gasped

“It seems, despite your exhaustive defensive strategies” Harry started

“You seem to have a bit of a security problem Headmaster” Brenda spat

The doors opened and the Order entered the Great Hall along with Fred, George and Lee

“Quite lacking actually, seeing as all of the Order was able to get in” Brenda said

“How dare you stand where he stood” Harry said, “Tell them how it happened that night”

“Tell them how you looked him in the eye” Brenda yelled, “A man who trusted you and killed him”

There was a flicker of emotion on Snape’s face, barely recognizable to somebody who didn’t spend a lot of time with Snape, Brenda saw it, just barely

“Tell them” Harry yelled

Snape took out his wand and aimed it at the Potters, he cast a silent spell at them

McGonagall hurried forward and shielded the Potters from him with a protego 

Snape had that same look of emotion on his face for a moment but then it disappeared

McGonagall shot a curse at Snape and Snape blocked it, McGonagall did the same thing over and over again, one spell that Snape blocked hit the Carrows which made them faint, McGonagall did the same spell until Snape apperated away

McGonagall lit all of the candles in the Great Hall and there was cheering coming from all the students

All of a sudden the Potters’ scars began burning

 

" I know that you are preparing to fight" The voice of Voldemort said, " Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me... I do not want to kill you... I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts and I do not want to spill magical blood"

The Great Hall was silent, the silence that seems to be very loud, with the ringing in a person's ear

" Give me the Potter twins and you will be rewarded... you have until midnight" The voice said and then it was silent

After all was said, all eyes found the Potter twins

" There they are" Pansy Parkinson said, " Somebody grab them"

Before the Potters could raise their wands and defend themselves, all of the Gryffindors stood in front of them with their wands out, not looking at Harry and Brenda but at the Slytherins, then the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws joined in to defend the Potters against the Slytherins

" Thank you Ms. Parkinson" McGonagall said in a clipped voice, " You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch and the rest of your house can follow"

“Where should I take them mum?” Filch asked

“The Dungeons will do” McGonagall said

The rest of the school watched as the Slytherins were led towards the Dungeons

McGongall went up to the Potters

“I presume you two have a reason for returning Potters, what is it that you need?” McGonagall asked

“Time professor” Brenda said

“As much as possible” Harry said

“Do what you have to do” McGonagall said, “ I’ll secure the castle”

“Thank you” Brenda said with a smile

Harry and Brenda were walking away from McGonagall

“Potters… It’s good to see the two of you” McGonagall said

“It’s good to see you too professor” Harry and Brenda said at the same time

The whole school was in chaos, some students wanted to fight, some did not, some wanted to go home. The professors had all of the underaged students and some students who didn’t want to fight, return to their common rooms, that was the safest place for them right now. The students who were still underaged and wanted to fight, got their way, there was too much chaos going on at that time

Ron and Hermione caught up with Brenda and Harry

“You guys we’ve been thinking” Hermione started

“ You two used a basilisk fang to destroy Tom Riddle’s diary right?” Ron asked

“Yah” Harry said

“Well we might know where to find one” Hermione said

“Brilliant, take this then” Brenda said handing Hermione the marauders map

After she did that, she pulled Harry down towards the Dungeons

“Where are you two going?” Hermione asked

“ We need a potion” Brenda said but didn’t elaborate

She pulled her brother down into the Dungeons, another direction that the Slytherins were not going 

" Ok, first thing we need to do is get some Felix Felicis" Brenda said, " We could use it"

" How in Merlin's name are we going to acquire that?" Harry asked

Brenda rolled her eyes, " Follow me"

Harry followed Brenda down to the Potions classroom... the door was locked and it didn't work with Alohomora

" Come on Brenda, we can fight without it" Harry said

" We need all the luck we can get" Brenda said

" Well the doors locked, so we can't get it" Harry said

" You're giving up way too easily... follow me" Brenda said with a smile

Brenda led Harry down to the apartments

" Brenda, what a surprise it's good to see you" Grandfather Severus said, " It's been quite a while since I last saw you"

" Good to see you too... um... Lily Pad" Brenda said

Grandfather Severus smirked, " Nope"

Brenda groaned, “He said he was going to keep the password the same”

" I'll let you in anyway, you were close enough and Severus isn't here" Grandfather said and he opened up

" Wow, thank you Grandfather Severus" Brenda said with a shocked look

Grandfather Severus nodded

" Why are we in Snape's rooms?" Harry asked

Brenda smiled, " Because he has a secret door that leads to the classroom" Brenda opened the door and went inside and Harry followed

Brenda did a point me spell and it led her to a cauldron of Felix Felicis

" Slughorn was probably going to use it in his lesson or something, it must be our lucky day" Brenda said with a smile and she accioed some vials and handed some to Harry and they began filling them up

" It's not only for us, but for anybody" Brenda explained

Harry nodded

Finally they had as much as they could carry and they hurried out of the door and the apartments

" Thank you Grandfather Severus" Brenda said over her shoulder

" Come back and visit me sometime again Brenda" Grandfather Severus said

Brenda didn't answer

They handed people vials of the potion, they felt the adults’ protection charms on the school, at one point they looked outside and saw the protection wards being put up

“Wow” Brenda gasped

Every time they stopped somebody who was going to fight, they handed them a potion

" We need to find the Gray Lady... she is the ghost of Ravenclaw" Brenda said

Harry nodded then he spotted Nearly Headless Nick

" Maybe he'll know where to find her" Harry said, " Nick, NICK we need to talk to you"

They had to dodge many underaged students who were trying to get to the evacuation points

" Harry... Brenda, it's so nice to see the two of you" Nick said

" Nick, where is the Gray Lady?" Brenda asked

" Well if it's ghostly services you require, I am available" Nick said

" No, it has to be her" Harry said

" Are you sure?" Nick asked

" Positive" Brenda said

" Well then... lets see... oh there she is, making sure her Ravenclaws are safe" Nick said pointing

" Thank you Nick" Brenda and Harry said at the same time and they hurried towards the Gray Lady

" Hey, wait come back" Harry said when he saw that she was leaving

They started chasing after the Gray Lady until she stopped

" What?" The Gray Lady asked

" We need your help, can you please tell us anything you know about the Lost Diadem" Brenda said

The Gray Lady glared, " I cannot help you" She began to leave

" WAIT! This is urgent... if it's here at Hogwarts then we must find it fast" Harry said

" You are hardly the first students who want the Diadem" The Gray Lady said

" We don't want to use it for personal gain, we need it to help destroy Voldemort" Brenda said, " Or are you not interested in that?"

" Of course I want him gone... he used my mothers diadem" The Gray Lady started

" Your mothers?" The two gasped

The Gray Lady glared, " When I lived I was Helena Ravenclaw"

" You're her daughter?" Brenda asked, " But then you must know what happened to it"

" Of course I know what happened to it, I stole it from my mother" The Gray Lady snapped, " I wanted to make myself more clever and more important than her, I ran away with it... My mother never admitted that it was gone, she pretended that she still had it and the other Founders never knew... My mother fell fatally ill and she was desperate to see me one more time before she past on... she sent a man to look for me who loved me but I spurned his advances to find me and she knew that he would not rest until he found me... he tracked me to the forest where I was hiding and when I refused to go with him... he got violent and killed me... The Baron was always a hot -tempered man"

" You mean... the Bloody Baron?" Brenda gasped

" Yes" The Gray Lady said, " And when he saw what he had done, he took the same weapon, a sword and he killed himself as well, after all of these centuries he still wears the chains as an act of penitence"

" And what about the Diadem?" Harry asked

" It remained where I had hidden it when I heard the Baron coming after me, it was concealed inside a hollow tree in... Albania" The Gray Lady said

" We're not the only students you told this story to" Harry said

The Gray Lady looked ashamed, " I had no idea... he seemed to... understand... to sympathize"

" It's ok... Helena... you didn't know... He could be charming when he wanted to" Brenda said

The Gray Lady smiled, she hasn't heard her name in such a long time

" That's probably the reason why he wanted the job" Brenda thought

Harry agreed

" Thank you Helena, you helped out a lot" Brenda said with a smile and the two ran leaving the ghost behind

" Where should we go?" Harry asked

" We know it's somewhere in the castle... he would want to hide it good, somewhere Dumbledore wouldn't know where it is" Brenda said

“Lets go find Ron and Hermione first, then we’ll look for the diadem” Harry said and he took out his map, they were in the Girl’s Bathroom

" You don't think..." Brenda started

" They couldn't... could they?" Harry asked

" Lets go" They said at the same time

They headed towards the direction of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and on their way spotted Hagrid who was trying to calm his dog Fang down, he glaced up, smiled and waved at the two but they were headed towards the bathroom

They also saw Professor Sprout and a bunch of other students with earmuffs over their ears and mandrakes in their hands, they spotted Neville who explained what they were going to be used for

" They won't like being tossed out the window" Neville said with a smirk

They passed them after giving them a couple vials of potion to share, they were running out

They found where Fred, George, Lee Jordan and Hannah Abbot were at, making sure that nobody came through that secret enterance

" Here take this and split it between you four" Brenda said handing them a vial of potion

" We won't need it, nobody is coming out through here" Fred said

" Please, just take it" Brenda said looking into Fred's eyes, " I want you to be lucky, because you'll be safer if you're lucky"

" Yah, ok, I'll take it" Fred said with a sigh but he smiled at Brenda

Brenda smiled back

" After this is over, we're getting back together again" Fred said

Brenda smiled and nodded, "Please drink"

" I will, but you looked like you were in a hurry, now go do what you came here to do" Fred said and he gave her a peck on the lips, " Now that was lucky"

Brenda grinned, nodded and left with Harry

They passed Mrs. Norris hissing and batting at flying owls which was kind of funny to witness

They saw Aberforth Dumbledore who was blocking a doorway with his wand out

" Potters, there are hundreds of kids thundering through my pub" Aberforth snapped

" We know, we're evacuating" Harry said

" Voldemort" Brenda started

" Is attacking because they haven't handed you over yet, I know... all of Hogsmeade knows, we all heard him” Aberforth said

They were off again getting closer to the bathroom when they ran into the two they were looking for

" How did you get in there anyway?" Harry asked

" I remembered the words you said during our second year" Ron said

" So, we have one more down... and we're looking for the other" Ron said, " So, what's new with you?"

" We know where the other one is hiding" Harry said with a grin

" Where?" Hermione asked excitedly

" It's where I hid the potions book and where students have been hiding things for centuries... He thought he was the only one who found it... come on" Harry said

They hurried towards the Room of Requirement and when they entered it, there were three women there, Ginny, Tonks and Neville's gran

" Ah, the Potters, now can you explain what is going on?" Neville's Gran asked

" War, everybody including your grandson is fighting" Brenda said

" Is everybody ok?" Ginny asked

" As far as we know" Harry said

" Excuse me, but I want to assist my grandson" Neville's gran said

" Wait, here, drink this, it will make you lucky" Brenda said handing out the potion

Neville's gran just stared at it and shook her head no, " I don't need that, I have everything I need right here" She pointed to her heart and her wand and she left

" Tonks, why aren't you with your son at your mothers?" Brenda asked

" I couldn't stand not knowing what was going on... my mother is watching Teddy... have you seen Remus?" Tonks asked

" He's planning on leading a group of fighters out onto the grounds" Brenda said

" I must go to him" Tonks said

" Wait, take the lucky potion, you're a mother now and you could use all of the luck you can get" Brenda said

Tonks grabbed the potion and hurried out of the Room of Requirement

" Ginny you need to leave for a bit... then you need to come back in" Harry said

Ginny hurried out but didn't stay, she hurried after Tonks

" GINNY COME BACK" Harry yelled

Ginny didn't

" It's ok, she followed Tonks, Tonks will give her some of the lucky potion, come on, we need to find the diadem" Brenda said

Harry nodded and they left the room and started thinking, " I need a place where everything is hidden"

A moment later the room changed and they walked inside the room Harry has been in before

" I saw the diadem when I was hiding my potions book, it's on a stone man wearing a wig, the diadem looks like a tiara" Harry said, " It's standing on a cupboard"

They looked together for a while with no luck

" Lets split up, we'll find it faster" Brenda suggested

They split up and kept on searching

Brenda wasn't having any luck and she heard voices and to her horror, they were not her brothers or her friends, they were Draco Malfoy's, Vincent Crabbe's and Greggory Goyle's

" Harry? Are you talking to somebody?" Ron asked

All of a sudden Brenda heard a crash and Hermione screamed

Harry yelled Finite and everything was steady

" NO, don't wreck the room, you might destroy this diadem thing" Draco said

" Diadem thing? You're pure blooded and you don't even know what it is?" Brenda asked she couldn't see Draco but she could hear him

" Shut up Potter" Draco said, " Where are you? I have your brother trapped you know"

" Who cares about this dum dum thing anyway?" Crabbe asked

" Well they came in here to get it, so it must be important" Draco said

" Well I'm done taking orders from you Draco... you and your dad are finished" Crabbe spat

" Harry what's going on?" Ron asked from the other side of the junk wall that Harry was on

" Harry? What's going on?" Crabbe mimicked, " NO... CRUCIO"

Harry lunged for the tiara and Crabbe's curse missed

" STOP" Draco yelled, " The Dark Lord wants the Potters alive"

" So? I'm not killing him now am I, but I don't see what the difference is, he wants them dead anyway" Crabbe said

" STUPEFY" Hermione and Brenda yelled at the same time from different spots of the room but aimed at the same person, Crabbe

Draco got Crabbe out of fireing range

" It's the Mudblood and the other Potter... well the Dark Lord doesn't want the Mudblood... Avada Kedavra" Crabbe yelled

Hermione got out of the way just in time and Harry and Brenda used Stupefy again trying to get Crabbe down but it missed

" DON'T KILL THEM, DON'T KILL THEM" Malfoy yelled at Crabbe and Goyle who were aiming at the Potters

Crabbe and Goyle hesitated for a second but that was all they needed for Harry and Brenda to yell, " EXPELLIARMUS"

Crabbe's and Goyle's wands flew out of their hands and Goyle's rolled away but Crabbe got a hold of his and aimed the killing curse at Ron who dodged out of the way in time and Ron shot a body bind curse at Crabbe but missed by an inch

Hermione managed to stun Goyle who was still looking for his wand

Crabbe shot a spell that made everything burn and it got out of hand, nobody could put it out

" RUN" Everybody screamed

They all ran trying to get away from the fire that wouldn't be put out, the fire wasn't a normal fire, this fire turned into mutants that were running towards them, somehow within the twists and turns, they lost Draco, Crabbe and Goyle and they were surrounded by fire

" Not good not good not good" Ron chanted

" What are we going to do?" Brenda asked

Harry looked around until he spotted three heavy looking brooms, he grabbed them and gave one to Ron who pulled Hermione on as well

Harry and Brenda got on the others and they were lifted up into the air just in time because a raptor shaped fire mutant tried getting them

" You two get out of here and look for the door, and we'll look for the others" Brenda said

The three brooms split up and after a couple minutes Harry and Brenda spotted Draco and an unconscious Goyle on top of charred desks

Harry hoisted Draco up and Brenda hoisted Goyle up with a levitating charm and they were hurrying towards what they thought was the way to the door

Brenda and Goyle made it out first, Brenda thought Harry was right behind her but he wasn't

" Where's Harry?" Ron and Hermione asked

Brenda shrugged and looked worried

A couple minutes later Harry and Draco fell from the broom and the Diadem was around Harry's wrist

" Crabbe... Crabbe" Draco looked around

" He's dead" Ron said, " Saw him licked by the fire"

Everybody was silent for a while then Hermione looked at Harry's wrist at the diadem

" Harry what's that?" Hermione asked

" The diadem... well, it was" Harry said, the diadem was oozing a blood like substance then it vibrated and broke apart

" It must have been Fiendfyre" Brenda and Hermione said

" Cursed fire... one of the substances that destroy Horcruxes... How did Crabbe know how to cast it?" Brenda asked

Nobody answered

" Now just one more to go... the snake" Harry said

" The snake?" Hermione asked

Harry nodded

All of a sudden there were yells and shouts and unmistakable noises of dueling that filled the corridor

Everybody except for the Slytherins gasped, Death Eaters have penetrated Hogwarts, Fred and Percy came into view and they were both dueling masked and hooded men

The four ran to help the two out shouting their curses and the man that Percy was dueling backed off when his mask slipped

" Why hello their Minister" Percy said sending a jinx at the minister, " I don't know if I mentioned this, but I'm resigning"

Fred laughed at that, " Wow you're joking Perce"

The jinx that Percy sent to the Minister was creating spikes on the man's face turning the man into some kind of sea monster

" He looks better this way" Percy said with a smile

" I don't think I've heard you joke since you were..." Fred never got to finish his sentence

The air exploded sending everybody backwards everybody screaming and everything went semi dark

Brenda was disoriented for a moment but then she saw two things that will haunt her for the rest of her life... one... one side of the castle has been blown away... and two... the love of her life was under a bunch of rubble and he wasn't getting up

Brenda levitated all of the heavy stuff off of Fred and gasped

Fred had no pulse, no heartbeat, no breath... the love of her life was dead

" No... NO NO NO" Brenda screamed with tears in her eyes, " NO! FRED NO!"


	11. Chapter 11

There were more curses flying and Brenda heard Harry yell, " GET DOWN"

" BRENDA, PERCY, COME ON, WE GOT TO MOVE" Harry yelled and he and Ron began pulling the two to get them moving, but they wouldn't budge

" He was supposed to take the potion... why didn't he take the potion?" Brenda cried

Nobody answered

All of a sudden there was a giant spider climbing inside and Hermione screamed

Both Ron and Harry shouted spells at the giant spider and it was blown backwards outside

Harry looked where the spider fell and saw that more were coming, " It brought friends... we got to move now"

" NO" Brenda yelled with tears in her eyes, she was not letting go of Fred

" Come on, there's nothing we can do for him now" Harry said trying to pull her off of Fred

" Leave me alone" Brenda said pushing Harry away

Harry didn't say anything else, he just picked Fred up by the armpits and after Percy saw what he was doing, started to help

Hermione embraced Brenda in a hug trying to comfort her

Harry and Percy found a place where a suit of armor stood earlier, they made sure the body was hidden

" He was supposed to drink some of the potion" Brenda whispered in Hermione's shoulder, " Why didn't he drink the potion?"

Hermione didn't have an answer

" We got to go" Harry said and he pulled Ron along and Hermione was pulling Brenda along

Percy spotted a Death Eater he and Fred were fighting, " ROOKWOOD" He snarled and chased after him

" In here, we'll be safe for a few minutes" Hermione said pulling Brenda behind a tapestry and the others joined

" LET ME GO! LET ME GO I WANT TO KILL DEATH EATERS" Ron yelled he was shaking with rage and grief

" LET ME GO! LET ME GO! THEY KILLED HIM THEY KILLED HIM" Brenda wailed

" BOTH OF YOU STOP IT!" Harry yelled, " We're the only ones who can end this"

" We have to kill the snake" Hermione said

" We cannot lose sight now of what we're supposed to be doing" Harry said

" We need to find out where Voldemort is at, he'll have the snake with him" Hermione said

Harry looked at Brenda, " Brenda, Fred would have wanted us to defeat him"

Brenda looked at her brother and nodded

They closed their eyes and they were once again in Voldemort's head

They saw that Lucius Malfoy was punished recently and that they were in the Shrieking Shack, Lucius was worried for his son and it sounded like he was asking for the fight to be called off, Voldemort saw through the question and knew that Lucius just wanted to know that his son was safe... he said that he knew that the Potters were going to come to him

Voldemort looked at the wand in his hand and without looking up said, " Go and fetch Snape"

" Snape my Lord?" Lucius asked

" Snape. Now. I need him. There is a ... service... I require from him... Go... Now" Voldemort ordered

Lucius hurried and left the room

" It is the only way, Nagini" Voldemort whispered to the snake who was suspended in midair within an enchanted protected space that Voldemort made for her, it looked like a glittering cage or a tank

Harry and Brenda got out of Voldemort's mind and gasped

" He's in the Shrieking Shack and the snake is with him, but it's in a magical cage of some sort... He sent Lucius Malfoy to find Snape" Harry said

" You mean he's just sitting in the Shrieking Shack? Hermione asked, " He's not even fighting?"

" He doesn't think he needs to fight" Brenda said, " He thinks we're going to go to him"

" Why?" Ron asked

" He knows we're after the Horcruxes, he's keeping Nagini close beside him... it's obvious that we're going to have to get close to him to kill it" Harry said

" Well lets go" Brenda said, " You two stay here"

" What?" Hermione asked

" No way" Ron said at the same time

" It's a trap for the both of you" Ron said

" It would be better if we go" Hermione said

" We're not letting the two of you get hurt" Harry said

" We're coming with you, we're in this together" Hermione said firmly, " And sitting here arguing about it is not going to solve anything"

Brenda sighed, " She does have a point" She thought to Harry

" Fine, but you are not getting close to him" Harry said firmly

" Lets put on the cloaks" Brenda suggested getting hers out and throwing it on Herself and Hermione

Harry got his out and threw it over himself and Ron

Just in time too because two Death Eaters ripped the tapestry they were hiding behind making sure nobody was hiding back there

When their backs were turned, there were four stunning spells hitting them before they even realized what was going on

They hurried towards the Entrance Hall they saw many people fighting, it was funny hearing McGonagall yell CHARGE

After they passed McGonagall, they saw members of the D.A. fighting Death Eaters, some were masked and others were not, they even saw Peeves the Poltergeist helping out by dropping Snargaluff pods on the Death Eaters heads, he looked like he was having a fun time

They found Draco Malfoy trying to convince a Death Eater that he was one of them, but the Death Eater didn't believe him and had a wand pointed at him

Brenda Stupefied the Death Eater which surprised Draco Malfoy because he didn't see anybody

Ron punched Draco Malfoy, " And that is the second time your arse was saved by us you bastard"

There were more Death Eaters and duelers before they reached the Entrance Hall, they helped as much as they could, Harry almost accidentally hit Neville with a stunner but it missed him by an inch, Neville was carrying a Venomous Tentacula which wrapped one of it's tentacles around the nearest Death Eater's leg and began pulling him in

Brenda smirked at that, " I do not envy that guy"

Finally they made it outside and there was a battle outside too, there were giants, giant spiders and Death Eaters, Hagrid was trying to reason with the giant spiders because of Arogog but they were not listening, the giants were on the Death Eater's side and they were trying to get people through the windows

Hermione raised her wand to stun a giant that they were close to

" Don't, if you do that, he'll fall on us" Brenda said

" Come on, we need to get to the Shrieking Shack" Harry said taking off their cloaks they all began dodging spells and casting their own spells at Death Eaters, and spiders

All of a sudden the air around them froze and shapes began to move out into the darkness

" We...we need to... to cast... Patronuses" Hermione stuttered

The dementors were getting closer

Hermione and Ron cast their patronuses but they didn't last very long, Brenda tried casting hers but all she could think about was Fred and the others who might be dead

" COME ON, CONCENTRATE ON SOMETHING HAPPY" Hermione yelled and she tried casting hers again

The dementors were getting even closer

All of a sudden there was a silver hare, boar and fox that soared past the four and towards the dementors

Everybody looked to see Luna, Ernie, and Seamus with proud looks on their faces

" Think of something happy" Luna instructed, " We are all here and fighting... think of a special moment that you will never forget... please now"

Brenda thought of Christmas Eve her fourth year, Fred and her became a couple that night... it was one of the most spectacular nights of her life

She smiled at that and cast her patronus, a beautiful unicorn

" For you my love" Brenda whispered

Harry thought of his first kiss with Ginny and that made him able to cast his patronus, a proud stag

" We can't thank you enough" Ron said, " You saved our lives"

Before anything else was said, another giant came out of the woods and it charged at them

" RUN" Harry yelled but he didn't need to, everybody was running, scattering in different directions, the four stayed together but the other three vanished back into battle

" THE WHOMPING WILLOW" Harry yelled

They ran towards the Whomping Willow and stopped just outside it's branches that like to hit people if they got too close

" Now what?" Ron asked, " I'm not going to be dragged in by a dog like last time"

" Ron, you're a wizard, use your wand" Hermione snapped

" Oh" Ron said and he spotted a stick and said, " Immobulus"

The tree stopped it's swinging

" Good, lets go" Hermione said

" Wait" Harry said, " Maybe you two should..."

" Harry, we're coming, now lets go" Ron said pushing him in

It was a tighter squeeze than it had been last time, nearly four years ago, they all had their wands out with the light charm on them

Once they got close to the shack, they all put on the cloaks and knoxed their wands, it was ok, there was light up ahead from the shack, the only thing blocking the entrance to the shack was a crate

They all got on their hands and knees and crawled as close to the crate as possible and looked around

Nagini was in it's cage up in the air, Voldemort was sitting at a table twirling the Elder Wand

Finally Snape began to speak

" My Lord, their resistance is crumbling" Snape started

" And it is doing so without your help" Voldemort said, " But it wouldn't make much difference now if you were there or not... we are almost there, any time now the Potters will be coming to me"

" Let me find them, Let me bring you the Potter twins... I know I can find them, my Lord... Please" Snape said

Voldemort was quiet for a minute and Harry and Brenda were trying to find a way to kill the snake, but it was too risky, one failed attempt and that was it

Voldemort stood up from his chair and said softly, " I have a problem, Severus"

" My Lord?" Snape asked

Voldemort raised the Elder Wand and asked, " Why doesn't it work for me, Severus?"

" My... My Lord? Snape asked, ' I do not understand... you have preformed extraordinary magic with that wand"

" No" Voldemort said, " I have preformed my usual magic, I am extraordinary, but this wand... no, it has not revealed the wonders it has promised... I feel no difference between this wand and the one I got from Ollivander all those years ago... there is no difference"

Harry and Brenda's scars were throbbing with pain, something bad was going to happen, and for some reason, Brenda couldn't get the songs that she got from Dumbledore out of her head

Snape didn't speak

" I have thought long and hard Severus... do you know why I called you back from the battle?" Voldemort asked

Brenda saw Snape glance at the giant snake then return his gaze to Voldemort, " No my Lord, but I beg you will let me return. Let me find the Potter twins"

" They will come to me, as soon as more of their loved ones are struck down, they will come to me" Voldemort said

" But what if they are killed accidentally by somebody else?" Snape asked

" My instructions to my Death Eaters have been perfectly clear... Capture the Potters and kill as many of their loved ones as possible... but... do not kill them" Voldemort said

" If that's his plan then Snape needs to get out of there" Brenda thought to herself, she had a good feeling why Dumbledore gave her those songs

" But it is you who I wish to speak to right now, not the Potters" Voldemort said

" My Lord knows I seek only to serve him" Snape said bowing his head a little

" Good, then you will be able to answer this, Why did both the wands I have used fail when they were directed at the Potters?" Voldemort asked

" I... I cannot answer that my Lord" Snape said

" Can't you?" Voldemort asked calmly but on the inside he was raging and the Potters felt it, " My wand of yew did everything of which I asked of it... except to kill the Potters... it has failed me twice... now why is that?"

" I... I have no explanation, my Lord" Snape said

" I even took Lucius Malfoy's wand because Ollivander suggested a different wand, but that didn't even work... so I went after a third wand... The Elder Wand which I took from its previous master... I took it from the grave of Albus Dumbledore" Voldemort explained

" My Lord, please, let me get the twins" Snape said

Voldemort wasn't listening, " All this long night, when I am on the brink of victory I have been sitting here wondering why the Elder Wand refuses to be what it ought to be, it refuses to perform as legend says it must perform for its rightful owner... and... I think I have the answer"

Snape didn't say anything

" Perhaps you already know it... you are a clever man after all Severus, you have been a good and faithful servant, and... I regret what must happen" Voldemort said

" My Lord?" Snape asked

" The Elder Wand cannot serve me properly Severus, because I am not its true master... The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner. You killed Albus Dumbledore... While you live Severus, the Elder Wand cannot truly be mine" Voldemort said

Harry, Ron and Hermione all had their hands over Brenda's mouth, they knew that she was about to gasp or something, which she did quietly with tears running down her face

" My Lord" Snape protested and he raised his wand as in defense

" It cannot be any other way" Voldemort said, " I must master the wand Severus, Master the wand and I master the Potters at last"

Voldemort swiped the air with the Elder Wand but it did nothing to Snape, there was no green light like they were all thinking, what was happening was that the snake cage was coming closer to Snape and Voldemort spoke one word in Parseltongue,

" Kill"

The snake launched at Snape and pierced his neck with his poisonous fangs

Snape fell to his knees and then too the floor when his knees gave out

" I regret this" Voldemort said coldly then he turned away and with Nagini with him, he left the dying man and the shack

Brenda fought her way out of her brother's and friends' grips and with a spell got the stupid crate out of the way and she hurried to her adopted dad

" Brenda, get back here" Harry ordered

Brenda didn't listen, she moved her dad so his head was in her lap and she began taking potions out of her bracelet, a bunch of blood replenisher, the snake venom antidote and dittany

" B-B-Bre" Snape started

" Shh, don't say anything, I'm going to get you better" Brenda said

" C-C-Cant" Snape said and he began coughing

" Don't say that... now drink this" Brenda ordered and she helped Severus drink the snake venom antidote

" Brenda what are you doing? He's a traitor" Ron said

" No he isn't, he's innocent" Brenda said not taking her eyes off of Severus

" How can you say that?" Ron asked

" I just know ok" Brenda snapped

Brenda took out some bandages from her bracelet and sealed up the wound, the venom needed to be clear out of Severus's system before the dittany could be used

" Hermione, hold this to his neck while I pour a blood replenisher down his throat" Brenda ordered

Hermione did as she was told and Brenda poured a blood replenisher down Severus's throat

" You're going to be ok, just hold on" Brenda said to Severus

" Brenda, how do you know he's innocent?" Harry asked

" The songs... it all makes sense" Brenda said, " They're all about family... he didn't rip up the adoption papers, the look on his face earlier tonight, nobody else saw it… I did"

" He killed Dumbledore" Ron said, " Dumbledore trusted him, he probably made that will a while ago way before Snape betrayed us"

" Well Severus has had plenty of time to bring me to Voldemort don't you think Ron?" Brenda challenged and glared at Ron

" But... ok, good point" Ron said

Five minutes later and two more blood replenishers later, Brenda ran her wand over Severus and saw that the venom was out of his system

" Ok, the dittany" Brenda said

Hermione handed her the dittany and Brenda put it on the bite marks on Severus's neck

" You're going to be ok... Dad... you're going to make it" Brenda said

A couple minutes later Severus's breathing became easier and he tried to talk again

" Shh, don't talk" Brenda said

Severus sighed and pointed to his wand which Harry had in his hand

Harry handed Severus his wand and Severus pointed his wand to his temple and a silvery substance came out of it

Hermione cleaned a vial and handed it to Harry who lifted the silvery substance into the vial

A couple minutes later Severus tried to sit up and managed to with the help of Brenda and Hermione

" You should stay here until this is over... I'll set up some protection wards " Brenda said

" No... Gra-Granger do it... you... stay" Severus rasped

Brenda looked up at Hermione and nodded

" Sir, what is in this vial?" Harry asked

Severus looked at the vial then grimaced, " Everything... everything you will ever need to know... and then some"

" Ok, I'm done" Hermione said

Severus nodded his thanks, " You must go, go to the Headmaster's Office... the password is Lily flower... the same as the apartment... look through my memories"

" Why can't you just tell us?" Harry asked

" Too... too much to tell, please... you must understand and... this is the best way" Severus said

" Ok, we'll go... but you must stay here, you'll be safe" Brenda said

" I'll be fine" Severus said with a small smile and with the help of the others he was on his feet

" You must promise me you'll stay here" Brenda begged

" I promise" Severus said and without warning he gave his daughter a hug, " I missed you"

Brenda hugged him back, " I missed you too"

" I'm so sorry" Severus said

" It's ok... Dad... I forgive you" Brenda said

Severus smiled sadly then frowned, " You all need to leave... help the resistance... go... now"

After Brenda hugged her dad one more time, the four left the shack

" I wish there was another way" Severus said sadly and he sat down on the floor and for the first time in a long time, he cried

 

Before the four were out of the passage Voldemort's voice was heard and he was talking to Hogwarts and the surrounding area

" You have fought valiantly and Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery" Voldemort started, " Yet you have sustained heavy losses... if you all continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one... I do not wish for this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste... Lord Voldemort is merciful and I command my forces to retreat immediately... you have one hour to tend to the wounded and the dead... and now I speak directly to you Potters... You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If at the end of that hour, you have not come to me and given yourselves up, then the battle continues. This time, I shall enter myself and I will find you two and punish every last man, woman and child who has tried to conceal you from me... One hour"

The four hurried out of the Shrieking Shack and towards the castle, it was eerily quiet on the grounds

When they got inside the castle, they saw that everybody was in the Great Hall, some people were crying, others had their arms around each other's necks, Madame Pomfrey was treating the wounded, and the dead were in the middle of the floor in rows, the Weasleys were crowding Fred's body, George was at Fred's head, Mrs. Weasley was crying on Fred's chest, Mr. Weasley was stroking Mrs. Weasley's hair with tears running down his cheeks, Bill, Fleur and Percy were crying and when Ron came over to them, Percy put an arm around him, Hermione went over to a crying Ginny and embraced her in a hug. When Hermione and Ginny moved closer to Fred, Harry and Brenda spotted Remus Lupin on the floor and next to him was his crying wife

Brenda gasped and more tears ran down her face

Harry put his arms around his sister, " Come on, lets get to the Headmaster's Office... we have to finish this"

They hurried and left the Great Hall without seeing anybody else who was dead and they ran towards the Headmaster's Office

" Password?" The Gargoyle asked

" L-lily f-flower" Brenda stuttered trying not to start sobbing right there

The gargoyle opened and they hurried up the winding stairs, they looked around to see if they could see any of the Headmasters' portraits, but none of them were in there, they found the Pensieve, it was in the same place it has always been in

Harry poured Snape's memory in the pensieve and together they plunged in

They landed in a nearly deserted playground... the only occupants were two girls swinging and a skinny looking boy watching them from some bushes, Severus looked like he was nine or ten years old, and his clothes looked like something Harry was forced to wear before he went to Hogwarts

" Lily don't do it" The older looking girl warned

The name Lily got the Potter's attention and they watched what the girls were doing, the little red headed girl jumped off the swing when she was very high up and she stayed up in the air longer then any normal human could, she wasn't scared, she was laughing and having fun, but her sister didn't approve

" Mummy told you not to do that" The older sister said once Lily finally came down, " Mummy said you weren't allowed Lily"

" But I'm fine" Lily said with a giggle, " Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do"

" Is that Aunt Petunia?" Brenda asked

Harry didn't answer and when Brenda looked at him, Harry's mouth was open in awe

" Harry?" Brenda asked

" What? Oh... yah... that's her" Harry said

They watched the scene, Lily was using magic without her realizing it, she took a flower and was showing her sister how she could open and close the flower

" Stop it" Shrieked Petunia

" It's not hurting you" Lily said

They watched the scene and watched how Severus told Lily that she was a witch. Lily thought Severus was making fun of her and being mean but Severus had to explain himself and he was embarrassed that Lily got the wrong idea

It looked like that Severus didn't make a good first impression on the two... the scene changed and they were in a thicket of trees... it looked like Severus and Lily became friends and Severus was explaining the Wizarding World

" And the Ministry can punish you if you do magic outside school" Severus explained

Lily looked scared, " But I have done magic outside school"

" We're alright right now, we don't have wands yet" Severus said, " They let you off when you're a kid and you can't help it... but once you are eleven and start training at school then you need to be careful"

Lily and Severus talked some more, Severus explaining more about the Wizarding World and Lily fascinated by it, when Lily asked about how things were at Severus's house though, Severus's face went blank

" Wow he learned that at an early age" Brenda said with a frown

They watched the scene some more and Petunia confronted them and made Severus mad so he made a branch fall on her and it eventually made Lily upset and she left leaving Severus sad and confused

The next scene was on Platform 9 3/4, Severus was next to a thin sallow-faced, sour looking woman who resembled him

" That must be his Mum" Brenda said

Harry nodded, " I wonder what Mum and Aunt Petunia are saying

They headed over where Lily, Petunia and their parents were at and listened to the conversations

" I'm sorry Tuney, I'm sorry... Listen... maybe once I'm there... I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind" Lily said

" I don't want to go" Petunia said glaring at her sister

They listened to the rest of the conversation

" Do you think I want to be a... Freak?" Petunia asked

Lily's eyes filled with tears

" I'm not a freak" Lily said, " That is a horrible thing to say"

They listened to the rest of the conversation, it sounded like that Petunia wrote to Dumbledore and begged him to let her go

The scene changed to Lily and Severus on the Hogwarts Express and Lily was upset because her sister hated her, the two talked for a little bit and Severus said he wanted her in Slytherin, after that the compartment opened up again and younger versions of James and Sirius entered the compartment

" Who would want to be in Slytherin?" James asked, " If I was in Slytherin, I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

" My whole family have been in Slytherin" Sirius said frowning

" Wow, and I thought you seemed all right" James said

Sirius grinned, " Well maybe I'll break the tradition... If you had the choice where would you go?"

" Gryffindor of course" James said with a smile, " Like my dad... Harold Potter"

Severus snorted

" Got a problem with that?" James asked turning and glaring at Severus

" No" Severus said, " If you like brawn better than brains that is"

" Well where do you think you're going? Because you have neither" Sirius said with a grin

James roared with laughter and Lily got up and she and Severus left

" See ya, Snivellus" James called after them

The scene changed and they saw Lily getting Gryffindor and Severus getting Slytherin

The scene changed and it looked like Severus and Lily were a few years older

" I thought we were supposed to be friends" Severus said, " Best friends"

" We are Sev, but I don't like some of the people you're hanging around with. I'm sorry but I detest Avery and Mulciber... Mulciber... what do you see in him Sev? He's creepy" Lily said

" So is Potter and his mates" Severus said

" What do they have anything to do with this?" Lily asked

" They sneak out at night... there's something weird about that Lupin... where does he keep going?

They talked about a night where Severus was going down to the Whomping Willow and James saved him from whatever was down there

They argued some more until Lily insulted James Potter then everything was back to normal with them

The next memory looked familiar, it was the one that they saw when they entered the pensieve in their fifth year, they saw the whole scene all the way to Severus saying the unforgivable M word... Mudblood and then the scene changed to Severus apologizing for saying that bad M word but Lily didn't forgive him and Severus ended up leaving and she ended up going back to Gryffindor

The scene changed, it took a longer time to change, this one was of an adult Severus and Lily wasn't in it, Severus looked scared

They watched to see what was going on in the scene, it looked like Severus was going to apperate which he did, then he was disarmed

" Don't kill me" Severus begged

" That was not my intention" Dumbledore said, " Well, Severus? What message does Lord Voldemort have for me?"

" No... no message... I'm here on my own account" Severus said and he began wringing his hands in nervousness, " I... I come with a warning... no... a request... please"

Dumbledore was quiet for a moment then asked, " What request could a Death Eater make of me?"

" The... The prophecy... the prediction... Trelawny" Severus stuttered

" Ah... yes... how much did you tell Lord Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked

" Everything... Everything I heard" Severus said, " He is going to hunt Lily down and kill them all"

" If Lily means so much to you" Dumbledore said, " Surely Lord Voldemort will spare her... you could ask for the mercy for the mother in exchange for the children"

" I have... I have asked him" Severus said

" Are you sure he's innocent?" Harry asked, " He was willing to trade our lives for our mothers"

" Shh, he's changed... you know he has" Brenda said

" You disgust me" Dumbledore said and Harry and Brenda have never heard so much contempt in his voice and Severus seemed to shrink a little, " You do not care about the deaths of her husband and children? They can die as long as you have what you want?"

Severus didn't say anything but pleaded with his eyes up at Dumbledore

" Please... hide them all then" Snape said with emotion, " Keep her... them... safe... please"

" And what will you give me in return Severus?" Dumbledore asked

" In... In return?" Severus gasped and after a minute he said, " Anything"

The scene changed and they were in Dumbledore's office and a grief looking Severus was in there

" I thought... you were going... to keep her... safe" Severus said in between sobs

" She and James put their faith in the wrong person" Dumbledore said, " Like you, you put your faith in Voldemort, believing that he was going to spare her"

Snape didn't say anything

" Her children live" Dumbledore said

Snape just glared at the floor

" The boy has his mother's eyes, and the girl looks very much like her" Dumbledore said

" I wish... I wish I were dead" Severus whispered

" And what use would that be to anyone?" Dumbledore asked coldly, " If you loved Lily Evans... then you will make sure it was not in vain... help me protect Lily's children"

" They do not need protection" Severus said, " The Dark Lord is gone"

" And he will return and they will be in terrible danger when he does" Dumbledore said

There was a long pause and Severus was slowly regaining control of himself, " Very well, I will help protect them... But never... never tell Dumbledore, this must be between us"

" You have my word Severus that I shall never reveal the best of you" Dumbledore said

The scene changed to Severus pacing Dumbledore's office complaining about the Potter brats

The scene changed again to Snape grading papers

" Severus can you come to my office, I have something we need to discuss" Dumbledore said through the floo

Snape stopped his grading and went to the Headmasters office

" Yes Albus" Snape asked

" Sit down my boy, have a lemon drop they're really good" Dumbledore offered

" No thanks, what is it you wanted to see me about?" Snape asked

" It's about Brenda Potter" Dumbledore said

" What about Ms. Potter?" Snape asked

" It appears that she is living in a tent at a camp site for the summer" Dumbledore said

" Why isn't she at her foster families home, or an orphanage?" Snape asked

" Her foster family died in a car crash, they were also bad parents, they didn't spend any time with her, and she was in an orphanage... a few of them but she was kicked out because of magic, you know how kids are before they're 11 Severus" Dumbledore said

Severus knew what he was talking about

" So what do you want me to do?" Snape asked

" I want you to collect Ms. Potter for me and we will find her a suitable guardian" Dumbledore said

Severus thought about Brenda Potter and how much she looked like Lily Potter, except for the eyes which were her fathers, she even acted like Lily Potter

" What about me?" Severus asked

" What about you?" Dumbledore asked

" I can be Ms. Potter's guardian" Severus said

" I thought she got on your nerves" Dumbledore said

" Only her brother and that Weasley" Severus said

Dumbledore knew the reason why Severus wanted to take Brenda, it was because she looked like Lily

" Severus, Brenda is not Lily" Dumbledore said

" I know that, she needs a guardian who will be their for her if need be and wont kick her out if weird things happen, I can be that person to do just that" Snape said

" And what would you do if she got into trouble?" Dumbledore asked

" I know how to punish 11 year olds, even without detentions and having points taken away, its called grounding them and if need be spanking them, and making them stay in their rooms for the rest of the day thinking about what they have done wrong" Severus said as if he knew from experience, " After I'm finished grading the sixth year exams I'm going to go home, I'll grade the others at home, I'll sign the papers I need to sign and get Brenda"

Dumbledore handed over the papers and Severus wrote his name in all the right places

" Ok Brenda Potter is now in your care, I will have an owl bring this to the Ministry right away, good luck Severus" Dumbledore said

Severus nodded and left Dumbledore's office

The scene changed again and Severus and Dumbledore stood next to each other in the entrance hall watching the last of the Yule Ball stragglers go off to bed

" Well?" Dumbledore asked

" Karkaroff's Mark is getting darker too... he is panicking and fears retribution... he intends to flee if the mark burns" Severus said

" Does he?" Dumbledore asked softly, " And are you tempted to join him?"

Severus glared at Dumbledore, " No, I am not such a coward and I have a daughter to take care of if you have forgotten"

" No... I have not forgotten... and you are one of the bravest men I have met" Dumbledore said, " Sometimes I think we sort too soon"

Severus looked shocked

The scene changed again and with the look of Dumbledore's hand, it looked like some time during their sixth year

" Why did you put on that ring? It carries a curse, surely you realized that... why did you touch it?" Severus asked

Dumbledore grimaced, " I was a fool... I was tempted"

" By what?" Severus asked but Dumbledore didn't answer, " It's a miracle you managed to return here, that ring carried a curse of extraordinary power, to contain it is all we can hope for; I have trapped the curse in one hand for the time being"

" You have done very well, Severus... How long do you think I have?" Dumbledore asked looking at his hand then at Severus

Severus was quiet for a moment then said, " I cannot tell, maybe a year... I cannot halt the spell forever... It will spread eventually... it is the sort of curse that strengthens over time"

Dumbledore smiled and said, " I am fortunate that I have you Severus"

" If you summoned me earlier, I might have been able to do more, buy you more time" Severus said furiously, the last time he was this furious Brenda apperated illegally and did underaged magic before her fifth year, " Did you think that breaking the ring would break the curse?"

" Well... something like that" Dumbledore said, " Anyway... Lets talk about the plan Lord Voldemort is revolving around me... His plan to have the poor Malfoy boy murder me"

Severus nodded and sat down in a chair

" The Dark Lord does not expect Draco to succeed... This is merely punishment for Lucius's recent failures. Slow torture for Draco's parents, while they watch him fail and pay the price" Dumbledore said, " In short, the boy has had a death sentence upon him just like I have... Now, I should have thought the natural successor to the job, once Draco fails, is yourself?"

" As far as I know, that is the Dark Lords plan" Severus said

" Lord Voldemort foresees a moment in the near future when he will not need a spy at Hogwarts?" Dumbledore asked

" He believes the school will soon be in his grasp... yes" Severus said

" And if it does fall into his grasp" Dumbledore said, " I have your word that you will do all in your power to protect the students of Hogwarts?"

Severus nodded

" Good... now then... Your first priority will be to discover what Draco is up to. A frightened teenage boy is a danger to others as well as himself. Offer him help and guidance, he ought to accept it since he likes you" Dumbledore said

" Much less since his father has lost favor with the Dark Lord... Draco blames me" Severus said

" You still must try... I am less concerned for myself than for accidental victims of whatever schemes might occur to the boy... Ultimately, of course, there is only one thing to be done if we are to save him from Lord Voldemort's wrath" Dumbledore said

Severus lifted an eyebrow, " Are you intending to let him kill you?"

" Certainly not... You must kill me” Dumbledore said

They started talking about Dumbledore's death and in the end Severus said he would do it when the time comes

The scene changed and Severus was asking Dumbledore what he was doing with Harry and Brenda all of the evenings

Dumbledore explained that it was information he was giving the two then he explained that Voldemort fears the connection between him and the two Potters

" I don't understand" Severus said

" Lord Voldemort's soul, maimed as it is, cannot bear close contact with souls like Harry's and Brenda's" Dumbledore said

" Souls? What souls? We were talking about minds and occluding" Severus said

They started talking again and they were close to the Forbidden Forest but then they stopped and Severus looked angry

The scene changed again and they were in Dumbledore's office

" They must not know, not until the last moment, not until it is absolutely necessary... otherwise, how could they have the strength to do what must be done?" Dumbledore asked

" What are they to do?" Severus asked

" That is between Harry, Brenda and me" Dumbledore said

" But Brenda is my daughter, I must know" Severus said with a glare

" I'm sorry Severus... now listen closely... There will come a time... after my death and no arguments... when Voldemort will seem to fear for the life of his snake" Dumbledore said

" For Nagini?" Severus asked astonished

" Yes, If there comes a time when Lord Voldemort stops sending the snake to do his bidding, but keeps it safe with him under magical protection, then it would be safe to tell Harry and Brenda" Dumbledore said

" Tell them what?" Severus asked

Dumbledore took a deep breath and closed his eyes

"Tell them that on the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill them, when Lily cast her own life between them as a shield, the Killing Curse rebounded upon Lord Voldemort, and a fragment of Voldemort's soul was blasted apart from the whole, and latched itself onto the living soul the spell was aimed at, He should have stopped there but he didn't... he cast the Killing Curse again at Brenda and the same thing happened before he disappeared. Part of Lord Voldemort lives inside both Harry and Brenda, and it is that which gives them the power of speech with snakes, and a connection with Lord Voldemort's mind that they have never understood. And while that fragments of soul, unmissed by Voldemort, remain attached to and protected by the Potters, Lord Voldemort cannot die"

Harry and Brenda seemed to be watching the two men from one end of a long tunnel, they were so far away from him, their voices echoing strangely in his ears

"So they…they must die?" Severus asked calmly

"And Voldemort himself must do it, Severus. That is essential." Dumbledore said

Then Severus said, "I thought…all those years…that we were protecting them for her. For Lily"

"We have protected them because it has been essential to teach them, to raise them, to let them try their strengths," said Dumbledore, his eyes still tight shut. "Meanwhile, the connection between them grows ever stronger, a parasitic growth. Sometimes I have thought they suspect it themselves. If I know them, they will have arranged matters so that when they do set out to meet their deaths, it will truly mean the end of Voldemort"

Dumbledore opened his eyes. Severus looked horrified

"You have kept them alive so that they can die at the right moment?"Severus gasped

"Don't be shocked, Severus. How many men and women have you watched die?"Dumbledore asked

"Lately, only those whom I could not save," said Severus. He stood up. "You have used me"

"Meaning?"Dumbledore asked

Severus glared "I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potter's children safe. I adopted Brenda... now you're telling me I have to see my daughter die along with her brother? Now you tell me that they have been raised like pigs for slaughter – "

"But this is touching, Severus," said Dumbledore seriously. "Have you grown to care for the boy as well?"

"OF COURSE I CARE ABOUT THEM!" shouted Severus. "But mostly... Expecto Patronum!"

From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe. She landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Severus, and his eyes were full of tears

"After all this time?" Dumbledore asked

"Always" said Severus

The scene changed to Severus and the portrait of Dumbledore in Dumbledore's office, Dumbledore was giving orders to Severus about telling Voldemort exactly when the Potters were going to leave the Dursleys

The Potters found out it was Severus's idea about the many Potters under polyjuice

Brenda saw that Severus was trying to hit a Death Eater and not George when his ear was cursed off, he was also proud of Brenda for besting him by making his broom catch on fire

They saw Severus in Sirius's old bedroom reading a note from Lily and he was crying over it

They found out that Severus was the one who placed the Sword of Gryffindor in the lake and helped them find it

After that, they were out of Severus's memories

" Now do you believe he's innocent?" Brenda asked

Harry frowned and nodded

They were silent for a very long time sitting on the floor lost in thought

 

" We cannot tell anybody about this" Harry whispered

" Ron and Hermione be able to kill him once we're gone" Brenda whispered, " How much time do we have?"

Harry looked at the gold watch he got for his birthday, " About a half hour"

Brenda sighed, " Well... we should go"

They both slowly stood up and looked around the office for the very last time then left and descended the stairs

" We should put on our cloaks, just in case" Brenda said

Harry nodded and they both put on their cloaks and held each other's hands, it gave them more strength to do what they were about to do

They were not stopped by anybody, the whole castle was empty, people were still gathering up the injured and the dead

They made it to the Entrance Hall and the front door and took a deep breath and before they opened the door to go outside, the door opened and Neville and Oliver came in carrying a body

Brenda gasped, the body was Colin Creevey

" What is he? He couldn't have... he was underaged" Brenda thought

" Ginny got past and Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle got to stay as well" Harry thought

" You know what? I can manage him on my own Neville" Oliver Wood said and he lifted Colin over his shoulder, " You go find some others"

Neville took a moment to wipe his sweaty brow and then he headed back outside to recover more bodies

Harry and Brenda glanced back at the Great Hall, hoping to spot at least one of their loved ones, but they didn't see anybody

" It... it's better this way, we should go" Brenda said with tears

They stepped outside and went down the steps and left the castle

" We should tell Neville, just in case" Harry said

They walked up to Neville who was bending over another body

" Neville" Both Harry and Brenda said

Neville jumped and they took off their cloaks

" Blimey, you two nearly gave me a heart attack" Neville said, " What are you two doing? Where are you going alone?"

" It's all part of the plan" Harry said

" There's something we need to do... now listen" Brenda started

" You guys aren't thinking about handing yourselves over are you?" Neville asked with fright

" No" Brenda lied, " Of course not... this is something else... we need to kill his snake Nagini"

" Yah I heard of that snake, why does it need to be killed?" Neville asked

" Ron and Hermione know why, ask them if necessary... but it's best if you know just in case they... um... yah... it's better if you know as well, just in case they're busy and you get the chance" Harry said

" Get the chance to do what? Kill the snake?" Neville asked

Harry and Brenda nodded

" Ok... you two are ok aren't you?" Neville asked

" We're fine... got to stay strong... can't break down... now's not the time" Brenda said more to herself then Neville and they started to leave

" Wait" Neville said and he grabbed their wrists, " We're all going to keep fighting... I want you to know that"

" Yah Nev... we know" Harry said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes

" Good luck" Brenda said

Neville smiled and nodded

They walked on some more and stopped in their tracks, Ginny was kneeling beside an injured girl

" It's all right" Ginny said, " It's ok, We're going to get you inside"

" But I want to go home" The girl whispered, " I don't want to fight anymore"

" I know... it's going to be ok" Ginny said but her voice broke

" Come on Harry, it's for the best" Brenda thought to Harry

Brenda had to pull Harry away and Harry let her

Ginny looked around thinking that somebody was watching her, but nobody was there

They passed Hagrid's hut and they were remembering all of the good times they had with Hagrid

Brenda felt somebody watching her but that was wrong because she was wearing her cloak, she turned and saw that Severus was outside by the Whomping Willow under the cover of darkness and he was staring at the Forbidden Forest

Brenda took off her cloak and just stared at her adopted father who was staring right back at her

They stared at each other for a few minutes and then Severus nodded to her and Brenda nodding back. Severus went back into the passage to the Shrieking Shack

" What was that about?" Harry asked

Brenda was quiet for a moment, " I believe... I believe that was his way of saying goodbye"

Brenda got into her pouch where her favorite things were at like the unicorn from Fred, she also had her BRENDA necklace, she took that out and put it on

" This necklace is lucky, and... I want to die with it" Brenda whispered and then she put her cloak back on

They stopped at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, there were a swarm of dementors gliding among the trees

Harry and Brenda both looked terrified, they didn't think they had enough strength between them to produce even one patronus, not after seeing so many people dead and knowing that they were literally walking to their own deaths

" Harry, we never figured out how to open the snitch" Brenda whispered

Harry looked at her and then took the pouch and took it off his neck and opened it up and grabbed the snitch

Harry read the description again I open at the close

" It has to mean now doesn't it?" Brenda asked, " I mean... this is the close... of our lives"

Harry nodded and he pressed his lips to the metal and whispered, " We are about to die"

The metal shell broke open and with whispered Lumos's they saw what was in it, it was the Resurrection Stone, it was broken in two pieces

Brenda and Harry both took a piece and fit them together, there was a tingly sensation in their hands and then they heard noises, they weren't scared, they just waited until they appeared, they did not let go of each other's hands

A few moments later James, Lily, Sirius and Lupin were standing before them, they didn't look like ghosts, but they didn't look alive either... they mostly looked like Tom Riddle did back in their second year when they were in the Chamber of Secrets

They were all smiling at Harry and Brenda, and they all looked young, James and Lily looked the same as they remembered from pictures, but Sirius looked younger then they remembered him being, so was Lupin, he wasn't as shabby as he was and his hair was more brown and no gray

Lily made the first move towards her children and hugged them, " You two have been so brave"

James came up to them next and patted their shoulders, " You are nearly there... Very close... we are so... so very proud of the both of you"

" Does it hurt?" Brenda whispered

" Dying?" Sirius asked coming up to them and hugging them, " No, not at all... actually, it's quicker and easier than falling asleep"

" And he will want it to be quick... he wants it over" Lupin said coming up to the group

" We didn't want you to die" Harry and Brenda said, " Any of you"

" Didn't you have a chance to take the potion?" Brenda asked Lupin

" I had the chance" Lupin said, " And that was quick thinking, it saved many lives... I gave my share to somebody else and now they are alive because of it"

" But you're not... and you just had your son" Harry said, " I'm sorry Remus"

" Yah, me too" Brenda said with tears in her eyes

Lupin sighed, " I am sorry too... sorry I will never get to know him... but he will know why I died and I hope he will understand that I was trying to make the world a better place for him to grow up in... I am glad Tonks took the potion Brenda, thank you... Teddy will at least have one parent"

All of a sudden there was a chilly breeze and everything went quiet for a moment

" Are you going to stay with us?" Harry asked

" Until the very end" James said

" But... won't they see you?" Brenda asked

" We are apart of the both of you" Sirius said, " We are invisible to anyone else"

Harry and Brenda looked at Lily, " Stay close to us?"

Lily smiled, " Always"

They set off under Harry's cloak, they wanted to stay as close as they could, the dementors didn't bother them and their family was surrounding them, most likely protecting them from the dementors

They walked on, not knowing where Voldemort was but they kept putting one foot in front of the other

All of a sudden there was a noise made by an animal and two Death Eaters appeared with their wands drawn

Harry and Brenda stopped in their tracks and so did their family

" Who's there?" One of the Death Eaters asked, " They have invisibility cloaks... it could be them"

They waited for a minute

" I definitely heard something" A Death Eater said, " It could have been an animal"

" Hagrid kept a whole bunch of stuff in here" The other Death Eater said

" Well, time is nearly up" The first Death Eater said looking at his watch, " They had their hour and they're not coming"

" And he was so sure they would come" The other Death Eater said, " He's not going to be happy about this"

" We better go back and find out what the plan is now" The first Death Eater said

The Death Eaters turned and walked deeper into the forest and Harry, Brenda and the others followed

They only walked a couple more minutes until they reached a clearing that looked familiar to both Harry and Brenda

" This is the clearing where Aragog lived" Brenda thought to Harry

There was a fire burning in the middle of the clearing and around the fire were Death Eaters, some were masked and some were not. There were also two giants with cruel faces, there was also Fenrir the werewolf and other familiar faces like Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy and they both looked terrified, most likely for their son

Nagini was in it's enchanted cage behind Voldemort's head

All of the Death Eaters were looking at Voldemort who had his head bowed, it looked like he was in prayer, and he only looked up when the two Death Eaters who Harry and Brenda were following joined the circle

" Well?" Voldemort asked

" No sign of them, my Lord" One Death Eater said

Voldemort didn't show his true feelings after that statement, but he did grip the Elder Wand a little tighter

" I thought they would come" Voldemort said with anger in his eyes, " I expected them to come"

Nobody was speaking, they all seemed as scared as Harry and Brenda whose hearts were beating so loud that it was a wonder that nobody heard them

Harry and Brenda looked at each other, squeezed their hands tighter, looked at their family who were behind them and took off the invisibility cloak and Harry stuffed it in his robes along with his wand, Brenda hid her wand as well, they had to do this and they couldn't be tempted to fight

" I was, it seems... mistaken" Voldemort said glaring at the wand

" You weren't" Harry and Brenda said at the same time clearly and loudly enough for all to hear, their hands were very sweaty from fear and the Resurrection Stone slipped from between their hands and that made their parents, Sirius and Lupin vanish

" They're still with us" Brenda thought to Harry

Harry agreed

After everybody saw the Potter Twins all of the Death Eaters had their wands pointed at them and the giants were roaring

Voldemort was just staring at the two, he was kind of frozen to the spot, not believing what he was seeing, they didn't even have their wands out, the only thing separating Voldemort from those two was the fire

" NO YOU TWO DON'T" A voice yelled and it sounded like Hagrid

They looked towards the voice and saw that Hagrid was bound to a tree

" NO NO YOU TWO WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE" Hagrid started but didn't get to finish his question because a Death Eater put a silencing spell on him

There was silence for a while until Voldemort spoke

" Potters... The Twins Who Lived" Voldemort said

Nobody moved or said anything, everybody was waiting for something to happen, well except Hagrid, he was trying to get out of his binds

Voldemort raised his wand and with three words, " AVADA KADAVRA DUPLICO" a flash of green light hit their targets and for Harry and Brenda, everything was dark

Brenda woke up still holding Harry's hand, she felt really weird, she was laying on something hard so that must mean she wasn't disembodied right? Because of the sense of touch... ghosts just go through things

Brenda opened her eyes and everything was white and... misty... the next thing Brenda noticed was that Harry was also awake

" Are you ok?" They asked at the same time and then laughed nervously then to both their horrors, they were naked

A second later there were a pile of clothes for both of them and they hurried putting them on without looking at the other, Brenda smiled when her necklace and bracelet were with her clothes

To Harry's concern, his glasses weren't with him... and the funny thing is... he didn't need them

" I wonder where we are" Brenda said looking around

All of a sudden there was a noise, it sounded repulsive and it seemed to be coming from under a seat that appeared out of nowhere

Harry and Brenda both went towards it to get a better look

It looked like two halves of a child, one halve had half a head, one arm, half a stomach and one leg, the other had the other half, they were both naked and had raw and rough skin

" What in the world?" Brenda asked, " We should help it"

They didn't move though

" You cannot help it" A voice said

Harry and Brenda turned around and to their astonishment, Albus Dumbledore was walking towards them and he looked 75 years younger since they saw him last, and both of his hands were ok

Dumbledore smiled, " You two are so very brave... very very brave adults... lets walk"

Harry and Brenda were stunned but the followed Dumbledore anyway, they wanted answers and they were sure that Dumbledore could give them answers

Dumbledore led them away from the child like thing to three chairs they didn't notice before

" Have a seat" Dumbledore said and he sat down himself

Harry and Brenda sat and just stared at Dumbledore

" You're dead aren't you?" Harry finally asked

" Oh yes, most definitely" Dumbledore said

" Then... that means... we're dead too?" Brenda asked

" Ah" Dumbledore said with a smile, " Now that is a question isn't it... I don't think so"

Harry and Brenda gasped, " We're not?"

" No" Dumbledore said

" But..." Harry started, " We should have died... we didn't defend ourselves... we meant to let him kill us"

" And that will has made all of the difference" Dumbledore explained with a wide smile

" Please explain" Brenda said

" But why explain something you already know?" Dumbledore asked

Harry and Brenda looked at each other, " We let him kill us"

" Yes, go on" Dumbledore encouraged

" So the parts of his soul that were in us... have gone correct?" Brenda asked

" Yes" Dumbledore said, " He destroyed both halves of the part that he gave the two of you... your souls are whole and completely your own"

" And" Brenda started looking over her shoulder at that child like thing, " Those two halves are what is left of the parts that were in us?"

" Yes" Dumbledore said

" But if Voldemort used the Killing Curse and nobody died for us this time... how can we be alive?" Harry asked

" You know that as well, think back to what he did" Dumbledore said

It was quiet for a minute

" Our blood runs in his veins" Harry whispered

" Precisely" Dumbledore said " He took your blood and rebuilt his living body with it. Your blood is in his veins... Lily's protection is inside not only the both of you, but also Voldemort... He tethered you both to life while he lives"

" So... we live while he lives?" Brenda asked, " But... isn't it the other way around?"

" Can you please explain more? This is confusing" Harry said

Dumbledore smiled, " You both were the seventh Horcrux, half of the part of soul went to you Harry, and the other half went to you Brenda... the thing is, is that he never meant to make a seventh Horcrux. His soul was so unstable that it broke apart when he committed those acts of unspeakable evil, the murder of your parents, the attempted killings of children. But what escaped from that room was even less than he knew. He left more than his body behind. He left part of himself latched to the two of you... the would be victims who had survived"

" That's a new one" Brenda joked

Dumbledore chuckled a bit then started lecturing again, " His knowledge remained incomplete which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to understand. He does not understand house elves, children's tales, love, loyalty and innocence. He knows and understands nothing that they all have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of any magic, is a truth he has never grasped... he thought that by taking your blood, it would strengthen him. He took into his body a tiny part of the enchantment your mother laid upon the both of you when she died for you. His body keeps her sacrifice alive, and while that enchantment survives, so do the both you and so does Voldemort's one last hope for himself"

" Why didn't you tell us this when you knew all along?" Brenda asked

" I guessed" Dumbledore said, " My guesses are usually right, but one must never have faith in a guess"

" There's something else I want to know... that we need to know" Harry said

Dumbledore didn't say anything but he nodded his head for Harry to continue

" Why did my wand break Lucius's wand, the wand that Voldemort borrowed?" Harry asked

" I am not sure" Dumbledore said

" Then take a guess" Brenda said

Dumbledore sighed, " I don't think Voldemort ever expected to have a wand let alone two wands have the same core as his... that night when he was resurrected and Priori Incantatem was resulted, he was more afraid than the two of you, he was afraid that the same thing would happen to him like it did all of those years ago the first time he tried to kill you... Your courage won and your wands overpowered his and in doing so, something happened between the wands... I believe that your wands imbibed some of the power and qualities of Voldemort's wand that night... your wand Harry, I believe recognized him when he came after you that night, it recognized a man who was both kin and mortal enemy and it used some of his own magic against him, magic that was much more powerful than anything Lucius's wand could have performed"

" Well if my wand was so powerful, then why could Hermione break it?" Harry asked

" Only toward Voldemort was the wand abnormally powerful since it recognized him, your wand is just like any other" Dumbledore explained

It was quiet for a few minutes

" Speaking of wands, he killed us with yours, did you know?" Brenda asked

" He failed to kill you with my wand" Dumbledore corrected with a smile and a twinkle in his eye, " You are not dead"

" Then where are we?" Brenda asked looking around

" I was hoping the two of you could tell me that" Dumbledore said

" Well" Harry said looking around, " It kind of looks like Kings Cross Station"

" Only without people and trains" Brenda said

" Really?" Dumbledore asked, " Interesting"

" There's something else that's interesting that we want to know about" Brenda said, " The Deathly Hallows"

The smile and twinkle left from Dumbledore's face

" Don't tell us that you know nothing about the Deathly Hallows, you gave Hermione that book, gave us the cloaks, you had the wand and you gave Harry the snitch with the stone inside" Brenda said

" Yes, I am not going to say I know nothing about the Hallows" Dumbledore said but then he was quiet

" Well?" Brenda asked

" First of all, I beg for your forgiveness" Dumbledore said addressing the both of them, " For not telling you... for not trusting you... I feared that you were going to fail like I have failed... I dreaded that the two of you would make my mistakes"

" What are you talking about?" Harry asked

They both gasped when they saw tears in Dumbledore's eyes

" The Hallows... are a desperate man's dream" Dumbledore whispered

" But they're real" Brenda said

" Yes... real... and dangerous... and a lure for fools" Dumbledore said, " I was a fool"

" You're not a fool" Brenda said

" Master of death... Master of Death" Dumbledore said, " I was no better than Voldemort"

" Of course you were" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

" You never killed if you could avoid it" Brenda said

" True... but I too looked for a way to conquer death" Dumbledore said

" Not the way he did" Harry said, " You looked for Hallows, not Horcruxes"

" Along with Grindelwald... we were looking for them together" Dumbledore said, " It was the thing that brought us together... Grindelwald wanted to come to Godric's Hollow because of the grave of Ignotus Peverell... He wanted to explore the place the third brother had died"

" So the story was true about the Peverell brothers" Brenda said

Dumbledore nodded, " Though I don't know if the whole thing is true, about them meeting Death... I think they were simply gifted and dangerous wizards who created those powerful objects... The story of them being Death's own Hallows seems to me the sort of legend that might have sprung around such creations... the Cloak, as you know, traveled down through the ages, father to son, mother to daughter, right down to Ignotus's last living descendants, who were born, as Ignotous was, in the village of Godric's Hollow"

Dumbledore smiled at this

" Us?" Brenda asked

Dumbledore nodded

" And I'm sure you know why there are two cloaks" Dumbledore said

" We're thinking our parents split them down the middle so we would both be safe... they would have done an engorgement charm and then a splitting charm" Brenda said

Dumbledore nodded, " James explained that to me when he and Lily left them in my possession before they died... It explained a lot how he got away with things when he was at school... I was excited when he left them with me, they were the cloak from the story and I couldn't believe my luck, I had two Hallows in my possession"

" The cloaks wouldn't have helped Mum and Dad survive" Harry said

" Voldemort knew where Mum and Dad were... the cloak wouldn't have made them curse proof" Brenda said

It was silent for a while

" So... you gave up looking for the Hallows?" Brenda asked

" Yes, after I had the cloak... er... cloaks" Dumbledore said, " I despise myself for this"

" For what?" Harry asked

" Well, you know the secret of my sister's ill health, what those Muggles did, what she became. You know how my father got revenge and paid the price by dying in Azkaban. You know how my mother gave up her life to care for Ariana... well... I resented it" Dumbledore said, " I was gifted and brilliant. I wanted to escape... I wanted to shine... I wanted glory"

Dumbledore's face looked pained, " I loved them, my parents, my brother, my sister... but I was selfish... more selfish then the both of you could imagine... and after my mother died, I was left with the responsibility of a damaged sister and a wayward brother... I returned to my village in anger and bitterness... I felt trapped and wasted... and then... he came"

Dumbledore talked about how he went along with Grindelwald's plan to force Muggles into subservience, he went along with it because he told himself how it would be for the greater good. He talked about the Deathly Hallows and how both he and Grindelwald were fascinated by them, the unbeatable wand which would lead them to power, the Resurrection stone which to Grindelwald would mean an army of Inferi and to Dumbledore it would bring his parents back and lift all of the responsibility off of his shoulders

Dumbledore said that they never really talked about the cloak, because they both could conceal themselves without it. The only useful thing the cloak would be to them would be to conceal Ariana. There only interest in it besides hiding Ariana would be completing the trio since the legend says that the one who united all three objects would then be truly master of death which they thought meant invincible

Dumbledore talked about how they talked about the Hallows for two months and how Dumbledore neglected to care for his sister. Dumbledore then said how reality returned once Aberforth told him that he couldn't take Ariana on the quest to find those objects and that got in a big fight between Grindelwald and Aberforth, Albus was trying to stop it and Ariana got in the crossfire and died

After that part of the story was told, Dumbledore was in tears and both Brenda and Harry hugged Dumbledore in comfort and it helped him regain his control

" A-After that, Grindelwald fled with his plans for seizing power and his schemes for Muggle torture, and his dreams of the Deathly Hallows, dreams that I helped plan with him... he ran when I was left to bury my sister and learn to live with my guilt and my terrible grief... the price of my shame" Dumbledore said with tears in his eyes, " Years passed and there were rumors about him... They said that he had procured a wand of immense power. While that was going on, I was offered the post of Minister of Magic, and not once, but many times but naturally like every single time, I refused. I learned that I was not to be trusted with so much power... I was safer at Hogwarts. I think I was a good teacher"

" You were awesome as Headmaster, I'm sure you were awesome as a teacher as well" Harry said

Dumbledore smiled, " Why thank you Harry... while I was busy with the training of young wizards, Grindelwald was raising an army... they say that he feared me, and perhaps he did, but less, than I feared him I think"

" You were afraid to die at his hand?" Brenda asked

" No, not death" Dumbledore said, " Not what he could do to me magically, I knew that we were evenly matched, perhaps I was a shade more skillful... what I was afraid of was the truth... you see, I never knew which one it was who killed my sister... I dreaded beyond all knowledge that it was I who killed her... I think he knew what frightened me... he took advantage of that. I delayed meeting him until finally it would have been too shameful to resist any longer... people were dying and he seemed unstoppable... I had to do what I could and... I did... I won the duel and won the wand"

It was silent for a long while

" Grindelwald tried to stop Voldemort going after the wand... he lied to him, saying that he never had it" Dumbledore said

" Why would he say that if he was evil and wanted the same thing that Voldemort wants? Well... Kind of" Brenda asked

"They say he showed remorse in later years, alone in his cell at Nurmengard... I am hoping that is true... I would like to think he did feel the horror and shame of what he had done... perhaps that lie to Voldemort was his attempt to make amends... to prevent Voldemort from taking the Hallow" Dumbledore said

" Or from breaking into your tomb" Harry suggested

Dumbledore dabbed at his eyes

" You tried to use the Resurrection Stone" Brenda said

Dumbledore nodded, " It is the Hallow that I have been craving all of these years... I lost my head... I forgot that it was now a Horcrux, that the ring was going to carry a curse. I picked it up, put it on and for a moment I imagined I was going to see Ariana and my parents to tell them how sorry I was... I was a fool, after all of those years I learned nothing, I was unworthy to unite the Deathly Hallows, I had proved it time and time again... and here was the final proof"

" Why?" Brenda asked, " It was natural, you wanted to see them again... what's wrong with that?"

Dumbledore explained that he was fit only to possess the Elder Wand and not boast of it and not to kill with it, he was permitted to tame and use it because he took it not for gain but to save others from it. The cloaks he said could have never worked for him as they worked for Harry and Brenda because they are the true owners of them, The stone he said he would have used to attempt to drag back the ones who were at peace rather than enable a self sacrifice like Harry and Brenda did... they are the worthy possessors of the Hallows

" It's funny how it's not one person who is worthy, but two... it seems like everything comes in twos, half of part of Voldemort's soul was in Harry and half of it was in me, the sorcerers stone was split in half, we had the same Godfather, both of our names were drawn out of the Goblet of Fire and that was weird by itself it was supposed to be the Triwizard Tournament... now we should call it the Pentawizard Tournament, Voldemort had to create a new spell just so the killing curse could hit both of us, the prophecy is meant for the both of us... it's just kind of funny, usually in books there is only one person everything happens to but here... in real life... there has always been two" Brenda said

" I guess it's a twin thing" Harry said with a smile

Brenda smiled too, " I wouldn't have it any other way... Voldemort never knew about the Hallows right?"

" No, I don't think so... if he did, I don't think he would turn the Resurrection Stone into a Horcrux... but if he did know about them, I don't think he would be interested in any of them except for the wand...He wouldn't think he would need the cloak because he could conceal himself, and as for the stone, there is nobody he would want to bring back from the dead... he does not love" Dumbledore said

" But you have expected him to go after the wand?" Harry asked

" I was sure that he would try, ever since your wands beat Voldemort's in the graveyard. At first, he was afraid that you both conquered him by superior skill... but once he kidnapped Ollivander, he discovered the existence of the same cores... he thought that explained everything... but the borrowed wand did no better against yours Harry, so Voldemort instead of asking himself what made your wand so strong and what gift you possessed that he did not, he naturally set out to find the one wand that as they say, can beat any other. For him the Elder Wand has become an obsession to rival his obsession with the two of you. He believes that the Elder Wand removes his last weakness and makes him truly invincible... poor Severus"

" He's alive you know, I saved him with potions" Brenda said

" I know, and I bet he's very grateful for that and very proud" Dumbledore said

" If you planned your death with Snape, you meant him to end up with the Elder Wand, didn't you?" Harry asked

" That was my intention" Dumbledore said, " But it didn't work as I intended"

" No... that bit didn't work out" Harry said with a sigh

It was quiet for a very long time, the only sound was that part of soul that was in half

" We have to go back don't we" Harry whispered

" That is up to the two of you" Dumbledore said

" You mean, we have a choice?" Brenda asked

Dumbledore nodded, " We are in King's Cross... I think if you decide not to go back, you will be able to... board a train"

" And where does the train take us?" Brenda asked

Dumbledore smiled and didn't say anything

" Voldemort has the Elder Wand" Harry said

" True... Voldemort has the Elder Wand" Dumbledore said

" And you want us to go back" Harry said

" I think" Dumbledore said, " That if you choose to return, there is a chance that he may be finished for good. I cannot promise it. But I know this... you have less to fear from returning here than he does"

Harry and Brenda looked at the child like thing that was making noise, it sounded like it was chocking

" Do not pity the dead, Pity the living, and those who live without love... by returning, you may be the ones responsible for the fewer souls maimed, fewer families torn apart... if that seems like a worthy goal to you... then we say good bye for the present" Dumbledore said, " You can decide what you want to do"

" Brenda we should go back" Harry said

" I don't know Harry... Fred is here, well not here but... you know... you should go back... you have Ginny, you should be with her... I should be with Fred... maybe not everything to do with twins comes in pairs" Brenda said sadly

" If Fred Weasley is the only reason you want to stay, then I suggest you go back... Fred is not dead" Dumbledore said

" What do you mean?" Brenda asked, " He has no heart beat, pulse or breath"

Dumbledore smiled, " You have read muggle fairytales right?"

" Of course" Brenda said confused, "What do fairytales have to do with Fred?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, " My favorites are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty"

" But what do they have to do with" Brenda started and gasped, " Oh... are you sure?"

Dumbledore's smile widened and nodded

Brenda smiled and hugged the former Headmaster

" Tell me one last thing" Harry said, " Is this real? Or has this been happening inside our heads?"

Dumbledore began fading and he said one last thing to them, " Of course it's in your heads, but that doesn't mean it's not real"

The next thing Harry and Brenda knew, they were laying face down on the ground with the smell of the forest in their noses

When Harry and Brenda resumed consciousness they decided it would best to play dead, to their awe, they still had the mind link with each other

Their bodies ached where the Killing Curse was shot at them, it felt like a big bruise

The thing that surprised them both was that there were no cheers of celebration, everything was quiet, except for whispers

" My Lord... My Lord" The voice was Bellatrix's

" I wonder what is going on" Brenda thought

" I don't know, don't open your eyes though, keep playing dead" Harry thought

They both knew they had their wands and invisibility cloaks with them, they could feel where they put them

" My Lord" Bellatrix said again

" That will do" Voldemort's voice said

Harry opened his eyes just a little bit to see what was going on

" Voldemort just got to his feet, I guess he passed out and lost consciousness like we did" Harry thought, " The Death Eaters were crowding around him but are now in a circle... Bellatrix is kneeling by him though"

" Yah, well she's the weirdest of them all" Brenda thought

" My Lord, let me hel" Bellatrix started

" I do not require assistance" Voldemort said coldly, " The twins... are they dead?"

There was complete silence and everybody was looking at the two and it terrified the both of them, they were scared that an eyelid or a finger might twitch while they were watching

" You" Voldemort ordered and after a bang and a shriek of pain Voldemort told them to examine the twins and tell him whether they were dead or not

Harry and Brenda's hearts began to beat harder while they waited for whoever it was to examine them... they took comfort in noting that Voldemort was too scared to check himself... that he was afraid not everything went as according to plan

Soft hands touched Harry and Brenda at the same time, one hand on one and one hand on the other

The person was Narcissa Malfoy, she checked their eyes then to Brenda's horror went under their shirts and checked to see if their hearts were beating

Narcissa was breathing fast, " Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle?"

She whispered it and they barely caught it

Narcissa looked like she was checking to see if they were breathing and together they whispered, " Yes"

Narcissa looked relieved and thanked them with her eyes, then she stood up and turned to the Death Eaters and Voldemort, " They are dead"

Now Harry and Brenda could hear the cheers and by opening their eye lids a crack they saw red and silver light shoot into the air, like fireworks

" Why did she lie?" Harry thought

" She wants to find her son, right now she doesn't care if Voldemort wins or not" Brenda thought

" You see?" Voldemort screeched over the celebration, " The Potters are dead by my hand, and now, no man or woman alive can threaten me now... Watch... Crucio Duplico"

They were expecting it, it was one of Voldemort's favorite curses

" Must... stay... still" Harry thought

They were lifted up into the air and were thrown up and down three times, Harry's glasses flew off and their wands were slipping from their robes but they still held still

There was laughter in the air

" Now" Voldemort said and it was quiet again, " We go to the castle and show them what has become of their heroes... now... who shall drag the bodies? Oh... I know"

There was a trembling on the ground

" You carry them" Voldemort said, " They should be light enough for you to carry both, and you're big enough to do it, one in your right arm and one in your left... there that's it, now everybody can see them clearly"

Harry and Brenda were picked up into Hagrid's arms, they still had to look lifeless but they wished they could tell Hagrid that they were alive and well

" Somebody put his glasses back on his face, he needs to be recognized" Voldemort said

Somebody slammed Harry's glasses on his face

" Now Hagrid, move" Voldemort ordered

On the way out of the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid was crying and great tears splashed down on the Potter's faces but they didn't move to remove the tears

There was a lot of noise on the way towards the castle, the giants were knocking down trees while they walked

Harry and Brenda could sense that they were close, they could feel the Dementors

" STOP" Voldemort ordered

Everybody stopped and waited for what Voldemort was going to do

Voldemort made his voice so it would sound all the way to the castle and Hogsmeade, " The Potter Twins are dead, they were killed trying to run away, trying to save themselves while you laid down your lives for them. We bring you their bodies as proof that your heroes are gone... the battle is won and you have lost half of your fighters... my Death Eaters outnumber you, the Twins Who Lived are finished... There must be no more war... Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family... Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents, children, brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world that we shall build together"

There was silence for a long while

" Come" Voldemort ordered and he moved on ahead and Hagrid followed

Harry and Brenda opened their eyes a bit and saw that Nagini was out of its cage and on Voldemort's shoulders

" If only these stupid Death Eaters weren't here, then we could kill that evil thing" Brenda thought

When they got closer to the castle, they shut their eyes tight again and waited for the people they tried to save see them lying ' dead' in Hagrid's arms

" NO" There was a scream

The scream surprisingly came from Professor McGonagall

There was laughter coming from Bellatrix Lestrange

Harry and Brenda squinted a bit to see the door fill with survivors who wanted to see the deaths of the Potters for themselves

All of the survivors gasped and were denying that it wasn't possible

Ron, Hermione's and Ginny's cries were the worst ones of all

It was getting very loud with all of the anguished cries that Voldemort had to yell, " SILENCE" To get everybody's attention

" It is over... set them down Hagrid, at my feet, where they belong" Voldemort ordered

They were lowered onto the grass by Voldemort's feet apparently, they didn't want to look for obvious reasons

" You see?" Voldemort asked, " Harry and Brenda Potter are dead! Do you understand now? They were nothing, nothing but kids who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for them"

" They beat you" Ron yelled

" They were killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds" Voldemort said with relish in his voice, " Killed while trying to save themselves"

There was a scuffle and a shout, a bang, a flashof light and a grunt of pain... Harry and Brenda opened their eyes thanking Merlin that they weren't facing Voldemort's feet and they could see what was going on, Neville was in a body bind, his hands were curled in fists and he looked angry

Voldemort began talking to Neville, saying that he would be a very valuable Death Eater

" I'll join you when hell freezes over" Neville said then he yelled, " DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY"

There was a cheer coming from the crowd and no amount of silencing charms were holding their cheers in

" Very well... if that is your choice Longbottom... we will revert to the original plan... on your head... so be it"

With a wave of Voldemort's wand, an object came from a tower and descended into Voldemort's hand

It was the sorting hat

" There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School" Voldemort said, " No more Houses... The emblem, shield,and colors of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will work for anyone. Won't they, Neville Longbottom?"

A moment later the hat was on Neville's head and it was forced on below the eyes

There was movement coming from the Survivors but the Death Eaters were keeping them at bay

" Neville is now going to demonstrate what happens to any one foolish enough to continue to oppose me" Voldemort said and with a flick of his wand, the Sorting Hat burst into flames

" Ok, enough of this waiting, we must act now" Brenda thought

Harry agreed

Before they could do anything though, there was the sound of war cries and Grawp came into view yelling for Hagrid, along with Voldemort's giants and chasing the giants were the sounds of hoofs and the sounds of arrows being shot

" The Centaurs" Brenda thought

The Death Eaters all broke rank and began trying to fight off the half giant's brother and the centaurs

" Now's our chance, under the invisibility cloaks" Harry thought

They pulled out their invisibility cloaks, swung them over themselves and sprang to their feet, at that same moment, the body bind Neville was in collapsed and Neville took the flaming hat off, but that wasn't the only thing, inside that hat was the sword of Gryffindor

Neville took one look at it and then swung the sword and sliced Nangini's head off which spun high into the air and everybody was looking at it

Voldemort's mouth was opened in a scream of fury but nobody could hear it over the noise, the snake's body thudded to the ground at his feet

Before Voldemort could lift his wand to kill Neville, Brenda cast a Shield Charm between Neville and Voldemort

Over the screams of everybody, Hagrid yelled the loudest, " HARRY... BRENDA... WHERE ARE THEY?"

There was utter chaos, the centaurs were fighting the Death Eaters, everybody was trying to get out from under the giants' stomping feet, reinforcements were coming, Harry and Brenda saw wing creatures soaring around the heads of the giants, the thestrals and Buckbeak the hippogriff were helping fight the giants

Because of the giants, the wizards, bad and good alike were being pushed back into the castle

Harry and Brenda were shouting spells at Death Eaters and they were down before they knew what hit them, they too were being pushed back in the castle. They were searching for Voldemort and when they saw him, they sent shield charms and saved Hannah Abbot, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas from death

They saw Charlie Weasley and Horace Slughorn fighting off the Death Eaters, they weren't there earlier but Harry and Brenda were glad they were here now, Harry and Brenda also saw that all of the citizens of Hogsmeade were fighting as well

The most unusual thing was that the House Elves were also fighting and their leader was none other than Kreacher, he was wearing the locket

" FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FOR MY MASTERS, DEFENDERS OF HOUSE ELVES! FIGHT THE DARK LORD IN THE NAME OF REGULUS! FIGHT" Kreacher yelled

All of the House Elves had knives in their hands as well as their own magic

Harry and Brenda fought their way into the Great Hall where they saw Voldemort in the middle of the room, harming everyone who came close to him

They saw George and Lee Jordan slam a Death Eater into the floor muggle style, saw Macnair thrown across the room by Hagrid and lost consciousness, Ron and Neville brought down Fenrir Greyback, Aberforth stunned Rookwood, Arthur and Percy floored Thicknesse, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy weren't even fighting, they just wanted their son

Harry and Brenda saw that Voldemort was dueling three people at once, McGonagall, Slughorn and Kingsley. There was a cold hatred in his face

Bellatrix was fighting too, she was fighting Hermione, Ginny and Luna all at once. Hermione, Ginny and Luna were battling their hardest but Bellatrix was equal to them... Bellatrix shot the Killing Curse and missed Ginny by an inch. Mrs. Weasley saw that and she got very angry

" THAT'S MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH" Mrs. Weasley screamed and she charged after Bellatrix

Bellatrix was laughing as she saw her new challenge

" OUT OF MY WAY GIRLS" Mrs. Weasley shouted to the three girls and she whipped out her wand and began the duel

Bellatrix was still smiling thinking that Mrs. Weasley would be easy to kill, but after a couple of minutes her smile began to falter and she began to glare and snarl

A few students wanted to come to Mrs. Weasley's aid

" NO" Mrs. Weasley yelled, " You all get back... she's mine"

Hundreds of people began to line the walls watching the two duels, the one between Voldemort and his opponents and the one between Bellatrix and Molly Weasley

Harry and Brenda were confused, they wanted to help, but they didn't know if they should do combat spells or just keep defending the innocent, they were afraid they were going to hit the innocent if they do any combat spells

" What will happen to all of your children when I've killed you?" Bellatrix taunted, " When Mummy's gone the same way as little Freddie?"

Mrs. Weasley saw fire, " YOU WILL NEVER TOUCH OUR CHILDREN AGAIN"

Bellatrix laughed crazily and that was the last thing she would ever do

Mrs. Weasley fired a curse and it soared and hit Bellatrix squarely in the chest right over her heart

Bellatrix's smile froze and her eyes seemed to bulge... a minute later Bellatrix exploded

Voldemort screamed with rage, he just lost his most loyal servant... Voldemort raised his wand and aimed it at Molly Weasley

" PROTEGO" Harry and Brenda screamed and their Shield Charms expanded in the middle of the Hall

Voldemort looked around to see where the Shield Charms came from

Harry and Brenda pulled off their Invisibility Cloaks

There were a bunch of cheers and screams, nobody knew if they should be happy or afraid of them

" HARRY! BRENDA... THEY'RE ALIVE" Were heard in different areas

After about a minute of cheering, everything fell silent as the three began circling each other

" Nobody try to help us" Harry commanded loudly

" It has got to be like this, it has to be only us two against him" Brenda said loudly

Voldemort hissed, " The Potters don't mean that, that isn't how they work... so now who are you going to use as a shield?"

" Nobody" Harry and Brenda said together, " There are no more Horcruxes, it's just you against us... Neither side can live while the other side survives... one side is about to leave... for good"

" One side?" Voldemort asked, " You think it will be you two who will come out victorious... the twins who have survived by accident?"

" You think it was an accident? That our mother died to save us?" Brenda asked

They were still moving in a complete circle, never taking their eyes off one another

" You think it was an accident when we decided to fight in the graveyard?" Harry asked

" Or when we didn't defend ourselves tonight and still survived and returned to fight again?" Brenda asked

" Accidents" Voldemort screamed but he didn't do anything else, " Accident and chance and the fact that you two crouched and sniveled behind the skirts of greater men and women, and permitted me to kill them for you"

" Well, you won't be killing anyone else tonight" Harry said, " You won't be able to kill any of them ever again"

" Don't you get it?" Brenda asked, " We were ready to die to stop you from hurting these people"

" But you did not" Voldemort said and he almost sounded like he was whining

" We meant to, and that's what did it... We did what our mother did... All of these people are now protected from you... none of your spells you put on them are working... you can't torture them or touch them... you never learn from your mistakes Riddle... do you?"

" How dare you" Voldemort spat

" Yes... we dare" Harry and Brenda said

" We know things you don't know, Tom Riddle" Harry said

" Lots of important things... want to hear some before you make another big mistake?" Brenda asked Voldemort like talking to a child

Voldemort didn't speak, he just glared and walked the circle

" Don't tell me... is it love" Voldemort asked in a mocking tone " Dumbledore's favorite solution, love, which he claimed conquered death... though, love didn't stop him from being killed, love didn't prevent me from stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach... and nobody seems to love you enough to run forward and take my curse... so... what will stop you from dying now when I strike?"

" Just one thing" Harry and Brenda said as they still circled

" If it is not love that will save you this time" Voldemort said, " Then you must believe that you have magic that I do not, or a weapon more powerful than mine?"

" Both" Harry and Brenda said with a smirk

Shock crossed Voldemort's face but only for a moment and he began to laugh

" You think the two of you know more magic than I do?" Voldemort asked, " Than I, Lord Voldemort, who has performed magic that Dumbledore has never dreamed of?"

" Oh he dreamed of it" Brenda said

" But he knew more than you, knew enough not to do what you have done" Harry said

" You mean he was weak" Screamed Voldemort, " Too weak to dare, too weak to take what might have been his, what will be mine"

" No... he was cleverer than you" Brenda said calmly

" A better wizard and a better man" Harry said calmly

" A better wizard and a better man?" Voldemort asked, " I brought about the death of Albus Dumbledore"

" You thought you did" Harry said

" But you were wrong" Brenda said

Everybody who was watching this gasped

" DUMBLEDORE IS DEAD" Voldemort yelled, " His body decays in the marble tomb in the grounds of this castle, I have seen it, and he will not return"

" You're right, Dumbledore is dead" Brenda said

" But you didn't have him killed... He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged the whole thing with the man who you thought was your servant" Harry said with a smirk

" What childish dream is this?" Voldemort asked with a glare but he didn't use his wand

Brenda smirked, " Severus Snape wasn't yours, he was Dumbledore's... from the moment you started hunting down our mother, you never realized it, because of the thing you can't understand. You never saw Snape cast a Patronus did you Riddle?"

Voldemort didn't answer

" Snape's Patronus was a doe" Harry said, " The same as our mother's, because he loved her for almost all of his life, from the time they were children... you should have realised"

" He asked you to spare her life didn't he?" Brenda asked

" He desired her and that was all" Voldemort spat, " But when she had gone, he agreed that there were other women, and of purer blood, worthier of him"

" Well of course he would tell you that" Harry said

" But he was Dumbledore's spy from the moment you threatened her, he has been working against you ever since, Dumbledore was already dying when Snape finished him" Brenda said

" IT MATTERS NOT" Voldemort screamed, " It matters not whether Snape was mine or Dumbledore's, or what obstacles they tried to put in my path! I crushed them as I crushed your mother, Snape's supposed great love... But now it makes sense... Dumbledore was trying to keep the Elder Wand from me, he intended that Snape should be the true master of the wand. But I got ahead of the two of you, I reached the wand before you could get your hands on it, I understood the truth before you caught up... I killed Severus Snape three hours ago"

Brenda smirked at that

" And the Elder Wand is truly mine, Dumbledore's last plan went wrong" Voldemort finished then he saw Brenda's smirk, " What are you smirking at? I killed Severus Snape"

" Yah, we'll get to that" Brenda said still smirking, " But right now before you try to kill us, you should think about what you have done... Think and try for some remorse Riddle"

" What?" Voldemort asked

" It's your one last chance" Harry said, " It's all you've got left... Be a man... try for some remorse"

" You dare?" Voldemort asked

" Yes, I dare" Harry said

" Dumbledore's last plan hasn't backfired on us... it backfired on you Riddle" Brenda said

Voldemort's wand hand was trembling and that made the Potters grip their wands more tightly

" The wand still isn't working properly for you because you attacked the wrong person" Brenda explained

" I didn't attack Snape, I killed him" Voldemort said

" No you didn't, but we'll get to that in a minute" Brenda said with a smirk

" What do you mean?" Voldemort asked

" In a minute" Brenda said

" Oh just tell him now... I want to see his face" Harry thought to Brenda

" Ok fine, I'll tell you... I saved him after you had Nagini attack him" Brenda said

" What? Impossible" Voldemort spat

" Yah, well I'm a future Potions Mistress and I had everything I needed with me to save my dad" Brenda said with a smirk

" Your... What? I killed your parents when you were babies" Voldemort glared

" Yah, and Severus Snape took me in when I was eleven and adopted me when I was twelve" Brenda said with a smirk, " And that proves that he was not on your side"

" Anyway, Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand... He never defeated Dumbledore" Harry said

" But he killed..." Voldemort started

" You're not listening... Snape never beat Dumbledore... Dumbledore's death was planned between them... Dumbledore intended to die undefeated, the wand's last true master" Harry said

" And if everything has gone as planned, the wand's power would have died with him, because it has never been won from him" Brenda said

" But it has, I stole the wand from him by breaking into his tomb and removed it against its last master's wishes... the power is now mine" Voldemort said

Brenda sighed, " You still don't get it Riddle do you? Possessing the wand isn't enough... it doesn't really make it yours... if you would have listened to Ollivander you would know that the wand chooses the wizard, not the other way around... The Elder Wand recognized a new master before Dumbledore died but that someone never laid a hand on it... the new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will not realizing what he had done or that he was the master of the most dangerous wand"

" The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy" Harry said

Voldemort's face looked shocked for a moment then he glared, " What does it matter? Even if you are right, it makes no difference to me... we will duel on skill alone... and after I killed the two of you, I can see to Draco Malfoy"

" Why do that? He's not the master of the wand now" Brenda said

" We overpowered Draco weeks ago and I took this wand from him" Harry said showing the wand

" Funny, how there are two masters of the Elder Wand, since together we over powered the former master... now then... will the Wand know it's true masters?" Brenda asked

" You? You both are the masters of the wand?" Voldemort asked

" Yes" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

All of a sudden the ceiling started to light up, it was sunrise and the sun hit all of their faces

" Well then, there is only one thing to do... I must be the master of the Elder Wand... AVADA KEDAVRA DUPLICO"

At the same time Harry and Brenda shouted " EXPELLIARMUS"

The bang was ear splitting loud when the three spells collided together, after they collided, the Elder Wand flew high up into the enchanted ceiling spinning through the air towards it's masters that it would not kill

Harry and Brenda jumped and both caught the wand at the same time, finally claiming it together

Everybody saw Voldemort fall backwards and his eyes roll backwards into his head and take his last breath, he was killed by his own curse rebounding on him

There was complete silence, everybody was taking it in, Voldemort was at last dead

A minute later there were cheers that were deafening and a bunch of people ran up to them to hug them, shake their hands, some people kissed them on the cheek, it was very smothering

A half hour later Harry and Brenda finally got some air as everybody were talking to different people

The news got outside to other places that Voldemort was dead, the innocents were released from Azkaban and Death Eaters were fleeing and being captured, for some reason, the Malfoys were still in the school looking lost

People moved Voldemort's body out into the hall and away from the dead

Families who lost their loved ones in the war began crying over the bodies and telling them that the war was over and that they did not die in vain

Brenda needed to get to Fred. She missed him so very much and she had to know if Dumbledore was right

It took Harry and Brenda a while to get over to the Weasleys, people still wanted to shake their hands and just touch them in some way

" Excuse us, excuse us excuse us" Harry and Brenda kept saying but it was still hard to get to the Weasleys

Finally they made it in five minutes, that should have only taken them maybe a minute and a half if it wasn't so crowded

Mrs. Weasley was crying over Fred's body with Mr. Weasley patting her back with tears running down his face

The rest of their children were all huddled together hugging each other and crying, they included Hermione into their huddle

" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley" Brenda started

Mrs. Weasley looked up with tears running down her face and she sat up from crying on Fred's chest and she opened her arms for both Brenda and Harry to hug her

After a five minute hug, mostly Mrs. Weasley crying on Harry and Brenda's shoulders, Mr. Weasley thought that Brenda might want some alone time to say goodbye

Arthur knew that Brenda really loved his son

" I won't take too long... I promise" Brenda said

" Take all the time you need Brenda... he loved you so very much" Mrs. Weasley said with a sad smile

Brenda smiled and nodded

She waited until Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley and Harry were out of hearing range before she looked at Fred

" Hi Fred... I hope you can hear me" Brenda started, " I think I died tonight... well a part of me did when I saw you lying there dead... but I thought I died for real too... well I was hit with the killing curse... but I guess it didn't kill me... again..., Harry and I had a choice if we wanted to come back or go behind the veil sort of speak... we were in... well... it looked like Kings Cross station... except it was all white and misty looking... and there were no trains... oh and it was quiet" Brenda chuckled, " Dumbledore was there and we talked to him and he told us that we weren't dead, but we could die if we wanted too, I was tempted to... I wanted to be with you so very much... but Dumbledore said that you wouldn't like that... he said that you're not dead... he also said that he liked two fairytales... Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty... I don't know if you know those fairytales or not, they're muggle... anyway, those two fairytales have something in common... the kiss that wakes up the victim from an enchanted sleep. This is kind of backwards because it's the Prince who kisses the Princess and wakes her up... but... now it's the Princess's turn to wake up the Prince... Fred... you are my prince, forever... I hope this works because I cannot live without you"

Brenda raised Fred's head up and she bent down and she kissed Fred, it wasn't just any kiss, this... this was the kiss of true love and it lasted for about three minutes

All of a sudden, Fred was glowing a gold color, but only for about five seconds, but all of the Weasleys saw it as well as Hermione, Harry, Neville and Luna

After the five seconds were up, Fred stopped glowing and he wrapped his arm around Brenda and pulled her on top of him

" Wow, what a wake up call" Fred said with a grin

Brenda looked at Fred and with happy tears running down her face she smiled and kissed him again

Fred sighed, " I missed that"

All of the Weasleys crowded around Fred and Brenda all talking at once and crying

Bill and Brenda helped Fred sit up and Brenda was not letting go of him

" With this much attention, I better almost die often" Fred joked

" NO" Everybody around Fred yelled

" Just kidding" Fred said grinning sheepishly, " So I take it You Know Who's dead?"

" Yes, Tom Riddle is dead" Brenda said hugging the love of her life

" Tom Riddle?" Fred asked

" Voldemort's real name" Harry said

Fred sighed, " I missed the whole battle between you three"

Brenda and Harry shrugged, " It wasn't very big"

" We mostly talked to him, the only thing we shot was an Expelliarmus and he shot the killing curse" Brenda said

" But what was cool was the big bang and how the killing curse hit him instead and the wand came to you" George said

" If you really want to know what happened, I'll let you see my memory of it" Brenda said kissing him on the cheek

" How did you return from the dead?" Ron asked

Brenda smiled, " Dumbledore said it would work"

" She kissed me" Fred said with a grin

" He wasn't really dead" Brenda said

" No... just... unconscious and floating I think, kind of hard to describe" Fred said

" I am so glad you're back" Mrs. Weasley said hugging and kissing her son and crying all over him

" I'm fine Mum, really" Fred said patting her on the back

" Do you think you can stand up?" Bill asked

" Um... maybe... with some help" Fred said

Bill and Charlie helped Fred stand up

" You scared me bro, I was thinking I was not going to be able to confuse the family anymore and have run WWW without my partner in crime" George joked

" Wow bro, I feel so loved" Fred said sarcastically

George smiled, " I'm just kidding... but you did scare me"

All of a sudden there was another glow for five seconds and Remus Lupin was alive

" Remus" Tonks cried

" Wow, what a wake up call" Lupin said, " And what a rush" Holding his head in his hands

Everybody hurried over to Remus and Tonks

" Wait... how did?" Harry asked

" We saw you when we were..." Brenda began

" I was... I was brought back to life... somehow... It wasn't my time according to Sirius, James and Lily" Lupin explained

" I copied what Brenda did and saw that Fred woke up, I thought I'd give it a try and it worked... it felt like the potion you had me take was pushing me to kiss Remus like that... the power of true love's kiss" Tonks said with a smile

" That reminds me" Brenda said looking at Fred, " Why didn't you take the potion? If you took it this wouldn't have happened"

" But I did take it" Fred said, " It's what pushed me to kiss you on the lips even though you probably wouldn't like it because..."

Fred didn't get to finish, his arms was full of Brenda and his lips were busy

Fred and Lupin were the only people who died and came back to life out of the fifty or so who died fighting

After a while, Fred pulled Brenda to a not so crowded corner of the Great Hall

" Now that this is finally over" Fred said and he took his necklace off with the ring on it and bent down on one knee

Brenda rolled her eyes and chuckled at this

" Will you please Brenda Lilian Potter, Please be my girlfriend again?" Fred asked

Brenda nodded and smiled when Fred put the promise ring back on her finger

" There, right where it belongs" Fred said with a smile

Brenda wrapped her arms around Fred's neck and kissed him for a full minute and a half

" Careful, with all of this kissing, Snape's going to find out and say something" Fred teased

Brenda gasped, " Snape"

Brenda looked at her bracelet

" What about him? I was teasing" Fred said, " He's a traitor"

" No he's not, he's innocent and he helped us... I have to go find him" Brenda said

" What? Now?" Fred asked

Brenda nodded, " Wait for me... I'll be right back"

Fred nodded then pulled her into another kiss, " Please hurry"

Brenda smiled and nodded then she hurried out of the Great Hall and outside to the Whomping Willow and to the Shrieking Shack, she had to tell her dad that everything was ok and that everybody knows he is innocent and that he can come out now

Severus was not in the Shrieking Shack and Brenda got worried

She took out her Marauders map from her pouch around her neck and checked to see if she could find Severus on there

After a minute and a half of frantic searching, she found him in the Headmaster's office

Brenda sighed with relief and hurried out of the Shack and out of the Whomping Willow and she hurried up to the castle and after dodging about fifty people who wanted to congratulate her, she headed towards the Headmaster's office and was breathing heavy because she ran all the way

" Lily...Flower" Brenda said to the Gargoyle

The Gargoyle let her through and she hurried up the winding staircase and opened the door to the Headmaster's office

Severus had the office window open and he was looking down it just thinking

" I thought you were supposed to be in the Shrieking Shack" Brenda said with a smile

Severus was actually startled and he turned around looking at Brenda in shock

" What? How? Are you a ghost?" Severus asked

Brenda shook her head no and walked closer

" Voldemort is dead" Brenda said calmly

" How?" Severus asked

" His spell rebounded and hit him... to put it simply, he killed himself" Brenda explained, " I can show you the memory if you want"

Severus shook his head no, " You're supposed to be..."

" Dead?" Brenda finished

Snape didn't say anything

" Voldemort hit Harry and me with the Killing Curse, but we didn't die... we played dead though... Dad, the prophecy has been fulfilled, and everybody knows that you are innocent" Brenda said

Severus sighed with relief, it felt like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders but then he frowned, " The Aurors are coming after everybody with a Dark Mark"

Brenda smirked, " True... but the next time you step out of this office... you won't have the Dark Mark"

" What do you mean?" Severus asked confused

Brenda didn't say anything, she took out the Darkmark Remover, " Give me your arm and I'll show you"

" Have you tested this?" Severus asked

" Yes I have" Brenda said, " It will only take a minute"

Cautiously Severus revealed his arm to his daughter and Brenda opened up the vial and poured the contents onto the Dark Mark

Severus hissed in pain and he was clenching his fists, the mark was burning as bad as it did when he got the mark, but the burn faded after a minute and when he looked at his arm, the mark was completely gone, and not just covered up but... gone

" I didn't realize it would hurt" Brenda said with wide eyes, " I'm sorry"

" It's fine" Severus whispered, " How did you... when did you" Severus was at a loss for words

" I've been working on it for a couple of years... ever since I found that Potions lab in my room when I was thirteen " Brenda explained

" You found it I know... Grandfather Severus told me just during this summer" Snape said

" What? But he said that you knew about it all of this time" Brenda said

" I knew about the lab, I didn't know that you found it" Severus said, " I am astonished that you hid it from me all this time... I am astonished that you actually used it, you couldn't have known if the lab was up to date, there are codes that need to be followed before somebody can work in a potions lab... for one thing it shouldn't have been hidden from me, what if you brewed a potion that blew up? I wouldn't have been able to get to you if you were hurt... there is a reason why I never allowed you in my lab, you need to be supervised... you want to be a Potions Mistress when you're older, then you need to know these things"

Brenda crossed her arms, “Do not lecture me dad. Not today, not after what I’ve been through. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the lab. But if it wasn’t for those potions, you wouldn’t be here right now”

Severus didn't say or do anything for a minute,... I guess we all are stressed and could all use some sleep... I just hope you know that what you did was dangerous... and I hope you know that I am so very proud of you and I thank you for what you have done and made... you saved my life... and many other lives... you made the future better for everybody... I am so glad that you are alright"

Brenda smiled at that, " What were you thinking about when I came in here a few minutes ago?"

Severus was quiet for a while

" Well... I didn't know about the battle... I came up here about fifteen minutes later after I saw you for the last time, I have been thinking about my life and... honestly, I wanted to be with my loved ones... in... well, wherever we go when we die, I wanted to be with you, your mother, my mother, and... well, somewhat Dumbledore... I'm glad that plan didn't follow through" Severus said

" Me too" Brenda said and she squeezed her dad harder

They were quiet just hugging each other

" Brenda... Brenda, come back to the Great Hall quick... they’re here, Dumbledore, our parents and Sirius are here, as well as everybody who died at the hands of Voldemort or his Death Eaters" Harry thought to Brenda


	12. Chapter 12

" Wait, what?" Brenda said aloud

" What?" Severus asked not knowing what was going on

" Harry... Harry said that everybody who died at the hands of Voldemort and the Death Eaters are here" Brenda said excitedly

Severus gasped and was shocked

" Come on Dad" Brenda said and she began to pull on Severus's arm towards the door

" Brenda I don't know" Severus said

" Don't you want to see my mum again?" Brenda asked

" I... yes I do but..." Severus started

" But nothing, come on" Brenda said pulling on his arm again

" Ok, ok I'm coming, stop pulling on my arm" Severus said and he pulled his arm out of Brenda's grasp

They walked down towards the Great Hall together, both anxiously wondering what they were about to see and both anxiously wanting to see the Potters, for different reasons

When they got close to the Great Hall, Severus became nervous, he didn't know if Lily was going to forgive him or not, and what about Pott... Er... James?

Before they entered the Great Hall, it was noisy

" Brenda where are you?" Harry thought

" I'm coming, Severus and I were in the Headmaster's office" Brenda thought back

When they entered the Great Hall, it was packed and there were cheering and crying all around

Both Brenda and Severus were looking for the Potter family

They didn't have to wait long, Harry ran over to them

" Brenda, they're over there waiting for us, come on" Harry said excitedly

Harry was pulling on Brenda's arm to get her over to them faster

Harry didn't have to pull too hard, Brenda was hurrying over to her parents, for the first time since she could remember, they were corporeal and not dead

A minute later, four very happy Potters were in a family hug

" We're so proud of you" Lily said to her two children with tears in her eyes

" We've been watching you both while you were growing up" James said

" Speaking of which... Remind me to speak to Petunia later" Lily said to James

" I don't want to be in Aunt Petunia's shoes right now" Harry thought to Brenda

Brenda agreed

" Too bad I can't speak to Christine Williamson as well" Lily said

Brenda gasped

" Was that your..." Harry started

Brenda nodded

" Christine used to be my best friend... we even did a blood ritual that made us blood sisters before Severus came and told me about being a witch... by the way, where is he?" Lily asked

Brenda looked around and didn't see her adopted dad anywhere, but then spotted him blending into a corner

" I'll get him" Brenda said with a smile and she hurried towards Severus

When Severus saw Brenda he raised his eyebrow, " I thought you wanted to get reacquainted with your parents"

" I do... but Mum wants to see you as well" Brenda said

" I don't think that's a good idea Brenda" Severus said

" Come on Dad, please" Brenda begged

Severus sighed but he followed Brenda over to where the Potters were waiting

Severus gasped when he saw Lily again

" Hello Sev" Lily said with a smile

" Lily" Severus breathed

" Snape" James said

" Potter" Severus said

There was an awkward silence and it lasted for at least five minutes

" Soo... is anybody going to say anything?" Harry asked

James cleared his throat, " Yes... um... thank you... for watching out for my children... even though you were bloody strict" He said the last part under his breath but it was still heard

" James enough" Lily scolded

" So where's Sirius?" Brenda asked

" Oh, he's looking around the castle, he hasn't been here since he graduated from here, he wants to make sure he can find all of the secret passageways" James said with a grin

" He wanted to let us get reacquainted" Lily said with a smile

" Then I'll leave you four alone, I'm sure there is much for you all to talk about" Severus said trying to get away

" Oh please Sev stay" Lily said

" I don't think I should Lils" Severus said

" But you're family as well" Lily said

" No I'm not... I'm not a Potter" Severus said

" But you didn't rip up the adoption papers so you're still my adopted dad" Brenda said raising her eyebrow

James felt like he was being replaced and it showed on his face but he didn't say anything

Severus saw the look, " Brenda, don't call me that... he's your dad... I'm just" Severus sighed, " Temporary"

" No you're not... you adopted me that makes us family" Brenda protested

" She's right you know" James said rubbing his stomach where Lily elbowed him to say something

" I don't want to replace you Potter" Severus said, " You both are here now and I'm not needed anymore... I must be going"

Brenda grabbed onto Severus's arm, " Dad please stay"

Severus whirled around and yanked his arm out again, " Don't call me that, James Potter is your dad, I'm not... I'm... your professor... you either call me Professor or Sir... do you understand me?"

Brenda backed up away from Snape, " Yes Sir"

Snape walked away and headed towards the Entrance Hall to go back up to the Headmaster's office, he was trying to get his emotions under control

Brenda was in tears again and for the first time in her life, she got to run to her mother for comfort

James too tried to comfort his daughter, " It's ok Rosebud, you don't need him, he's just a sniveling git"

" Don't call him that" Brenda cried

James jumped and looked shocked

" Dad, you said that you were watching us while we were growing up, if that is true, then you would know that Brenda loves Professor Snape as a father figure, she never liked it when he said bad things about you, you shouldn't say bad things about him because she won't like it either" Harry said

" Maybe I should go talk to Sev" Lily said her arms still full of crying Brenda

James sighed, " No... I think I need to go speak to Snape"

" I don't think that's a good idea" Lily said with a pointed glare

James rolled his eyes, " Lils I'm not going to do anything stupid, it's been twenty years... I've matured" Lily gave James a look, " Some"

" I'll go with him Mum, to make sure he doesn't mess up" Harry suggested

Lily smiled at her son and nodded

Father and son left the Great Hall and headed up to the Headmaster's office

Brenda eventually calmed down and was very embarrassed

" It's ok Brenda, it's ok to cry and seek comfort from me" Lily said

Brenda smiled and hugged her mum again

Meanwhile Harry and James made it to the Headmaster's office and Harry said the password

They walked up the winding staircase and opened the office door

Snape was sitting at the desk with his head in his hands

" Doesn't anybody knock anymore?" Snape asked

" Snape we need to talk" James said

Snape raised his head and glared at James, " Oh really? What is it this time? Are you bored again? Going to show me where the Shrieking Shack is, or hang me upside down taking off my pants... or..."

" I'm not here to prank you" James said with a glare, " And I'm sorry for all of those things that we've done to you in school... we were jerks"

" That's an understatement of a lifetime" Snape said

" Snape, I really just want to talk" James said trying to remain calm

" There is nothing to talk about" Snape said

" Oh yes there is" James said

" What is there to talk about?" Snape asked

" Brenda" James said

Snape was quiet for a moment, " There is nothing to discuss about her, she has her family back, I'm not needed anymore"

" What makes you think she doesn't need you?" James asked

" She has you and Lily and Harry" Snape said getting angry, " Not to mention Black and Lupin... things can go the way they should have gone in the first place"

" Professor, can't you understand that she loves you?" Harry asked

" No she doesn't" Snape said

" Yes she does, if she didn't, she wouldn't have made that Darkmark remover, she wouldn't have saved your life... well maybe she would... but she wouldn't have thought you were innocent, she wouldn't have been calling you Dad if she didn't love you, or seek your approval during Potions... she wouldn't have left Fred's sight to run up here today with the Dark Mark remover with her just so you could remove your mark, she wouldn't have announced that you adopted her to everybody during the battle today if she didn't love you... Merlin, she wouldn't be crying right now if she didn't love you" Harry said

" Face it Snape, as much as I hate to admit it... you're family and you're loved" James said, " And I hate seeing my little girl cry, so we all need to get back down there and you need to apologize for foolishly upsetting her like that"

Snape sighed, " As much as I loath to say this... you're right Potter"

James smirked, " Never thought I'd live to see the day to hear you say that"

" Another thing... are you all alive or what?" Snape asked

James shrugged, " Don't know... I hope we get to stay, but who knows, nobody told me anything"

The three men headed back down to the Great Hall where Brenda was talking to Lily, telling her life story even though Lily already knew it

" Hi ladies, we're back" James said with a grin

Lily smiled, " And everything went well? No hexes or curses or anything?"

" Didn't even have my wand out" James said with a grin

" Brenda, you and I need to talk" Severus said, " Come with me"

Brenda looked worried, " Am I in trouble?"

Severus rolled his eyes, " No"

Brenda nodded and followed Severus to a corner in the room

There was an awkward silence between them for a while

" I'm sorry for acting the way I did earlier" Severus began, " I... I guess... I guess I got jealous and I took it out on you"

" What were you jealous about?" Brenda asked

" I felt like I wasn't needed... your parents are here, what use am I now?" Severus asked

Brenda sighed and rolled her eyes, " Dad, I'm always going to need you, you've been my parent since I was eleven"

" I didn't adopt you until you were..." Severus started

" Yah I know, but you were still my guardian and that is like a parent... nothing was different in our relationship... the whole time we had a father daughter relationship remember?" Brenda asked

Severus nodded

" I love you and my other dad just the same, I hope you can realize that" Brenda said

Severus smiled, " I can realize that, and I'm sorry for the way I acted"

Brenda smiled, " You already said that, and I forgive you"

Brenda gave her dad a hug

" You know, calling both of us dad is going to get confusing for you... just call me Severus like you used to and just call Potter Dad" Severus said

Brenda nodded, " You're going to have to call Dad and Harry by their names or that is going to get confusing as well"

Severus rolled his eyes, " Cheeky brat"

Brenda chuckled

" Well, lets get back to them" Severus suggested

Brenda nodded and they both headed back to the group

When Brenda and Severus got back to the group, the Weasleys were over there talking to James and Lily and Sirius was back as well

Brenda gasped, " Sirius"

She ran over to her godfather and ran into his arms and hugged him

Sirius laughed, " I missed you too Rosebud... it's good to be back and in this castle... lots of memories in this castle"

" Some of which are not appropriate for childrens' ears" Lily reminded Sirius

" What are you saying Lils? There are no children here, they are all adults" Sirius said with a wink, " Merlin, Brenda and Fred have been making out since she was fourteen and he was sixteen"

Said Brenda and Fred's faces turned as red as their hair

" Don't you think you two are moving a little fast?" James asked with a pointed look

" No, we're still on first base" Fred said

James rose an eyebrow, " Are you sure? That little kiss that revived you was true love's first kiss, it takes more than first base to reach that"

" We are in love sir, but we are taking it slow, we don't have to make a home run to be in love" Fred said

Brenda's face was very red at this point, " Enough of these baseball terms... we're in love, but we're not ready to do anything until we're ready... and that's not going to be for a long time yet"

" And I wouldn't want to make three out of the four infamous Marauders angry" Fred said then looked at Snape, " Not to mention the scary Potions Professor"

Severus rolled his eyes at the title

" Just make sure you do not do anything stupid, otherwise, I will come and get you, no matter where I am whether I'm on earth or... not" James threatened

" Yes sir" Fred said a little afraid

" Hmm, it sounds like James matured since he was alive last" Lupin said with a grin with his arm around his wife

" So Harry, you haven't introduced us to your girlfriend yet" Lily said startling both Harry and Ginny who were kissing and hugging

" What? Oh... sorry... this is Ginny, we haven't been a couple for as long as Brenda and Fred, but we loved all of the time we spent with each other" Harry said

" Ginny's had a crush on Harry since forever" Ron said with a grin

Ginny glared at her brother, " Shut up... you had a crush on Hermione since your First year, you just hid it with awkwardness and bitterness, you have always been fascinated about how smart she is"

Ron's face turned red and he glared right back at his sister

" Enough fighting you two" Mrs. Weasley scolded, " This should be a happy time, not a time for fighting... we should celebrate... Everybody is invited to the Burrow for a party"

" Oh I love parties and I've missed your cooking Molly" Lily said with a smile, " I'll bake a cake"

Severus smirked, " I'll brew some stomach soothers for after everybody eats the cake"

" Severus" Lily lightly smacked him on the arm and chuckled, " I'm a good cook"

Severus chuckled and a lot of people in the group gasped, " Just kidding Lils"

" We'll decorate" Fred and George said, " And bring the party favors"

" We have a new firecracker of Umbridge being chased by the dragon" George said

" And one of her turning into a toad" Fred said kissing Brenda, " You'll like that one"

" Umbridge... wasn't that the Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher when you two were fifteen?" Lily asked

Harry and Brenda nodded

" She gave you a hard time, I'd like to talk to her as well" Lily said

" Ooh, can I come with you and bite her? She was a pain in the butt" Sirius said

Lily smiled and nodded

" I think the hat was wrong all of those years ago" Severus said, " You should have been a Slytherin"

James and Sirius gasped in shock and glared at Snape

" Don't glare at me, it's true, she'd make a good Slytherin" Severus said, " And this will really shock you... Dumbledore said... well not in so many words but he thought I'd make a good Gryffindor"

" James... I think the world has come to an end... Severus Snape... making a good Gryffindor?" Sirius asked in a mock tone

" Say it isn't so Snape, say it isn't so" James cried getting on his knees in a mock tone

" I think I spoke too soon" Lupin said covering his eyes with his hand

" You guys stop it, you're embarrassing yourselves" Lily scolded

" Us?" James asked getting off of the floor

" Embarrassed?" Sirius asked with a smile

" We can learn a lot from these two" George whispered to Fred

Fred smiled and nodded

" Excuse me" Brenda said, " But can we get back to planning the party?"

" Oh, yes, of course" Lily said and she smiled sheepishly at Mrs. Weasley

The adults began to plan the party along with talking to other people

" Harry, now that you have the Elder Wand, maybe we can try and fix your wand" Hermione suggested

Harry looked at the wand and sighed, " Well, that's a good idea, it's the only thing we haven't thought of"

" Lets go somewhere where it's quiet" Brenda suggested

" Headmaster's office?" Harry suggested

Brenda nodded

The Golden four headed up to the Headmaster's office and Harry laid his broken wand on the desk

" Why is the window open?" Ron asked

Brenda looked at the open window and shuddered, " Snape was going to jump... can you close it please?"

Ron nodded and he closed the window and shuddered, " Why would he do that?"

" He didn't know about the battle down in the Great Hall, he thought Harry and I were dead and he didn't have anything to live for, Voldemort thought he was dead already" Brenda explained

" Well it's a good thing you got to him in time" Hermione said

Brenda nodded

Harry took out the Elder Wand that he was carrying and everybody gathered around him. He pointed the Elder Wand at his wand and said, " Reparo"

They waited for about a minute and nothing happened

Harry tried it again but nothing happened

" Well, it was worth a try" Ron said

Harry sighed and nodded gloomily

" Wait Harry" Brenda said, " We are both the masters of the Elder Wand, maybe we need to use it together"

" We can try it" Harry said and Brenda held on to the wand as well and together they said, " Reparo"

Five seconds later the wand was repaired

There were four smiles in the room, more if you count all of the Headmasters and Headmistresses in the room smiling

" What should we do with the wand?" Brenda asked

" I think we should give it to Dumbledore, he will know what to do with it" Harry said

Brenda nodded

The four headed back down to the Great Hall and went up to Dumbledore

" Congratulations you four, you did it, I am so very proud of you" Dumbledore said with a smile

" Sir, we were wondering, what should we do with the Elder Wand?" Harry said

" We were hoping you could do something with it so nobody can take it" Brenda said, " Put it in a safe place"

Dumbledore thought about it and nodded, " I know the perfect place"

Harry and Brenda handed him the wand and Dumbledore put it in his robes

" Are you sure you do not want to use it?" Dumbledore asked

" No... our wands work just fine" Harry and Brenda said together

Dumbledore smiled and nodded, " Of course, well then I best put this in a safe place"

Dumbledore left the Great Hall

" Well, now what?" Ron asked

" Now I want to spend some time with Ginny" Harry said

" And I need to catch up on my kissing Fred" Brenda said with a smile

Harry and Brenda left leaving Ron and Hermione alone

The Great Hall was getting more roomier, people were leaving to go back to their homes along with their loved ones who were once dead, Harry and Brenda thought it was great that they got to talk to Cedric Diggory again and they were reassured that it wasn't their fault that he died and he thanked them for bringing his body back to his father. Colin Creevy was glad that he died doing something heroic for the Potters and not leaving because he was underaged. Dobby said he would die again and again if it meant saving his friends. Dobby headed down to the Kitchens, Cedric went home with his father, Colin went home with his family

Now the only people left were the Order of the Phoenix and the Malfoys

" What are the Malfoys still doing here?" Fred asked once he and Brenda were alone, " Shouldn't they be captured by now?"

" They hid from the Aurors when they were here" Brenda said

" Well then shouldn't we do something?" Fred asked

" It looks like Mr. Malfoy is trying to talk Dumbledore into not calling the Aurors to arrest them" Brenda said, " Lets go over there... I need to talk to Draco anyway"

" Why do you need to talk to that ferret?" Fred asked with a glare to said ferret

" Said ferret saved our lives when we were captured" Brenda said, " Draco never wanted to be a Death Eater... he didn't try to kill us tonight either... and... he's like my cousin because Severus is his godfather... and he is related to you on your mother's side"

Fred wrinkled his nose, " Yah don't remind me about that"

" If you don't want to go over there, you can stay here" Brenda said

" No, I'll come with you, if Malfoy tries anything, I'll be there to protect you" Fred said seriously

Brenda tried to hide her smile but it didn't work

They walked up to the Malfoys and Dumbledore

" Well, hello you two" Dumbledore said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye

" Hello Professor" Brenda and Fred said at the same time

" Thank you for telling me about the fairytales Professor" Brenda said with a smile

Dumbledore nodded, " I'm glad it worked... it means that you two are truly in love, it would have never worked if you didn't love each other, I always did say that love is the most powerful magic there is"

" Dumbledore, about the Aurors" Lucius snapped, " Enough about talking about love, my family's future is at stake"

" Is it really?" Dumbledore asked

Lucius glared

" It seems to me that you risked your own future when you first got that mark on your forearm, then you made your son get it as well" Dumbledore said seriously

" I didn't want him to be a Death Eater" Lucius protested, " I never wanted that for my son"

" Then why did you make him get it?" Dumbledore asked

" What else could I do? He would have come after us" Lucius said

" You could have come to me Lucius, I would have protected you" Dumbledore said, " In fact I told your son that as well, the night Hogwarts was attacked last year"

" I told you, he would have killed my family and me" Draco said then snapped, " What do you want Potter?"

Brenda has been tapping Draco's shoulder for a minute trying to get his attention which has been on Dumbledore and Lucius

" I just wanted to talk but I didn't want to interrupt them" Brenda said

" Well you have my attention now, so what?" Draco asked with a glare

Brenda sighed and looked around for a place where the two could be alone and she found a place, " Come with me"

" I'm not going anywhere with you" Draco spat

Brenda sighed and rolled her eyes, " Please?"

" Malfoy just go with her" Fred said and he pushed Draco in Brenda's direction

Draco glared at Fred, " I thought you were dead, or was that the other one"

" No, it was me, but I was revived by true love" Fred said, " Now go"

" Where are you going with my son?" Narcissa asked worriedly

" It's ok Mrs. Malfoy" Brenda said, " I just want to talk to him... civilly" She gave Draco a hard look

Draco glared but followed Brenda into an area where nobody was at

" This better not be a trick" Draco said with a glare, " Now what do you want?"

" I would like to say thank you" Brenda said

Draco raised an eyebrow, " For what?"

" For not telling them who we were when we were at your home a few weeks ago... and for trying to stop Crabbe and Goyle from throwing dangerous hexes at us tonight" Brenda said

" I was trying to stop them because the Dark Lord wanted you for himself" Draco said defensively

" And what about a few weeks ago?" Brenda asked

" They figured it out on their own" Draco said

" But you knew from the start and didn't say anything and I thank you for that" Brenda said

" Ok, whatever... can I go now?" Draco asked, " My family is about to be arrested and sent to Azkaban and I want to be with them for as long as I can... so if you will excuse me"

Draco started to head back to his family

" Wait Draco" Brenda said

Draco sighed, " Now what? And who gave you permission to use my name Potter?"

" I know you didn't want to be a Death Eater... you didn't kill anybody... you couldn't" Brenda said

" How do you know what I did and didn't do?" Draco asked

" I was there that night... when you were facing Dumbledore" Brenda said

Draco's eyes went wide then back to a glare, " So? I could have done it... I was about to do it but Snape interfered"

Brenda raised an eyebrow, " Is that so?"

" Yes" Draco said with a glare

" But you didn't... you had all of that time when you were just talking to Dumbledore, he was wandless and you had a wand on him, you never said the Killing Curse" Brenda said

" Ok, so what's your point in this whole conversation?" Draco asked

" I think you're innocent" Brenda said

Draco was quiet and he looked shocked

" You... you do?" Draco asked

Brenda nodded

" Why?" Draco asked, " I... I have the Dark Mark... that..."

" Has nothing to do with innocence or not, I have a Dark Mark remover and I am willing to use it on people who are innocent... I am willing to use it on you" Brenda said

" Why?" Draco asked, " After everything..."

" Because of what I saw in the Girls' Bathroom that night, you were crying" Brenda said

Draco glared, " I was not I..."

" It's ok Draco... that just makes you more innocent and makes my belief of your innocence stronger" Brenda said

" Ok, so you believe that I'm innocent, big deal, my family is still going to go to Azkaban" Draco said

" Not without a fair trial... and with Harry and I testifying for your family... you'll be out in about three days" Brenda said with a smile

" Why would anybody listen to you and your brother?" Draco asked with a glare

" Did you not just see what Harry and I accomplished?" Brenda asked, " We will have a lot of influence in the Wizarding World... I'm guessing as much as Dumbledore"

" And you'll use some of that influence on my family? Draco asked, " Why bother? You hate me and my family"

" Hates a very strong word Draco... I admit I do not like your father too well... he tried to kill Harry and me at the end of 2nd year because we tricked him into freeing Dobby" Brenda said

" Yah I heard about that" Draco said with a glare, " Not about the killing part though"

" Anyway, besides your father... I think you and your mother are innocent... your mother saved our lives today... or last night... whatever time it was she saved us" Brenda said

" How?" Draco asked

" By telling everybody that we were dead after Harry and I were hit with the Killing Curse" Brenda said, " She loves you very much Draco, you should treasure it... you never know when you might lose her"

Draco nodded and sighed, " So... is Professor Snape really your dad?"

Brenda grinned, " He adopted me... so that makes us kind of like cousins since you're his godson"

Draco rolled his eyes then sighed, " Can you please try to save my father as well?"

Brenda sighed and looked over to where the Malfoys were still talking to Dumbledore, Lucius had a desperate look on his face, and it was not acting

" You know... I think... I think Harry and I might be able to" Brenda said

A few minutes later, Draco and Brenda returned to the group

" So did you say everything you needed to say to young Mr. Malfoy here?" Dumbledore asked

Brenda nodded

" What does our future look like? Are we going to be arrested?" Narcissa asked looking worried

" I believe that is up to Harry and Brenda" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye

" This is outrageous Dumbledore, we cannot put our lives in those children's hands" Lucius protested

" Harry, I think you need to come over here" Brenda thought to her brother

Harry was in the middle of kissing Ginny and he didn't want to stop, " Why?"

" We have a situation... bring Ginny over if you can't leave her alone... Fred's with me" Brenda thought

A minute later Harry and Ginny were over by the Malfoys, Dumbledore, Fred and Brenda

" Ah, Harry, Ms. Weasley, how nice of you two to join us" Dumbledore said with a smile

" What's going on?" Harry asked

" I have decided to put the lives of this Malfoy family in your hands, it is up to the two of you whether they go to Azkaban or not" Dumbledore said, " I am sure you will make the right decision again... Oh, I must go talk to James and Lily, it's been a while since I saw them last" Dumbledore left the group

It was silent in the group for a while

" Ok, well this is awkward" Brenda whispered

" I don't understand why our lives are to be put into your hands, we already know the outcome of this" Lucius said with a glare

" Wait Father, Pot... I mean Brenda said that she could save us from going to Azkaban" Draco said

" Brenda" Harry, Fred and Ginny began

" I did say that, and I mean it" Brenda said stubbornly

Lucius, Narcissa, Fred, Ginny and Harry gasped

" What has gotten into you? After all they put us through" Harry thought

Brenda sighed and rolled her eyes, " Draco never wanted to be a Death Eater, Mrs. Malfoy saved our lives and... Mr. Malfoy" Brenda paused trying to think of a reason and she looked at Lucius and said, "... Well... I have no idea why I want to save you except that you just wanted to keep your family safe, I don't think you even cared about the battle tonight"

" What about everything he's done in the past?" Ginny asked thinking about her very first year at Hogwarts and she shuddered

" I admit, that was evil... but in doing so, he help us destroy a Horcrux" Brenda said with a smirk

There were looks of confusion on people's faces

" The Diary of Tom Riddle was a Horcrux, it has a piece of Voldemort's soul in it" Harry explained

" I helped destroy the Dark Lord?" Lucius gasped

Harry and Brenda smirked and nodded

Lucius's face was even paler than usual

" Is that necessarily a bad thing Lucius?" Narcissa asked, " After everything The Dark Lord put our family through?

Lucius was quiet for a minute and looked at his family then put his arm around Draco

" No Narcissa... it is not a bad thing... After everything the Dark Lord put us through and he wasn't even pure blooded... no, I do not mourn the loss of the Dark Lord" Lucius said

" Good... will you be willing to take a dose of Veritaserum for proof?" Fred asked, " It will help you out during your trial"

Lucius glared at that but in order to save his family from Azkaban he reluctantly nodded, " Yes, I will take Veritaserum as proof that my family and I are not loyal to the late Dark Lord... Ms. Potter... Go get your... adopted father and have him get a vial from his potions lab"

Brenda smiled and nodded

Brenda, Harry, Fred and Ginny all left the group and went back to where the adults were planning the party

Harry began talking to Sirius, Fred and George were talking to James and Ginny was talking to Lily

" Severus, do you still have a vial of Veritaserum in your Potion stores?" Brenda asked when she got over to him

" What do you need Veritaserum for?" Severus asked

" We want to prove that the Malfoys are innocent" Brenda said 

" The Malfoys? Innocent?" Sirius scoffed over hearing the conversation

" Well, yah, they were only looking out for themselves" Brenda said, " Mrs. Malfoy lied to Voldemort and told him that we were dead, Draco didn't tell anybody who we were when we were captured and he tried stopping Crabbe and Goyle from using the Killing Curse on us, and Mr. Malfoy said he did not mourn the loss of Voldemort and agreed to the Veritaserum... he isn't immune to it is he?"

" Not to my knowledge" Severus said, " What does Dumbledore think?"

" He thinks it should be up to us, and I think that they are innocent" Brenda said, " Well at least Mrs. Malfoy and Draco... I still have my doubts about Mr. Malfoy, but if he is willing to take the Veritaserum..."

" Yes, I have a vial in my Potions stores and I will retrieve it momentarily" Severus said

" How's the party coming along?" Brenda asked

" Molly Weasley wants to get home so she can start cooking, and Lily wants to start baking the cake which means we have to show your parents, and Harry where they will be staying" Severus said with a smirk

Brenda gasped with excitement, " They're staying at Snape Manor?"

" Where else? I don't think your home at Godric's Hallow is very livable" Severus said with a smirk

Brenda chuckled, " Yah you're probably right"

" Now, I will retrieve the potion while you go tell your parents and Harry my offer" Severus said

Brenda nodded

Severus left and Brenda went over to her parents

" Oh there you are, what were you talking to Snape for?" James asked

" About how the Malfoys are innocent, but that's not what I wanted to talk about" Brenda said

" Wait, you think the Malfoys are innocent?" James asked

Brenda shrugged, " We're going to find out with Veritaserum... anyway, Severus wants to know if you want to come and live at Snape Manor for a while"

" Oh how wonderful" Lily said coming over, " Sirius invited us to stay with him, but that house is so dark and dusty... we would love to stay with you and Severus"

" We would?" James asked, " What's wrong with staying with Sirius?"

" Oh please James? It would be great to see where our daughter has been living for about six years... and we wouldn't have to be too quiet because of that portrait of Sirius mother on the wall" Lily said

James sighed, " Fine, but we'll have to tell Sirius that we changed our minds" James said

Lily nodded

The three went up to Sirius and Harry

" Hey, we're going to stay at Snape Manor" Brenda said with a smile

" Snape Manor? I thought you were going to live at Grimmuald Place with me" Sirius said with a frown

James looked at Lily with pleading eyes

" Sirius you don't really want to stay at Grimmuald do you?" Brenda asked, " Why don't you come with us? There are a lot of rooms at Snape Manor"

Sirius wrinkled his nose, " I don't know if Snape will like that"

" What won't I like?" Severus asked coming over to the group

" Me coming over and staying in your home" Sirius said with a glare

Severus glared, " I never invited you"

" Oh come on Severus, please?" Brenda asked

" Sirius, Sirius" Lupin said coming over to the group

" What's up Moony?" Sirius asked

Lupin smiled, " Merlin I missed that, anyway, Tonks wanted to know if you wanted to stay with us for a while"

" Really?" Sirius asked, " Why?"

" Well, you two are cousins and she wants to get to know you better" Lupin said, " We have a guest bedroom... and you all can come over whenever you want" Lupin addressed the rest of the group, " What do you say?"

" Sounds better than staying at Grimmuald Place" Sirius said with a smile, " Thanks"

" Well then, since we have living arrangements made, shall we now leave Hogwarts and get settled in?" Severus asked

" What did you do with the potion?" Brenda asked

" I gave it to Dumbledore, he will take over from there... the Malfoys are going to be arrested but they are going to have a trial in three days" Severus explained

" They have to go to Azkaban for three days?" Brenda gasped, " That's not fair"

" Not Azkaban, a cell in the Ministry" Severus explained

Brenda nodded

" So what time do you want us at your house Molly?" Lily asked

" Lets say 3:00, everybody should sleep for a few hours, everybody has had a long night" Mrs. Weasley said

" Not to mention a long day yesterday" Ron said under his breath

After a few more plans were made, and the Malfoys were arrested, everybody left Hogwarts to get ready for the party at the Weasleys

Before the Potters and Snape headed to Snape Manor, they headed towards Diagon Alley because James and Lily have been dead for 16 years and they were in need of clothes

First they went to Gringotts and Harry and Brenda decided to stay outside underneath their invisibility cloaks while their parents went inside to get their money

" Apparently four teenagers broke into Gringotts, stole a cup and broke out of Gringotts riding their guard dragon" James said once they were out of Gringotts

" You two wouldn't know the teens who did that would you?" Lily asked pointedly

Harry and Brenda smiled sheepishly, " Well, it wasn't our best plan"

James laughed, " THE BEST PRANK EVER"

" James don't encourage them" Lily scolded, " That was very dangerous you two"

" Sorry, but we had to do it" Brenda said, " The cup was a Horcrux, it was the only way to defeat Voldemort"

Lily sighed and nodded, " I know, still, I want you two to promise me that you will not get into any more dangerous trouble"

" No offense Mum, but trouble finds us" Harry and Brenda said together

" Not always" Severus said lifting his eyebrow

" Can we please talk about something else?" Brenda asked

They dropped the subject and began their shopping

After James and Lily had everything they needed, including their old wands they got back from Dumbledore, the group apparated to Spinner's End and headed up to Snape Manor

" This is where you live?" James asked not impressed, " It looks like a Haunted House"

Severus rolled his eyes, he had a smart comment but he didn't want to stoop to James' level

" It's better inside, and the backyard is pretty" Brenda said excitedly

" There better not be any bats in there" James said

Severus had to calm himself down or he was going to hex Potter

" Potter, please keep your comments about my home to yourself" Severus said with barely controlled calm

" Come on Dad, it's my home too and you're being mean" Brenda said with a glare

Lily gave James her own glare

" I feel like I'm being ganged up on" James said

Severus smirked, " Not fun is it"

James glared and didn't say anything about that

" Why couldn't we just apparate right into your house? Why do we have to walk a mile and a half to the front door?" James complained

" That is how I set my wards, and since you, nor Lily nor Harry are spelled into my wards, they won't let you in" Severus explained

" But the Fidelus Charm should let us enter since you told us about your home" James said

" Do you think I only have a Fidelus Charm on my house?" Severus asked, " There were certain Death Eaters who have stayed in my home, knew of it's location... and that was before and after that fateful Halloween night when you were betrayed by Pettigrew"

James glared, " Don't say that rat's name in my family's presence"

" Gladly" Severus said, " Anyway, the Fidelus Charm isn't always fool proof like we now know, I had special wards put up around my property before I brought Brenda here"

" We didn't have to walk to the front door when you brought me here" Brenda said very confused

" Of course not, I was your guardian before I brought you here, you were already spelled into the wards as my ward" Severus explained

They made it to the front door and Severus had the three Potters who were not spelled into the wards, put their hands on the door

" You will feel a tingling feeling" Severus said, " The wards are recognizing you"

" How do we know that the wards will keep Death Eaters out that somehow escaped?" James asked

" I had Minnie set the wards back up before I returned to Hogwarts for the school year" Severus said

Brenda gasped in excitement

" Who's Minnie?" James asked

Severus rolled his eyes, " I thought you were watching over your children"

" We were" James said

" Minnie is my house elf" Severus said, " If you were really watching over your daughter, you would know that"

" Sorry, but I wasn't paying attention to the name of your house elf... can we go in now or what?" James asked

Severus glared, " Maybe I was a little hasty inviting you to come in"

" Both of you stop it" Brenda cried

" Please, can't you two just get along?" Lily asked, " You're acting like children"

" You know, she's right" Severus said, " Lets try to get along"

James sighed and nodded

" Ok, well you are now spelled into the wards... welcome to Snape Manor" Severus said and he opened the door

When everybody was in the entryway Minnie popped in

" Master Severus and Ms. Brenda is home" Minnie cheered, " Ms. Brenda, Ms. Brenda, Minnie has missed you so much"

Minnie and Brenda hugged

" I don't think it's normal for a house elf to do that" James whispered

Severus smirked, " It is for this house elf"

" Oh, Master Severus and Ms. Brenda has company... Minnie didn't know, Minnie would have made rooms if she knew" Minnie said a little scared

" Do not punish yourself, you didn't know and I didn't warn you... go get two rooms made up for our guests, preferably close to Brenda's bedroom" Severus said

" Yes Master Severus" Minnie said and with a pop she was gone

Brenda sighed, " It feels good to be home"

Severus grinned and nodded, " Why don't you show your parents and Harry around and tell them the rules while I make some tea"

Brenda nodded, " Come on you guys, follow me"

First Brenda led them into the living room

" This is the living room, this is where Severus usually grades his papers and we both read during quiet time before bed, it's a great room to relax in... mostly I have to be quiet in this room but it's fine" Brenda explained

There was a noise like somebody was clearing their throat

Everybody in the room looked at the portrait that was hanging in the living room

" Oh" Brenda said, " This is Grandfather Severus, Severus's grandfather and he acts just like him"

" That better be a compliment young lady" Grandfather Severus said lifting his eyebrow

Brenda just smiled

" Cheeky brat" Grandfather Severus said rolling his eyes and glaring

Next Brenda showed them the Dining room

" This is where we have all of our meals, he expects everybody to be on time during all meals, Breakfast is at 8:00, Lunch is at 12:30, and Dinner is at 6:30 every day" Brenda explained

Next Brenda headed over to the door that was closed

" This is Severus' Potions Lab" Brenda said, " Nobody is supposed to go down there without his permission or special circumstances" Brenda gave James a pointed look

" What?" James asked

" Don't go down here, don't prank him" Brenda said

" I didn't do anything" James said with a chuckle, " You are just like Lily"

" I hope that's a good thing" Lily said

James grinned, " Of course Lils"

" Ok moving on" Brenda said

Brenda led them upstairs to her bedroom

" This is my bedroom" Brenda said and she opened her door and gasped

" You decorated your room in Slytherin colors? James asked, " I thought you were Gryffindor"

" I am" Brenda said, " Severus probably changed it when Pettigrew moved in for a while"

" Well lets change it back then" James said, " I remember that this whole room was scarlet and gold"

Brenda nodded, " True... I don't want the whole room that anymore though"

" What? Why?" Harry asked

" Don't worry, I'll still have Gryffindor colors... but I want to make it more... me" Brenda said with a smile

" How?" Harry asked

Brenda didn't say anything, she took out her wand and with a wave of her wand, her room was half scarlet and gold, and the other half was emerald green and purple

" Well, that's... interesting" Severus said coming up behind them, " A lot better than all of that Gryffindor color... what made you choose this?"

" Well, scarlet and gold because I'm a Gryffindor, emerald green because that's the color of mum's and Harry's eyes and it's really pretty and purple because that's my favorite color... and those two colors go well together" Brenda explained

" It looks very nice sweetie" Lily said with a smile

Severus nodded in approval, he never did like the whole room in Gryffindor, " Have you finished the tour?"

" Not quite" Brenda said, " The library is next"

Severus smirked and nodded, " Lils will like that"

" Of course, I love libraries" Lily said

" This one is bigger than the one at Hogwarts" Severus said with a grin

Lily got very excited

Severus and Brenda both showed the Potters the library

Lily was in awe

Severus explained the rules of the library, if you can't reach it without magic, then it's not for you

Severus also explained the rule about locked doors

" There are a lot of rooms in this house that even I haven't been in, if the doors are locked do not try to unlock them, the contents in the room could be dangerous" Severus warned, " Brenda knows the consequences for that"

Brenda tried not to have her face turn red

Minnie popped into the library

" Master Severus, the rooms are ready, if your guests are ready, Minnie would like to show them to their rooms" Minnie said

Severus nodded

" Please follow me" Minnie said with a smile

Minnie led everybody to the guest rooms, Harry's looked like Brenda's except it has Slytherin colors and there was no bookshelf

" My son is not sleeping in a Slytherin room" James said

Severus rolled his eyes, " All of the bedrooms start out with the Slytherin colors, you're welcome to change it if you like"

Harry changed his room from Slytherin to Scarlet and emerald green

" Now it looks like Christmas" Brenda laughed

Harry smiled and added some blue and yellow

" There, all of Hogwarts colors" Harry said

" What was wrong with just Gryffindor colors?" James asked

" James leave him alone, if he wants to have all of the four colors, its fine" Lily said, " It looks very nice Harry"

" Thanks mum" Harry said with a smile

James and Lily's room was bigger than Harry and Brenda's, it was like another master bedroom

James wanted to make the walls Gryffindor colors but Lily wasn't going to be sleeping in a Gryffindor room, she wasn't in school anymore, they argued over it for a while and decided on a sky blue color

" Well then after you all get settled in, lets go down to the dining room and have that tea" Severus said

Five minutes later, everybody was in the dining room drinking tea with little finger sandwiches

While Severus, Harry and Brenda were asleep, and James went over to visit Lupin, Lily asked Minnie where the kitchen was

" Why does Mrs. Lily Potter need to know where the kitchen is?" Minnie asked

" I wish to bake a cake in honor of Voldemort's demise, and to honor my children" Lily said

" Ooh, Minnie can bake the cake for Mrs. Lily Potter" Minnie said

" No, no need, you did so much already, I really want to do this, I like to bake and it's been sixteen years since I got to make anything for my family" Lily said

" Oh... can Minnie help?" Minnie asked

Lily smiled and nodded, " I would be delighted if you helped"

Minnie smiled and gladly showed Lily where the kitchen was at and with a snap of her fingers, she got all of the ingredients out that they would need to make a cake

" Lets see, it should probably be big enough to feed at least 200 people" Lily said, " Hm, that's a big cake... we could make two smaller cakes, one in honor of Harry and one in honor of Brenda... we also could have one in honor of everybody who helped in the war... yes, that would be good... each cake should be big enough to feed 100 people, so we can feed 300 people... what do you think Minnie?"

Minnie smiled, " Minnie likes that idea"

Lily smiled, " Well then, we should get busy"

By the time Snape woke up, one cake was made and they were making the other cake

" Mmm smells good in here" Severus said walking into the kitchen that he rarely sets foot in because of Minnie

" Mrs. Lily Potter and Minnie are making three cakes for the party" Minnie said excitedly

" Yes, I can see that" Severus said with a half smile, " Do you need any help?"

" No thank you Sev, it's been sixteen years and I'm having fun" Lily said with a smile

Severus nodded then grinned, " I better start brewing a batch of stomach soother then"

" Severus" Lily said while laughing

About another hour and a half, Harry and Brenda woke up groggily

" I see early bedtimes in your near future" Severus said once he saw the two

" Not... complaining" Harry yawned

" Didn't get much... sleep in 48... hours" Brenda yawned

" Well, how about a cup of coffee and a pepper up potion?" Severus suggested, " Merlin knows I'm having that"

The twins nodded and walked over to the dining room table and sat down

A minute later cups of coffee popped in front of them, as well as apple slices

Brenda lifted up her eyebrow at that

" It's for energy, and nutrition" Severus explained, " Merlin knows what you've been eating all this time on the run"

" Not fruit and vegetables" Brenda said

" I figured as much" Severus said, " Now both of you eat at least four of those slices each"

" Yes sir" Harry and Brenda said

The three drank their coffee and had their snack then drank their pepper up potion

Lily and Minnie came back from the kitchen

" The cakes are finished for the party" Lily announced with a smile

" Can we see them?" Brenda asked excitedly

Lily smiled, " You may see them at the party with everybody else"

" But" Brenda protested

" No buts" Lily said, " It's a surprise"

Both twins sighed in defeat

After their snack, everybody got ready for the party, by taking showers and getting dressed, before they took naps, they cast scourgify on themselves to get the dirt and grime off, but nothing beats taking a shower to get the feel off of their skin

Finally it was time to go to the party and they all apparated to the Burrow

They were one of the first ones there, along with them there were the Lupins, Sirius and James and of course the Weasleys and Hermione

Harry and Brenda saw Fred and George's decorations and they were very good

Harry went towards Ginny and gave her a kiss, Fred snuck up behind Brenda and covered her eyes

" Guess who" Fred said with a grin

Brenda smirked and decided to tease him, " Uh... Percy"

" Percy? Fred asked surprised, " No"

" Um... Ron?" Brenda asked trying not to laugh

George started laughing behind them

" Wow you're really bad at this game" Fred said with a grin

" Watch it or I'll say George" Brenda said turning around and kissing him

" Hey you cheated" Fred complained but he was still laughing

" I knew it was you the whole time" Brenda said

" Yah, you're the only one who can tell us apart" George said

" Well no offense but everybody can now" Brenda said pointedly

George touched the hole where his ear used to be and sighed, " Yah... I still kept the ear though"

" Ew" Brenda said wrinkling her nose

George smiled, " Hey it's a souvenir from that night"

Severus walked over to the three

" I am sorry for getting your ear Mr. Weasley, I was aiming at another Death Eater that night" Severus said

" That was you?" George asked shocked

Severus nodded, " And I do apologize"

" It's ok Professor... on the bright side, people can tell us apart now" George said with a smile

" Yah, our mum couldn't even tell us apart" Fred said rolling his eyes

" You know, I could mend your ear... the spell that was cast was one of my own and I alone know the counter charm and you could be back to normal, confusing everybody who cannot tell the difference between the two of you" Severus said

George's face lit up, " Could you really?"

" Did I not just say that?" Severus asked

" Oh thank you Professor, I would like that very much" George said

Severus nodded, " After the party bring your severed ear and I will take you to Snape Manor"

George smiled and nodded

" Can I come too sir?" Fred asked

Snape sighed and rolled his eyes, " I'm afraid I'm going to have to magic you into the wards Mr. Weasley, since you and Brenda are in love... but do anything more than kissing, holding hands and hugging, you will have me to answer to"

Fred nodded

Brenda rolled her eyes, why did she have to be burdened with very over protective parents?

It seemed like everybody in the Wizarding World who knew the Weasleys and were invited to their home were at the party, including, to everybody's astonishment, Frank and Alice Longbottom

This day was seriously, the best day of a lot of people's lives

Neville was very excited that his parents were alright

There were a lot of people who wanted to shake Harry and Brenda's hands again and thank and congratulate them for saving the Wizarding World

" I hope we have enough food" Mrs. Weasley said

" I'm sure we'll have plenty" Lily said with a smile

Lily was right, they had just enough food for everybody when it was dinner time, she didn't know that the Hogwarts House Elves and Minnie made more food at Hogwarts for the party

When it got dark enough, Fred and George shot off fireworks, some of them looked like Umbridge running away from a dragon which made all of the Hogwarts students who knew Umbridge laugh

" That's not very nice" Lily scolded her two children and their friends, especially the Weasley twins who created the fireworks

" But it's funny" Fred protested, " If you knew what she did to the school two years ago"

" Relax Lils, let them have some fun, you did see how that toad treated our children" James said wrapping his arms around Lily

" You said yourself that you wanted to speak with her" Brenda reminded her mother

Lily was quiet for a moment and just looked at the fireworks and tried to hold in a smile but it didn't work too well, " Well, it is pretty funny"

" That's the spirit" George said with a laugh and he lit off another firework

It was close to 1:00 in the morning before the party came to a close

Everybody used portkeys to get home, everybody was too tired to risk apparating and there were too many people for the floo

Before the Potters and Snape left, both Harry and Brenda were kissing their girlfriend and boyfriend and hugging them and they didn't want to let go

" Come on you two love birds, it's late, you'll see them tomorrow" James said with a tired laugh

" Technically it is tomorrow... or today... whatever" Brenda said not letting go of the love of her life

James was going to say something, but then looked at the time, " Good point"

Severus rolled his eyes, " Ok enough you lot, it's time to go"

He forced the two couples apart with a lot of protesting from said two couples

"After of at least nine hours of much needed sleep you may see your other halves, but until then, we are all going home" Severus said pulling both Harry and Brenda with him

" Hey, don't hurt them" James said with a glare

" I am not hurting them" Severus said with his own glare, " This is sometimes the only way to get them moving... I know what I'm doing, I've been around hormonal teenagers longer than you two have... Lily please get out the Portkey"

Lily took out a tin can and with a lot more protesting from the teenagers, had everybody touch the tin can and a minute later, everybody was in Snape Manor

" You could have given us just another minute" Harry grumbled

" And after that minute, you'd ask for another then another and another" Severus said, " Now, everybody is tired, so we are all going to bed"

Brenda gasped, " I forgot Angel and my broom, Fred watched them for me... Angel's going to be so angry at me for leaving her like that"

" You'll get your owl and your broom later... it's time for bed" Severus snapped

" Who died and made you the boss?" James asked

" My house, my rules" Severus said

" Fine, then I will take my family and go to the Lupin's" James said with a glare

" Both of you stop fighting" Lily said exasperated, " Ever since we came back that is all you two have been doing... it's like you two are school children all over again"

" He started it" Both Severus and James said at the same time

" And I'm finishing it" Lily said with a glare on her face, " Everybody is going to bed, you three had a very long couple of days and we all need rest... And tomorrow, or later today, you two are going to make up and not fight anymore, like it or not you two are family now and you better start acting like it" Lily scolded the two male adults

It was quiet in the room

Lily turned to her two children with a softer expression, " You two go on up to your bedrooms"

Harry and Brenda did as they were told, but first they hugged their parents and Brenda hugged Severus as well

Brenda loved being back home, she missed not being at Snape Manor even though she thought that Snape was evil, she missed her room, her books, her book shelf, her potions lab... she might get in trouble for that though, she missed her House Elf and friend Minnie, she even missed the sarcastic portrait of Grandfather Severus. She's still going to miss the quiet around Snape manor because with two school rivals living in Snape manor, it will be noisy

" Mum, Dad and Harry are just going to have to learn the rules of Snape Manor" Brenda whispered to herself before she fell asleep

The next morning, even though she had busy nights and days, Brenda woke up at her usual time that she usually did at Snape Manor

" Stupid internal alarm" Brenda mumbled to herself

There was a chuckle coming from the doorway

" I figured you'd wake up soon" Severus said

Brenda sat up and lifted her eyebrow, " How long have you been standing there?"

" About a minute" Severus said, " I didn't want you to lock yourself down in the Potion's Lab"

Brenda rolled her eyes, " I wasn't planning on doing that... yet"

Severus gave her a hard stare, " If it's not up to my standards, not at all young lady"

Brenda rolled her eyes again, " Fine... you want to see it?"

" Yes" Severus said

" Ok, well get out so I can get dressed and then we can go down there" Brenda said

Severus stepped out and shut the door so Brenda could get dressed

A couple minutes later, Severus came back in

" So how do you get into the Potion's Lab?" Severus asked

Brenda bent down and took the key out of the compartment at the bottom of the bookshelf

" I don't see a lock" Severus said

" You will" Brenda said and she took the key and made the tip of the key touch each number on the bookshelf, when she got to number ten she waited for a moment

" Nothing's happening" Severus said

" Merlin you're impatient today" Brenda said, " Wait a moment"

A few moments later, in the middle of the bookshelf a lock appeared

Brenda turned around and smiled, " Ready?"

Severus nodded

Brenda took the key and unlocked the lock and opened up the bookshelf

Brenda then took her wand out and lit it up

" Lets go" Brenda said with a smile, it's been a long while since she been in her potions lab

They walked the path until they got to the stairs

" How did you know that these stairs were safe when you found this?" Severus asked

" They looked and still look brand new" Brenda said, " Come on, it's not dangerous" They descended down the stairs until they reached the locked door

Brenda took the key out again and unlocked the door then smiled, " Welcome Severus, to the Potions Lab of Henry James Prince"

Brenda turned the lights on and Severus looked around

Inside the lab there were five cauldrons, a shelf full of potions, and numerous potions ingredients that don't look bad, and there was also a bookshelf that had potions books on it

Brenda showed Severus the book that she looked at to give her the inspiration to make the Dark Mark remover, then Brenda showed him the directions she created to make the Dark Mark remover

Snape read both what HJP wrote and what Brenda wrote

" It's that easy?" Severus asked

Brenda nodded, " I'm surprised nobody came up with it before... but yes, it's that easy... very time consuming though, nine months to let it simmer"

Severus didn't say anything, he just nodded and looked around the lab

" This lab is not up-to-date" Severus said

Brenda groaned, " Is there a way we can update it?"

" No, it's too old" Severus said looking around, " You are very lucky nothing major has happened while you were down here"

" So, what do I have to do to update it?" Brenda asked

" You'd be better off to just create another lab, in a different spot" Severus said, " There is no ventilation for when a potion explodes, who knows how old these cauldrons are, there is no other exit just in case something happens, it's too small of a space for so many cauldrons, the majority of these ingredients are expired, I hope you haven't been using them"

" I haven't been using the expired ones" Brenda said

" Good... we are better off getting rid of this lab then updating it" Severus said firmly, " I can't believe you didn't notify me when you found this lab"

" I'm sorry, I didn't want you to take it away from me, I like making potions" Brenda said

" Yes I see that, and you would have been right, I would have taken it away from you because I would know that it is dangerous" Severus said firmly

" Ok, well I didn't tell you, so now what?" Brenda asked a little snippy

" Don't take that tone with me young lady or I'll have you over my knee before you can say Quidditch" Severus threatened

Brenda took a step back and glared, " You are not spanking me anymore, I'm too old for that"

Severus lifted an eyebrow, " Are you really"

" Yes" Brenda said, " And I think I proved that already by what I accomplished"

" Hmm, ok, you're right about you being too old to be spanked, but you still need to respect your elders young lady and don't use a snippy tone... you are not too old to get a mouthful of soap" Severus said

Brenda crossed her arms and glared at the floor for a minute then sighed, " Sorry sir"

" That's better... and to answer your question, we are going to get all of the usable things out of this lab and your potions that you worked on and destroy this place" Severus said

Brenda sighed unhappily

" Then after that, we are going to go down into my lab and create a space down there for you, there is actually a large space that I was planning on using for more shelving, but I seem to not be able to fill all the shelves I have now, the space has been empty for years... it's larger than this space and this time, you can stop sneaking around to create potions" Severus said

Brenda was happy about that, " Are you serious?"

" No I'm Severus, Sirius is at Lupin's" Severus joked

Brenda rolled her eyes and was still waiting for the answer

Severus smirked and nodded, " I'm serious"

Brenda hugged Severus

" This way I can monitor you better during your apprenticeship you will be starting when we go back to school for your Seventh year" Severus said

Brenda gasped, " An... an apprenticeship?"

Severus smiled and nodded

" Oh Merlin" Brenda said in awe

" I assume that is an appropriate 17th birthday present and Christmas gift since I missed those two special days" Severus said a little awkwardly

" A lab... and an apprenticeship... the two best gifts ever" Brenda said with a smile and she hugged Severus again, " Thank you dad"

Severus didn't correct her and he smirked, " You're welcome "

Brenda and Severus went back up and out of the potions lab

" Do we have to destroy the lab?" Brenda asked once they were out

" Brenda we just had this conversation" Severus said exasperated

" I know... but what if... what if I promise not to use it... I just don't think we should destroy it... it's part of our history" Brenda said

Severus lifted an eyebrow, " I don't know if I can trust you not going down there and making potions"

" Please Dad I promise I won't make any more potions down there, not when I have a bigger lab down in the basement, I just don't want it destroyed" Brenda said

Severus sighed, " We will talk about that later, right now, we should get the others up and go down for breakfast... then we will start collecting your potions and moving them down to the basement"

Brenda smiled at that, her own lab down in the "forbidden basement" well it's not forbidden anymore, " Yes sir"

Severus went down to the dining room to have Minnie start breakfast while Brenda woke up her brother and her parents, she decided to wake her mum up first, she might be easier to rise

" Mum wake up, it's time for breakfast" Brenda whispered

Lily opened her eyes and smiled when she saw her daughter, " Good morning Rosebud"

Brenda smiled at that nickname, " Good morning"

Lily yawned and stretched as she sat up, " What time is it?"

" About 8:30, Minnie is making breakfast right now" Brenda said

" How long have you been awake?" Lily asked

" Since Seven... it's a rule here" Brenda said

Lily sighed, " Severus and his rules... he needs to relax sometime... ok, well, I'll... try to wake up your father... can you try to wake up your brother"

Brenda grinned, " Now that's something I haven't perfected yet"

Lily chuckled

Brenda left her parents' room and went to her brother's room and knocked, " Harry"

There was no answer

Brenda opened the door and saw that Harry was still asleep

Brenda walked over to Harry's bed and gently shook his shoulder

" Time to wake up Harry" Brenda said softly

Harry groaned

" Come on Harry" Brenda said a little more impatiently

" Leave me alone" Harry mumbled and turned over to go back to sleep

Brenda sighed, " Come on, it's past 8:30"

" Thanks for the time now go away" Harry said

" Snape's not going to like it when he knows you're still in bed" Brenda said

" It's only 8:30" Harry said with his eyes still closed

" Yah, I've been up for more than an hour and a half, I just got a new potions lab and a potions apprenticeship" Brenda said with excitement

" Good for you, now go away" Harry said

Brenda sighed, " Harry, the sooner we get ready for the day, the sooner we can get to the Weasley's, I don't know about you, but I want to see my boyfriend and I know Ginny wants to see you"

That got Harry to open his eyes and sit up

" Ok, I'm up, now leave so I can get dressed" Harry said

Brenda smirked, " Meet you down at breakfast"

Brenda left the room and shut the door

Ten minutes later Harry joined Severus, Lily and Brenda at the table

" Good morning" Harry announced

" Good morning Harry" Lily said with a smile

" Where's Dad?" Harry asked

" Still getting ready" Lily said with a sigh

" Apparently, he's trying to get his hair just right" Brenda said with a smirk and she rolled her eyes

Harry grinned at that and sat down at the table

Minnie popped in and poured Harry milk and orange juice

Another fifteen minutes later James walked into the dining room with a smile on his face, " Good morning family... Snape"

" Potter" Severus spat, " I'm glad you finally graced us with your presence, and now we can finally eat"

" You could have been eating without me you know" James said sitting down next to his wife

Minnie popped in and poured James tea and orange juice

" That wouldn't be the proper thing to do" Severus said then took a sip of his tea

" Sorry, but it takes time to get my hair looking this good" James said with a smirk

" Really? It looks like bedhead to me" Severus said with an evil smirk

Lily, Brenda and Harry gasped

" Oh boy, this isn't going to be good" Brenda whispered

James stood up and glared, " Oh yah, well your hair looks like it hasn't been washed in a year you greasy git"

Severus stood up as well about to say something else

Brenda stood up and made her wand make a bang noise to get both mens' attention

Lily and Harry were up as well

"Sit Down” Brenda commanded angrily

Both of the men sat, they were seeing two furious glares from two redheads they both know and love 

" Both of you are acting like children" Lily said with a furious glare

" He started it" James said pouting

" I don't care who started it, I'm finishing it... since you two are behaving like children, you will be treated like children" Lily said firmly, " James, you will go sit in that corner"

Lily took her wand and put a sticking charm to James' chair and sent the chair zooming to one corner in the dining room

" And Severus, you will go sit in that corner" Lily said and she did the same to Severus

Both men began protesting

Brenda both put silencing charms on both men

" Now then, lets have breakfast" Lily said with a smile

James and Severus both ate a silent breakfast in their corners with their plates levitating in air

Lily kept Severus and James in their corners for a half hour before they could get up

" Now both of you apologize or you will go back to your corners" Lily said firmly

Severus and James glared at each other and both said a quick sorry, but they didn't mean it

" Good enough... for now" Lily said, " I do not want to have to do that again... you two are both adults and it is time you start acting like it... do you understand?"

Both men nodded

" Where's Harry and Brenda?" James asked

" Brenda is showing Harry her Potions Lab and he's helping her remove the potions and things" Lily explained, " She is really excited about the new potions lab and the apprenticeship, thank you Sev"

Severus nodded, " She deserves it, I haven't seen such passion since... well, since we were in school... she will be a great Potions Mistress"

Lily smiled at that

" You have had a lot of time on your hands" Harry said once Brenda showed him her potions lab

" Not a whole lot, once you see the schedule Severus had me be on" Brenda said, " I came down here when I could"

" I'm surprised he never found out about this" Harry said

Brenda shrugged

" So where are we going to put everything once we bring it back up?" Harry asked

Brenda sighed and looked around, " Well, for now we can put everything in boxes and levitate them by the door to my room... Minnie"

Minnie popped into the lab, " Yes Ms. Brenda? What can Minnie do for you?"

" Are there any boxes we can put my potions things in? Dad is making me move out of here" Brenda said

" He's not your dad, you're supposed to call him Severus" Harry thought to Brenda

Brenda ignored her brother for the moment

" Yes Ms. Brenda, Minnie will get them at once" Minnie said with a smile and with a pop she was gone

" I didn't want to make her upset" Brenda explained once Minnie was gone, " And technically, I'm still adopted"

" But you don't need to call him Dad, our real Dad is here" Harry said

Brenda rolled her eyes, " I know, I still call Professor Snape Severus... I'm sorry I referred to him as Dad, but I was talking to Minnie, and she will get upset if I suddenly stopped calling Severus, Dad"

Minnie popped back in with the boxes

" Master Severus Snape and Mr. James Potter Sir is out of their corners... Mrs. Lily Potter has a temper, she made Master Severus Snape and Mr. James Potter apologize to each other" Minnie informed

Harry and Brenda giggled at that, they thought it was funny how their mum put those two in the corners during breakfast

" They will be up momentarily to help" Minnie said

" Thank you Minnie" Brenda said with a smile and she hugged her House Elf friend

Minnie smiled, " You're welcome Ms. Brenda Potter" And with a pop she was gone

Severus led Lily and James to Brenda's room and down to the lab

With everybody working together, they got all of Brenda's potions out of the lab and took two out of the five cauldrons out of the lab as well, according to Severus, the others were not good enough"

It was about 2:30 before they got to go to the Weasleys

Both Fred and Ginny were waiting very impatiently by the fireplace

Brenda flooed first and she still had a hard time landing

Fred caught Brenda, " Finally... and still clumsy as ever when it comes to the floo" Fred said with a smile

" Well hello to you too" Brenda said with a smile and a roll of her eyes

Brenda wrapped her arms around her boyfriend when she was still sooty

" Hey" Fred protested chuckling

They got out of the way so the others can come through

Harry also fell when he came out but he was helped up by Ginny and after making himself soot free, he gathered his girlfriend up in a hug

" Now why can't you be like him and clean yourself up first" Fred asked with a grin

Brenda sighed and sounded putout and she waved her wand and cleaned both herself and Fred up, " Better?"

" Yes, now where were we? Those two seconds took too long" Fred said

Lily came through the floo and she didn't fall, she took one look at her children, smiled and shook her head

After Lily, James flooed in and he fell when he landed

The two teen couples saw that

" Well, at least we know why you two can't land properly when coming out of the floo" Fred said with a chuckle

Mrs. Weasley heard the commotion and came into the living room

" Honestly Fred, Ginny, couldn't you have notified me that they were coming before you two started kissing?" Mrs. Weasley lightly scolded

James got out of the way and Severus stepped out of the floo gracefully

" Sirius, Remus, and Tonks are here as well" Mrs. Weasley informed

James smiled at that and went to join his two friends

" George, Ron and Hermione are upstairs" Mrs. Weasley said

The "Kids" went upstairs and found the rest of the group

During that day Mr. Weasley informed everybody that the Malfoy's trial will be held tomorrow at noon

" I don't know why you think the Malfoys are innocent" Ron said wrinkling his forehead, " After the way we were treated at Malfoy Manor"

Harry and Brenda sighed, " We already been through this" They said at the same time

" I know, but after everything they did to us" Ron said

" Ron, they're getting a trial and whether they go free or not is not up to us" Brenda said

" Yes, but you're going to defend them" Ron said, " The Malfoy's... of all people"

" Ron, you're making it sound like that after we defend them we're going to become buddy buddy with those three, we're just going to make sure they get a fair trial" Harry said

" Draco and Narcissa do not deserve to go to Azkaban" Brenda said

" What about Lucius?" Fred asked, " Didn't he try to cast the killing curse at you during your second year?"

" Yah and the house elf Dobby stopped him" George put in

" He's... going to be more difficult" Brenda said

" He actually deserves some time in Azkaban" Harry said

" It's going to be an interesting day tomorrow" Brenda said with a sigh

The next day at Snape Manor, everybody woke up at 8:00 to get ready for the trial

Minnie laid out everybody's clothes, the women were in dresses and the men were in shirts and ties and black pants

Brenda put on her BRENDA necklace and her promise ring, she was glad to wear them again

After breakfast, Lily and Harry had an argument on Lily making Harry's hair look nice, Lily won the argument

Brenda was trying not to smirk when Harry was forced to endure the torment of Lily combing his hair trying to make it lay down flat

" I blame you James, why did he have to inherit your unruly hair?" Lily asked

James sighed, " Leave it alone Lils, it's not going to lay flat"

Lily tried everything the muggle way but it didn't work

" Have you tried a sticking charm?" Severus asked with a smirk

Harry's eyes went wide with horror, " Don't put a sticking charm on my head"

" We're not going to sweetie" Lily said and shot a glare at Severus

Severus smirked, " It'll stay down that way"

" And it will also feel like he has gum in his hair" Lily said

Harry sighed, " Mum it's useless"

" Mrs. Weasley has been trying to make his hair stay flat for years" Brenda put in

Lily sighed and just looked at the top of Harry's head, " I have one more option then I give up"

Lily hurried to hers and James's room then asked for Minnie

" Yes Mrs. Lily Potter?" Minnie asked

Lily requested an item and Minnie got it for her then Lily returned and poured some of the contents on her hands and then slicked Harry's hair back and this time, it stayed

Brenda and Severus gasped

" He's not going to like that" Severus said

Brenda couldn't help it, this time she did chuckle

" What's so funny?" Harry asked

Brenda made sure she occluded her mind from Harry so he couldn't read her thoughts and she didn't say anything

" Go look in the mirror" Lily said with a smile, she thought Harry would like the look she gave him

" I'm coming too, I have to see the look on your face" Brenda said

Severus followed also wanting to see the look on Harry's face when he sees himself in the mirror

Lily and James also followed because everybody else went too

When they got to the bathroom and Harry saw himself in the mirror, first his eyes got wide then he screamed and cursed

" I LOOK LIKE A BLACK HAIRED BLOODY MALFOY" Harry yelled

" Language" Severus and Lily scolded

" Ew, Malfoy? No way is he keeping his hair like that Lily" James said and with a wave of his wand, the hair was back to Harry normal

" Mum why did you do that?" Harry asked accusingly

" I didn't know it was the 'Malfoy' look" Lily said defending herself

" Well you got to admit, it was kind of funny" Brenda said still smirking

" Haha, humor at my expense" Harry said sarcastically

" Oh lighten up, nobody else saw you and your hair is back to normal" Brenda said

Lily sighed, " I still wish there was something we could do with your hair Harry"

" Mum, I like my hair the way it is... and nothing you do will change it... Aunt Petunia tried cutting it once and it just regrew... that was an experience I never want to experience again" Harry said and shuddered

Lily wrinkled her nose at that, " I really need to go talk to my sister"

" Later, right now we have a trial to get to" Severus said looking at the time

" Dumbledore's going to be there right?" Brenda asked

" Of course he is" Severus said

" Good, because we're going to need all of the cunning we can get" Brenda said, " To get the Malfoys out of trouble"

" Still can't believe we have to do this" Harry said

" I can't figure out how to get Lucius Malfoy out of trouble... the other two will be easier" Brenda said

Later that day the Potters, Severus, Sirius, the Lupins, Hermione and all of the Weasleys were on their way to the Ministry for the trial of the Malfoy family

" Do you think Dumbledore will be there?" Ron asked

" I'm sure he will be, he was there for Brenda and me when we had our trial" Harry said

" He wanted to help the Malfoys before he died that night" Brenda said

Once they got into the Ministry of Magic, they had to go down to Courtroom Ten

" So they have a Minister already? It's only been a few days and nobody has voted or anything" Fred said

" Kingsley Shacklebolt is the new Minister" Mr. Weasley said

" Wow, just like that?" Fred asked

" He's the best we have right now" Mr. Weasley said

" I think he'll make a good Minister of Magic" Harry said

" It's about time we have a decent one" Brenda said with a smile

They all got in the elevator that would take them down to Courtroom Ten, they had to split up and go down separately for everybody to get down

" Mr. Weasley, is Dumbledore representing the case like he did with our case?" Harry asked

" Yes Harry, he is" Mr. Weasley said with a smile

A few minutes later, they entered the courtroom and Mr. Weasley pointed to everybody's seats

" Ok, you lot are just here to watch, Harry, Brenda, you two go over there because you're witnesses" Mr. Weasley ordered

Severus looked very uncomfortable being in the courtroom, he hasn't been in there since his trial as a Death Eater took place and Dumbledore got him out

" Are you ok Sev?" Lily asked

Severus didn't say anything

Brenda looked at Severus and went up to him, " Da... Severus are you ok?"

Severus still didn't say anything

" Do you want a glass of water or something?" Brenda asked

Severus shook his head no, " No... Thank you... I'll be... I'll be fine"

Brenda gave him a hug which Severus returned

" You sure?" Brenda asked

Severus nodded, " Yes, I just haven't been here in... well… many years"

" Yah, when your Death Eater trial took place" James said

Severus, Lily and Brenda glared at him

" What? It's true" James said

" Ignore him Severus, you're innocent and nothing is going to happen to you today" Lily said putting a comforting hand on his shoulder

Severus smiled at Lily

" Are you going to be ok Dad?" Brenda whispered, she didn't want her father James or her brother to hear her call Severus Dad

Severus smiled at Brenda, " I'll be fine" And he kissed the top of her head, " Go take your place next to your brother"

Brenda smiled and nodded and left to take her place next to Harry

Harry knew Brenda called Snape Dad and he gave her a pointed look

Brenda rolled her eyes and ignored Harry

More people began filling in and finally, it was time

Everybody was quiet when the three Malfoys were led into the room by hand and ankle cuffs. They were forced to sit in the three chairs that were waiting for them and once they were seated, they were restrained by cuffs on the chair

" Well at least they're not in cages like Karkaroff was" Brenda thought to Harry

Harry agreed

" Well then, let's get started shall we?" Kingsley began, " The accused being present are Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy and Draconis Malfoy is that correct?"

" Yes sir" Lucius said for his family

" Please sir, call me Draco" Draco said, he hated the name Draconis

Kingsley nodded, " Very well... ok, this is a disciplinary hearing for the Malfoys being accused of being loyal supporters and loyal Death Eaters of Lord Voldemort, the interrogators are Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt, Amelia Bones who is the head of the Department of magical law enforcement, and Percy Weasley who has taken his place as Court Scribe... As of right now, there is no Senior Undersecretary to the Minister since we learned some valuable information about our last Senior Undersecretary... now then... we have witnesses for the Defense... Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and Brenda Potter"

The three witnesses stood up when their names were called

" Ok, we will first interrogate Draco Malfoy, then Narcissa Malfoy then Lucius Malfoy" Kingsley said

Draco's face was paler than usual

" Mr. Malfoy" Kingsley started

Draco started to speak but his voice cracked and he cleared his throat, " Yes?"

" You are charged of being a loyal Death Eater to Voldemort, how do you plead?"

" Um... not... not guilty sir" Draco stuttered

" I see, can you explain? Because you have the dark mark on your forearm" Kingsley said

Draco tried talking but he couldn't get the words right, he looked pale and he was very nervous

Brenda stood up, " If I may sir, I can help him answer the question, I am a witness after all and this is what I witnessed"

It was quiet for a few seconds but then Kingsley nodded

Brenda walked down to where Draco was seated and she put a calming hand on his shoulder and smiled encouragingly at him

Draco just gave her a weary look

" Ok, first of all, Draco only did what he did because Voldemort threatened his family" Brenda started

A lot of people shivered when she said Voldemort

Brenda rolled her eyes at that

" Draco didn't want to kill Professor Dumbledore and he tried different methods. I figured out Draco had to do something he didn't want to do when Harry and I found him crying in the girls' bathroom" Brenda started, " I didn't know what it was at the time"

Draco cringed at that, he didn't want to remember that night

" If he really wanted to kill Professor Dumbledore, he wouldn't have been crying" Brenda said

" Ok enough about me crying in the girls' bathroom, they get it" Draco whispered

" Like I said Draco, it makes you more innocent" Brenda whispered back and then said aloud, " Another reason why he is innocent is because he had the perfect opportunity, didn't he Professor?"

Brenda turned and faced Dumbledore

Dumbledore stood up and walked over to Brenda and Draco, " Yes he did, I was very vulnerable and weak at the time, having consumed a potion to retrieve something called a Horcrux" Dumbledore started, " Draco disarmed me very easily and he had the perfect opportunity to kill me with the killing curse, but he didn't, his heart was not in it"

" But you still died" Kingsley said and he turned and stared at Severus

Severus's face turned pale

" Do not accuse Severus Snape for my death, he did it on my orders" Dumbledore said

" On your orders? Why?" Kingsley asked

" Because I was dying anyway, I was cursed... by another Horcrux" Dumbledore said

" What is a Horcrux?" Kingsley asked

" Something dark, I will explain it later, now is not the time" Dumbledore said and he went and sat down and Harry stood up and stood next to his sister

" Another thing Draco did to prove that he is not loyal to Voldemort" Harry started

People cringed again

" We were captured and brought to Malfoy Manor" Harry said

" Our faces were swollen so we would look at least a little different" Brenda said

" Draco easily could have recognized us even with swollen faces, but he didn't tell anybody who we were" Harry said

" And that night of the final battle with Voldemort, we were ambushed by Draco and his friends Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, Crabbe and Goyle started throwing Killing curses at us and Draco was trying to stop them" Brenda said

Kingsley looked at Draco, " Is all of this true Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco nodded

" Are you willing to take Veritaserum for more proof?" Kingsley asked

" Yes sir" Draco said and nodded

" Very well" Kingsley said and he motioned one of the aurors to get the potion, " And are you two willing to give up your memories for us to look at for more proof?"

" Yes sir" Harry and Brenda said

Fifteen minutes later Draco was free and his only punishment was three months of community service at Hogwarts

Harry and Brenda sighed, " One down, two to go" They thought to each other

" Ok, next Narcissa Malfoy be interrogated" Kingsley said

" Mrs. Malfoy" Kingsley started

" Yes?" Mrs. Malfoy asked

" You are charged of being a loyal Death Eater to Voldemort, how do you plead?" Kingsley asked

" Not guilty" Mrs. Malfoy said confidently

" I see, can you explain?" Kingsley said, " Without saying you were under the imperious curse like last time"

" I lied to the Dark Lord by telling him that the Potters were dead after they were hit with the killing curse, but they were actually alive" Mrs. Malfoy said firmly

Kingsley looked at the Potters, " Is this true?"

" Yes" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

" If she didn't lie to Voldemort, we wouldn't have been able to get back to the castle and have the battle" Brenda said

" Why would you lie to him Mrs. Malfoy?" Kingsley asked, " What motive did you have?"

" I wanted my son to be safe and we were not allowed to retrieve him. The Potters said that Draco was safe and alive inside, that is all I wanted, I just wanted my baby safe" Narcissa said, " Draco would have never been safe under the rule of that mad man... I am willing to take Veritaserum to prove to all of you that I am not loyal to the Dark Lord"

Narcissa's trial didn't take nearly as long as Draco's did and her only punishment was to donate 15,000 galleons to charity and hold a party to raise money for orphans who's parents were killed in the war

" Ok, next Lucius Malfoy will be interrogated and like your wife Lucius, you cannot say you were under the imperious curse because we know you were not" Kingsley said

Lucius looked very pale and frightened, he knew that they knew that he was a loyal Death Eater, he didn't know how he would get out of this one

Draco and Narcissa also looked very worried, it didn't look good for his father and her husband

" We have to try to get him out, I told Draco we would" Brenda thought to Harry

" But Brenda, he is guilty" Harry thought, " Look at everything that happened because of him, he's the one who dropped Tom Riddle's Diary in Ginny's cauldron, he tried killing us, he was there when Voldemort was resurrected, he tried getting the prophecy away from us, do I really have to go on or do you get the point?"

" I get the point" Brenda thought and glared, "But we still have to try to save him because if you haven't noticed by now, that's kind of what we do"

" And how are we supposed to do that?" Harry thought

Brenda sighed and looked up at Kingsley, " Sir, before we get Lucius Malfoy's trial started, may we have a... recess? I think it would be wise if we talked to him privately before his trial starts"

Kinglsey thought about it for a moment, " Very well, you have a half hour, the aurors will take Lucius back to his holding cell and the witnesses and Narcissa and Draco may talk to Lucius in private"

" Thank you sir" Brenda said

Lucius was placed back in his holding cell and everybody gathered around the cell

" What exactly is the meaning of this?" Lucius asked with a glare

Brenda glared as well, " I just thought buying us some more time would be a good thing to find a way out of this mess you got yourself and your family in Mr. Malfoy"

" A half hour isn't going to do much Potter" Lucius snapped, " They already know I'm guilty and I'm going to either get the Dementors Kiss or have a life sentence in Azkaban prison and all that you're doing is postponing the sentencing"

" Look, I promised Draco I'd help you out with your trial and I'm going to do my best" Brenda said

" Why? What's in it for you and why would you want to?" Lucius asked

" Honestly? I don't know... I shouldn't be wasting my time with you after everything you did" Brenda started

" Potter you said..." Draco started

" Shh" Brenda snapped, " I really could care less if you got the kiss or a life sentence, you deserve it"

" Then why bother" Lucius hissed, " You'll get what you want"

" Maybe... but maybe not" Brenda said

" What are you saying?" Lucius asked

Everybody in the room was confused, including Dumbledore

" You asked Voldemort to call off the battle" Brenda said

Lucius was surprised, " How do you know that?"

" Voldemort could get in our minds, we could get in his" Brenda said, " The point is, you wanted the battle to be called off"

" I wanted to find Draco" Lucius said

" That's true, but calling off the battle would mean nobody else gets hurt... wanting the battle called off means that you are not as loyal to Voldemort as you thought... which reminds me... Voldemort was talking about loyalty that night in the graveyard when he came back. 13 years and nobody tried to find him... well except for Professor Quirrel but Harry and I killed him our first year and Wormtail but he's been a rat for 12 years... anyway... you knew there were whispers and signs of his whereabouts... you probably even knew the secret about that diary you dropped in Ginny's cauldron. I'm sure you had the necessary items and knew ways that would bring him back, Merlin if Wormtail found a way, I'm sure you could have easily found a way" Brenda said

" What's your point Potter?" Draco snapped

Brenda smirked, " I'm glad you asked Draco... I believe we can prove that Lucius Malfoy is not loyal to Lord Voldemort

" Stop saying his name" Lucius, Draco and Narcissa said at the same time

" That's just a nickname" Harry said

" So what do you think sir?" Brenda asked turning to Dumbledore

Dumbledore had a twinkle in his eye, " I think my dear, that you would have done well in Slytherin"

Brenda smiled, " Don't tell Dad and Sirius that"

" What about the other stuff? Like almost killing us?" Harry asked

" But he didn't" Brenda said

" Because Dobby stopped him" Harry said

Brenda shrugged, " Lets just hope that doesn't come to light"

" So this will get father off the hook?" Draco asked

" It'll help, he won't get the kiss and hopefully not a life sentence in Azkaban" Brenda said

" But he will go to Azkaban?" Narcissa asked fearfully

Brenda sighed, " I don't know what the outcome will be, I just know that it will help him"

" Why are you doing this Potter? Both of you?" Draco asked

Harry shrugged, " Your mother saved our lives, we owed her"

" So what this is a life debt payment?" Draco sneered

" That's the reason why Harry is doing it... I have another reason" Brenda said, " Severus Snape was made your godfather... that has to mean that your father and Severus were very good friends... I am doing this for Severus's sake as well"

" So even if there was no life debt, you'd still be here trying to defend us?" Draco asked surprised

" Yes" Brenda said

Draco turned to Dumbledore, " And you think she would have made a good Slytherin? Not in this lifetime"

When the trial continued, it lasted for another hour and Lucius's sentence was 25 years in Azkaban and his immediate family may see him on the weekends only

After the trial and Lucius was hauled away to Azkaban, everybody started to leave the room

" Phew glad that's over with" Ron said when Harry, Brenda and Dumbledore came out, " That was stressful and I was just watching it"

" Their punishments should have been worse" Fred said putting an arm around Brenda and glaring at the Malfoys who were walking a different direction to sign some documents and claim their wands

" I mean, three months of community service at Hogwarts... that's not that big of a punishment, and Mrs. Malfoy's punishment is to donate money and throw a party? She likes throwing parties" Fred said

" And 25 years in Azkaban prison isn't enough for a Death Eater and Murderer, even if he wanted the battle stopped" George said

" Trust me you two, 25 years in Azkaban will seem like an eternity to Lucius" Sirius said, " And Draco's community service for three months is going to seem like an eternity to that spoiled kid, cleaning the castle with no magic is going to be difficult... but Narcissa's punishment... I have to admit, that was pretty light"

" Mrs. Malfoy really didn't do all that much in the war except care for her son and let their house be infested with Death Eaters and Voldemort... and technically, she is only the wife of a Death Eater and mother of one" Brenda said

" POTTERS" Somebody called

Harry and Brenda turned and saw that Draco was coming up to them

Everybody stared at Draco and Draco stopped in his tracks and glared, he really didn't like being stared down by all of those Gryffindors and his Godfather

" I need to talk to you" Draco said looking at Harry and Brenda

" Whatever you need to say Malfoy, you can say in front of us" Ron said with a glare

Draco glared back at Ron, " I don't want to say anything in front of you Weasley"

" You're in no shape to be making demands Malfoy" Ron said glaring and taking his wand out preparing for a duel

Draco was getting his wand out as well

" Both of you stop fighting" Severus hissed, " This is not the time or place... Brenda, Harry, go hear what Draco has to say, we will be waiting here"

" But what if he..." Ron started but stopped after Snape gave him one of his famous glares

Draco rolled his eyes, " I'm not going to do anything to them... you lot always think I'm up to no good"

" Uh... because you are" Ron said

Draco glared, " I don't have to stand here and be insulted, if you two are coming, then follow me, if not... then fine" Draco turned and walked the other direction

" I don't want you to go talk to him alone" Ginny said to Harry

" I don't really want to talk to him either, lets just go and forget about this day" Harry said

" You all go on ahead, I want to hear what Draco has to say" Brenda said

" You're not going with him alone" Harry said firmly

" Then come with me" Brenda said

" I don't want to talk to him, I've been near enough Malfoys today as it is" Harry said

Brenda sighed, " Fine then I'm going to him alone"

" Brenda" Harry began

" Harry" Brenda said right back

" Ok, enough arguing you two, Brenda, I'll go with you and you can talk to Draco, you all go back to the Burrow" Snape said

" I'm not leaving my daughter alone with a bunch of Slytherins" James said with a glare

" James Harold Potter, that is enough" Lily scolded and she silenced him and silenced Sirius for good measure

" Hey" Sirius mouthed

" We will leave and the two of you can go talk to the Malfoys" Lily said

" I will make everybody a late lunch and if you want, you can invite the Malfoys over, I'm sure they can use a good meal" Mrs. Weasley said, " That boy Draco looks like he can use a few extra pounds"

There were a lot of protesting coming from the Weasleys, James and Sirius and Harry

" That would be good, thank you" Severus said, " I shall ask Narcissa if they would like to join us"

Everybody except for Severus and Brenda left to go back to the Burrow, there was a lot of complaining from the Weasleys

Severus and Brenda walked towards where Draco and Narcissa were waiting for them, Draco was glaring and had his arms crossed

" Didn't think you were going to talk to me, we were about ready to leave" Draco said, " Couldn't get your brother to talk to me I see" Draco looked at Severus, "But you still couldn't come alone" Draco smirked, " Afraid of the big bad Dragon?"

Brenda lifted up an eyebrow, " Considering I watched a dragon hatch during first year, faced a real dragon during fourth year and actually rode the dragon at Gringotts a few days ago, no... not afraid of… you”

" Nobody wanted her to come over here alone, so I volunteered" Severus said

Draco looked up at Severus, " Well, better than another Gryffindor"

Brenda didn't like that comment but didn't say anything, " So what do you want Draco?"

" Like I said, I want to talk... alone" Draco said

" Well, lets go over there" Brenda said pointing about 30 feet away from their parents

They walked away from their parents and stood their looking awkward, it's weird for them having decent conversations and even weirder not hexing each other

" Ok, look Potter... I know what you did today was difficult for you, defending your enemies after all that we have done to you... My father... well, I think, if it wasn't for you and your brother... and Dumbledore, I think he would have gotten the kiss or life in Azkaban... My mother's punishment and my punishment were also very light" Draco started, " I'm actually very surprised we are not spending any time in Azkaban"

" You didn't kill anybody Draco" Brenda said

" I know" Draco said

" And your mother isn't even a Death Eater" Brenda said

" I know" Draco snapped

" So, I don't think your punishments were light" Brenda said, " I actually think you will learn from your punishment Draco... But I don't understand why your mother's punishment gets to be fun, but it is for a good cause"

Draco nodded, " I... I wanted to say... thank you Potter... for helping us... if it wasn't for you... well... thanks" Draco held out his hand to shake

Brenda took his hand and shook it

It was awkward for a few minutes

" So... Uncle Sev is your adopted father... what's that like?" Draco asked trying to break the awkwardness

Brenda chuckled, " Have you ever been over to his house?"

" Sometimes when I was young, before Hogwarts, I'd spend a week with him" Draco said

" Did you have to follow a schedule every day you were over there?" Brenda asked

Draco smirked, " He has you on that?"

" So I take it you did have to follow a schedule when you visited him" Brenda said nodding

" When I visited him when I was young, and when he was head of Slytherin, he gave us all a schedule to follow" Draco said

Brenda now looked shocked

" So he has you on the schedule, what else is he like? Can you get away with anything?" Draco asked

Brenda smirked, " Well, I got away with having a secret Potion's Lab, he just found out about that"

Draco looked surprised, " You're kidding right?"

" No, actually, it was hidden in my room... I worked down there a lot and he never found out... I made some interesting potions down there, including but not limited to the Dark Mark remover… which I invented" Brenda said looking proud

Draco looked very surprised, " Yah you mentioned a Dark Mark remover, you invented it?"

Brenda nodded

" Is it safe?" Draco asked worriedly

" It's safe... Severus already has his removed" Brenda said

" Does it hurt?" Draco asked

Brenda sighed, " Yes, it hurts... I think it hurts as bad as getting it, but... isn't it worth the pain?"

Draco hesitated, and then nodded

Narcissa and Draco declined the invitation to the Burrow but accepted the invitation to go to Snape manor later that night for dinner and the Dark Mark remover, Harry and James decided to stay at the Burrow that night, it was awkward with Lily being at Snape Manor along with the Malfoys since she is Muggleborn, but nothing was said about Lily being Muggleborn

A week after the trial and things started to slow down after the Death of Voldemort, Lily thought it would be a good idea to visit her sister whom she hasn't seen in many many years

" I'd like to take a crack at that husband of hers" James said

" Don't be too hard on them" Harry said, " I mean, they did raise me"

" They stuffed you in a cupboard for ten years Harry" James said

" And made you do too many chores that no child should do until they're older" Lily said

" Please?" Harry asked

Lily sighed, " We won't go too hard on them, even though they deserve it"

" Personally, I just want to see the looks on their faces when you two show up" Brenda said with a grin

" Make sure you get a camera ready when they see us" James said with a grin, " I want to keep their expressions forever"

Everybody chuckled at that

" Severus are you going to come with us?" Lily asked, " I know you want to get back at Petunia from when we were kids"

" Hmm" Severus said with a grin, " As tempting as that seems, I cannot, I have potions that need brewing, I want to experiment and see if there is a faster way to make the Dark Mark remover as well"

" Yah, have fun with that, come on Lily, kids, lets go" James said

" We're not kids" Harry and Brenda grumbled

The four of them Apperated to Number Four Private Drive, the house was fixed after the Death Eaters destroyed it and memories were erased from the muggles who witnessed it

Lily sighed nervously, " This is it"

" Are you ok?" James asked

Lily nodded, " I'm fine, it's just that I haven't spoken to Petunia since I wrote her saying that the twins were born and that she was an aunt"

The family walked up to the door and knocked

They waited for a minute and Dudley opened the door, he looked shocked when he saw his two cousins

" Harry, Brenda, you're alive" Dudley gasped, " Mum, Dad, Harry and Brenda are back"

Vernon groaned and Petunia hurried to the door and when she saw the other two behind her niece and nephew she gasped, " Lily"

Petunia fainted

" Petunia" Vernon bellowed and hurried over to Petunia's side, " What the bloody hell did you do to my wife?"

" She just fainted Uncle Vernon" Harry said

" She'll be fine" James said, " Just carry her to the couch"

Vernon looked up for the first time and glared, " You are supposed to be dead, I'm not taking orders from freaky ghosts"

James glared at Vernon and took out his wand, " We are not ghosts and we are not freaks, now pick up your wife and set her on the couch"

" You better do as my husband says Vernon, as angry as we are at you, it would be to your benefit" Lily said with her own glare

" Whatever your brats have said about us is all a lie" Vernon spat but he did as he was told and picked up his wife and carried her to the couch

" We're angry at you of because of what we saw while we were gone, not by what anything our children have said about you" James said with his wand out

Lily took her wand out as well and after her sister was laying down and comfortable, she said, " Enervate"

A few seconds later, Petunia's eyes fluttered open and the first thing she saw was her little sister's face staring at her

" Am I dead?" Petunia whispered

" No, you're at home on your couch... you just fainted" Lily said

" How did? When did, you're supposed to be..." Petunia was at a loss for words

" Yes, we're supposed to be dead, because apparently we were in a car crash that killed us" James said rolling his eyes

Petunia blushed at that, " I'm sorry, but we had to say something to Harry"

" The truth would have been just fine" Lily said

" And have him blabbering that magic was real to everybody at school? That would make my family look bad" Vernon spat

" And if we told him that you two died from a mad man who wants to kill him would have scared him and given him nightmares" Petunia said

" Which he would cry out and wake my family up" Vernon spat

" Like you'd even hear him if he had a nightmare since you locked Harry up in the cupboard until he got his Hogwarts letter" James said with a glare

" We gave him a room" Vernon protested

" Yah after you were concerned that somebody would find out that you were abusing Harry" Lily said with a glare

" We never abused him" Vernon glared

" Oh?" Lily asked lifting up an eyebrow, " So starving a child for a week isn't abuse? Locking a child up in a cupboard isn't abuse? Making a child act like a slave isn't abuse?"

" He was taking food away from our son, he had to earn his keep somehow" Vernon said

James actually chuckled nastily at this, " Harry was taking food away from your son? Vernon we saw what you were doing to Harry, you cannot deny anything, your son looked like an overgrown whale and he just kept getting bigger and bigger, your son never lifted a finger to help with the house work until recently, your son bullied everybody in the neighborhood and made sure Harry never made any friends, he even made up a game... what was it called?"

" Harry hunting?" Harry said

" Yes, Harry hunting" James said

" Yah... I'm um... sorry about that" Dudley told Harry sheepishly, " About all of it"

" It's fine Big D, it's in the past now" Harry said

" And you both rewarded that behavior" Lily said with a glare, " Petunia, if our situations were reversed, do you think I would have treated your son like you have treated mine?"

" I know you wouldn't Lily, I'm sorry... I was just... petty and jealous, I know that it doesn't change anything, but... I don't know what else to say" Petunia said with tears in her eyes, " I wish we raised Harry differently, we should have raised him and Dudley like brothers, we should have asked about Brenda and taken her in too... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I'm a horrible aunt and a horrible mother"

Petunia ran out of the room and to hers and Vernon's bedroom

" Now look what you've done, you made my wife cry... your welcome is not wanted anymore, get out of my house" Vernon spat, " And take your brats with you"

" Can I please hex him?" James plead, " I've been wanting to for a long time now"

" Please, Please... Uncle James" Dudley started, that sounded weird saying, " Don't hurt my dad"

" Uncle James? I like the sound of that" James said with a smirk, " I'm not going to hurt him... I just want to... shake him up a little"

" L-Leave me alone" Vernon said looking worriedly at the wand and started backing up

" Can I Lily, please?" James asked toying with his wand, " Just a few pranks, I want to use some of that candy I got from Fred and George Weasley"

Vernon paled at that and so did Dudley

" Not the tongue growing Toffee, please" Dudley said, " I couldn't breathe"

" No not that, that isn't fun enough, I have something else in mind" James said with a grin, " Can I Lily, please?"

Lily sighed, " All right, but be careful, I'm going to go upstairs and talk to my sister for a while, Harry, Brenda, watch him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid"

" Hey don't I get a say in this?" Vernon asked

" No" James said and the next thing Vernon knew, he couldn't move and his face looked shocked

" Dad" Dudley yelled

" Relax, he's fine, that's just a Petrificus Totalus" Brenda said

" It makes the person that it's cast on, unable to move" Harry explained

" Uncle Vernon is fine" Brenda said

The teens watched as James fed a very unwilling Vernon different candies from the Skiving Sneak Boxes he bought from Fred and George, James really liked the Canary Cremes one and he turned Vernon into a canary about ten times, he made Vernon have a high fever about five times and had him vomit eight times

By the end of James's fun, Vernon was exhausted

" Maybe now you wish you were a little nicer to my children" James said with a glare, " You better be, because they are now of age and Brenda is dating one of the inventors who made these candies, she could do the same thing whenever she wanted and there would be nothing you could do about it, I'm just warning you buddy"

Vernon didn't say much for the rest of the day, the Potters had dinner over at the Dursleys and the Evans sisters were catching up, Petunia was now happy she got to see her sister again

Harry and Brenda were telling Dudley of what happened to them since the last time they saw the Dursleys

Dudley gasped, " You died?"

" Uh, yah" Harry said awkwardly

" What was that like?" Dudley asked

" Um... just like falling asleep, it didn't hurt or anything" Brenda said

" Where did you go?" Dudley asked, " What's on the other side?"

" We were sort of in between death and life, we were in the middle... like..." Harry started

" Like Limbo" Brenda said, " We had a choice if we wanted to die or live again"

" I bet that was an easy choice, why would you want to die?" Dudley asked

" Oh believe me, it was tempting" Brenda said

" It was tempting to die?" Dudley asked

" It would be easy" Harry said, " But we chose to live and defeat Voldemort"

" How did you do it? Did you have a battle between you three that lasted a long time shooting curses at each other?" Dudley asked excitedly

" Well there was a battle, but us against Voldemort didn't take that long" Harry said

" We mostly tried to explain things to him, but evil snake faced looking monsters don't like to listen" Brenda said

" He shot a curse at the same time we shot a curse" Harry said

" And the wand he was using wasn't his and it thinks that we are it's masters and it didn't work for him so his curse hit him instead" Brenda said

" And that curse was the killing curse" Harry said

" Wow" Dudley said in awe, " So what about your dead boyfriend and how did Aunt Lily and Uncle James come back to life?"

" Well, after Voldemort was defeated, it took a while to get over to Fred's body and the other Weaselys, when we finally got over to him, I talked to him and explained how much I loved him and a bunch of girly mushy stuff" Brenda said with a smirk, " And then like in fairy tales like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty, I kissed him and he woke up from a deep sleep" Brenda explained

" But in those movies, it's the prince who wakes up the princess" Dudley said

" Yah I know, but it worked" Brenda said with a smile

" And a while later, we don't know how it happened, but everybody who was dead... just sort of... came back to life" Harry said, " They just... materialized out of thin air"

" We were told that we could come back" James said with a smirk

" So where do you go when you are dead?" Dudley asked

" That's a secret we are not at liberty to discuss" James said with a smirk, " That's the benefit of dying, you get to be surprised"

The Potters left that night with Petunia promising to be a better aunt and wanting to have them visit more often

A few more weeks have passed and Harry, Brenda, Ron and Hermione were being tutored every day so they could catch up to their peers and be able to graduate, they decided that would be better then taking another whole year and graduate a year later. The good news is, they didn't have to take Defense Against the Dark Arts since they already knew DADA, that gave them more time for Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions, Astronomy and History of Magic. They had three classes a day each class two and a half hours long. Some classes were taught at Snape Manor and some classes were taught at Hogwarts; by Snape who taught Potions and Herbology, Lily taught Charms and Astronomy and James and Sirius taught Transfiguration and History of Magic, they thought it would be fun working together

" We solemnly swear we will be more interesting than Binns" James and Sirius said with smirks during one of their tutoring lessons

" I still don't know why we can't just finish up all of our education at Hogwarts with everybody else" Ron complained

" Because we're behind them" Hermione said

" And the Professors are too busy teaching the other students and grading their assignments to tutor us and grade our assignments" Brenda said

" And Ron, we might learn History of Magic better with Dad and Sirius than with Professor Binns" Harry said

" And it's not like we won't go to Hogwarts anymore, we have to go there for Potions, Herbology and Astronomy" Brenda said

" And we get to eat in the Great Hall, so it's not like we won't see our friends" Harry said

" That's true but for the other three classes, why can't we be at Hogwarts for them?" Ron asked

" It's just more convenient here" James said, " We don't want to get in McGonagall's, Binns' and Flitwick's way"

" What about Professor Sprout's and Professor Sinistra's way?" Ron asked

" We got permission from them to use their classrooms" Sirius said, " Professor Sinistra's class doesn't meet every night in the Astronomy Tower and we will use Professor Sprouts classrooms when she isn't teaching, McGonagall and the rest of them are always in their classrooms it seems like... now then, lets begin class shall we?"

" Never thought I'd hear you say that Padfoot" James said with a smirk

Sirius rolled his eyes and chuckled

" Ok, one more question, why do we have to have Potions at Hogwarts? There is a perfectly good potions lab downstairs and there is enough space for four desks" Ron said

" Yah right, he's not going to turn his private Potions Lab into a classroom when there is a perfectly good classroom at Hogwarts" Brenda said, " Another thing, it is more dangerous down there then it is in the classroom at Hogwarts"

" Any more questions Ron?" James asked

" No, I'm good" Ron said

" Good, then lets now get started" James said

By the time it was time for the Seventh Years to graduate, the other four were all caught up, and they worked for it too, having class every day including the weekends, it didn't leave any of them much time to hang out with their boyfriends/girlfriends which made all of the teenagers protest in annoyance

They got to take the NEWTS with their classmates as well

" I don't know why you have to take your NEWTS. You don't need to have good grades to be successful, just look at George and me, we didn't even finish school" Fred said when he and Ginny were visiting at Snape Manor

" Yes and I still remember the way you left" Brenda said giving her boyfriend a kiss

" Didn't your mum give you a hard time about that?" Harry asked

" Yes, but she calmed down after we made a successful business" Fred said

" If you want Mr. Weasley, you can still take your NEWTS" Severus said coming into the living room that Harry, Ginny, Fred and Brenda were in

" No offense sir, but what would be the point in that?" Fred asked

Severus raised an eyebrow, " A sense of accomplishment"

Fred thought about that for a moment then looked down at Brenda, " What do you think?"

" I think it would be a good idea if you and George take them, it'll make your parents happy as well" Brenda said

" Hmm, I'll think about it" Fred said, " And talk to George about it"

" Well give me your answer soon" Severus said

On the day of the test, along with all of the Seventh Years, two more men joined in and took their NEWTS

" Merlin, glad that's over" Ron said collapsing on the couch at the Burrow, " Those were worse than the OWLs"

" We didn't have a distraction like we did when we took our owls" Brenda said smiling at Fred and George

" I wish we were taught Defense Against The Dark Arts while we were being tutored, I just know I got something wrong" Hermione fretted going through a DADA book

" Relax Hermione, I'm sure you did fine, you always do, you're going to get all Os" Ron said giving her a reassuring hug

" So now that we are done with school, what are you all going to do?" Harry asked, " I don't think they're just going to hand over auror jobs to us"

Ron groaned, " I don't want to think about that right now, we just finished our NEWTs, just got over the battle of You know who and the Death Eaters... lets just... relax and... enjoy summer"

" Hmm, sounds fun... to just relax" Brenda said cuddling in Fred's arms, " No more adventures and no more tutoring... just a normal, peaceful life ahead of us"

" Since when has our life ever been peaceful?" Harry thought

" October 30th 1981" Brenda thought back

" I for one am not going to waste my summer just lazing about, I am going to search for a job and start my career" Hermione said

" What are you planning on doing?" George asked

" Something in the Ministry... I want to help House Elves get civil rights" Hermione said

" Then you will want a job in the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures" Arthur said

Hermione nodded, " Thank you Mr. Weasley"

" You're welcome" Arthur said, " So have you heard anything about your parents yet?"

" The team Mr. Potter and Sirius hired found them, they are at St. Mungos right now getting their memories back very slowly, they were found three days ago, I haven't had time to see them since I've been busy with school work... I can't wait to see them" Hermione said

" How come you didn't tell us before?" Ron asked, " We should have visited them"

" We should go visit them tonight" Harry said

" No, no we can't, we have to wait for about a week before we are aloud to visit, they are very nervous right now, they don't know what's going on" Hermione said, " I just hope they remember me"

" They will Hermione" Brenda said with a smile, " They are going to be back to normal before you know it and they're going to be so proud of you"

Hermione smiled at that, " You think so?"

Brenda nodded

All of a sudden, Sirius apperated into the Burrow

" Hey you all, since you don't have to be tutored anymore, and school is officially over and your NEWTs are taken, how about a game of Quidditch?" Sirius asked excitedly, " We need to celebrate"

" But we don't have enough players for a full team" Ginny said

" Sure we do" Sirius said, " We won't play with bludgers"

" We are still missing players" Harry said, " We need three chasers, a keeper and a seeker for each team, that means we need ten people to play"

" We have seven, Hermione doesn't like to play" Brenda said

" You forgot James" Sirius said with a grin, " And Lily"

" Ok, that's nine" Ginny said

" Arthur, what about you? Do you want to play?" Sirius asked

Arthur smiled, " Yes, that would be fun"

" Great" Sirius said with a smile, " James will be here in a few minutes, he's bringing a surprise for everybody"

That got everybody excited

" What is it?" Harry asked

" If I tell you then it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?" Sirius asked with a grin

" If you tell us, we'll still act surprised" Fred and George said

Sirius chuckled, " You two really are Marauders of your generation"

" Come on Sirius tell us" Brenda said excited

" No no no no no you'll just have to wait" Sirius said with a smirk

" Dad do you know what it is?" Ron asked

Arthur smiled, " Of course I do"

" Dad you tell us then" Ginny said

" No, it's a surprise" Arthur said with a grin

" You two are killing us here" Fred and George said

" Don't be so dramatic you two" Arthur said

A few minutes later James apperated into the living room and everybody welcomed him and started asking questions

" Wow wow wow, calm down everybody" James said with a chuckle, " Whats all of this excitement about"

" Sirius said you have a surprise for us but he nor dad will tell us what the surprise is" Ron said

" Well if they told you then it wouldn't be a surprise then" James said

" Can you tell us what the surprise now is Dad, please" Brenda asked with a sweet smile that made her look a lot like Lily

" I don't know, what do you think Padfoot? Should we tell them or let them guess?" James asked

" I don't know Prongs, it would be funny if we let them guess, but then they would keep asking nonstop questions" Sirius said, " What do you think Arthur?"

" Just tell them" Arthur said

" Ok, we are going to the Quidditch game between the Falmoth Falcons and Puddlemere United" James said with a grin

There were a lot of cheers coming from the Quidditch players

" We'll get to see Oliver Wood playing for Puddlemere United" Brenda said

" This is so cool" Fred and George said together

After the cheering died down, everybody divided into groups of five and played a game of Quidditch

Chapter: 223 

That night when James, Harry and Brenda got back from the Weasleys, they saw Severus and Lily talking and they both looked sad, Severus looked shocked

James knew what was said

" What's going on?" Harry asked

" Um, kids, why don't you two go on upstairs" Lily said

" What's going on? Da... Severus, what's wrong?" Brenda asked

Lily gave Severus a pointed look

Severus closed his eyes for a moment and wiped his face of all emotion, " Nothing is wrong Brenda, do as your mother says and go on upstairs"

" But..." Brenda started

" Now" Severus said firmly

Brenda and Harry looked at their parents and then looked at each other and headed upstairs

" Minnie" Severus called

Minnie popped in the room, " Yes Master Severus? What can Minnie do for you sir?"

" Minnie please make sure Brenda and Harry are not listening in to our conversation" Severus said

" Yes Master Severus, Minnie will do what Minnie is told sir" Minnie said and with a pop she was gone

Severus took his wand out and waved it and said Muffliato to the door

" Now we won't be over heard" Severus said, " Now, are you sure?"

" We're positive" Lily said sadly

" But that's not fair" Severus said

" Don't we know it" James said

" What are you going to tell Brenda and Harry?" Severus asked

" The truth" Lily said, " They deserve to know"

" Right now?" Severus asked shocked

" No, not right now... closer when the time comes" Lily said"

" Which is when?" Severus asked lifting an eyebrow

" We'll let you know later" James said

" And this is why you haven't been searching for a home of your own?" Severus asked

The Potters nodded

" Did you know all along?" Severus asked

Again the Potters nodded

" We didn't want to say anything though, we wanted everybody to be happy for a while... it was time for a celebration, not for sorrow" Lily said, " Sev I hope you understand"

" I... I understand Lils... it's... it's just hard" Severus said

Meanwhile while the "adults" were talking, Harry and Brenda were trying to hear the conversation but it didn't work

" He put the Muffliato spell on the door, and Minnie won't let us near it" Brenda thought to Harry

" I wonder what they're talking about" Harry thought back

" I don't know, whatever it is, it is making Severus sad, I don't like seeing him sad, it's almost as bad as seeing him angry" Brenda thought to Harry

" You twos is supposed to be in your rooms" Minnie popped in and scolded

" Minnie what are they talking about in there?" Brenda asked

" If Master Severus Snape, Mr. James Potter and Mrs. Lily Potter wanted Miss Brenda and Mr. Harry to know, then they would tell Miss Brenda and Mr. Harry" Minnie said firmly, " Now you twos to your rooms"

" Sheesh, bossy elf" Harry thought to Brenda

Brenda agreed

For the rest of the week, the mood in Snape Manor was tense, Severus didn't say much and when he was finished with his meals, he would lock himself down in the Potions Lab while everybody else went to the Weasleys, or the Weasleys came to Snape Manor

" We still don't know what is wrong with them" Harry said to Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George and Angelina who is now George's girlfriend

" All that Severus does is lock himself down in his potions lab, he doesn't talk and when I ask him to do something with me, he just tells me to go do something with Mum or Dad" Brenda said

" Maybe they're getting ready to buy a house and Snape is just getting ready to live by himself again with nobody but Minnie for company" Fred suggested

" But he can't assume that just because Mum and Dad are back that I'm not going to come visit him" Brenda said

" And if that was the case, then how come they don't tell us that they got a house? I mean, wouldn't they want to know our opinion of the house they are going to get?" Harry asked

The group of friends talked about this for the rest of the week, until it was time for the big Quidditch game

On the day of the big Quidditch game, Brenda went down into the Potions Lab

" Dad, it's time to leave, put the potion under stasis" Brenda said

" I'm not going to the game Brenda" Severus said not taking his eyes off of the potion he was in the middle of

" But why? You have a ticket" Brenda said

" No, just go with your parents and brother" Severus said

" You're my parent too you know" Brenda said lifting an eyebrow

" I can't go" Severus said

" Sure you can, just put it under stasis" Brenda said

" Brenda it's not the potion... I just... can't" Severus said

" Is this about Mum and Dad getting a house and everybody moving out of here?" Brenda asked, " I'm going to come visit you all the time you know"

Severus looked surprised at that and looked at Brenda, " Getting a house? Who said anything about Lily and James getting a house and you all moving out?"

Now Brenda was surprised, " Isn't that what's going on?"

" No" Severus said

" Then what's wrong?" Brenda asked

" Now is not the time... please, go to the Quidditch game with your parents, brother and friends, you can tell me all about it when you return" Severus said turning back to his potion

" It would be better if you just came with us" Brenda said and with a sigh, she headed back upstairs

" Is Severus coming?" Lily asked

Brenda shook her head no, " Mum, what's going on? Why is everybody so sad?"

" Never mind that" Lily said, " I'll go talk to Severus, you three go floo to the Weasleys, I'll catch up with hopefully Severus with me"

Lily headed down to the basement where the lab is while the rest of the Potters flooed to the Weasleys

" Good morning dears" Molly Weasley said when they stepped out of the floo

" Good Morning Mrs. Weasley/Molly" The Potters said

" What would you like for breakfast?" Mrs. Weasley asked

" No thanks Molly, we just finished eating" James said with a smile

" Where's everybody else?" Harry asked

Mrs. Weasley sighed, " Ginny and Hermione are up, but Ron, Fred and George are not"

Brenda grinned, " I'll get Fred and George, you get Ron"

Just then the floo was used again and Angelina appeared

" Ok, new plan, I wake up Fred, and Angelina wakes up George" Brenda said with an even bigger smile, " I like this plan better"

" What?" Angelina asked

" Good morning Angelina, would you like some breakfast?" Mrs. Weasley asked

" Good morning Mrs. Weasley," Angelina said, " No thank you, I just ate, where's George?"

" Still sleeping, you want to help me wake those two up?" Brenda asked

Angelina smiled, " Sure"

" Just please dears, not like the last time you woke Fred and George up for a Quidditch game… Brenda" Mrs. Weasley said

Brenda smiled at that memory, " Good day" She thought, " Ok Mrs. Weasley, no firecrackers"

Harry, Angelina and Brenda went upstairs to wake up the rest of the Weasleys

As they headed upstairs, they greeted Hermione and Ginny

" Good morning" Hermione and Ginny said with a smile

" Good morning" Angelina, Harry and Brenda said with smiles

Harry gave Ginny a good morning kiss and a hug

" We're going to go wake up the sleeping beauties upstairs" Angelina said with a smirk

" This time sadly we cannot use fireworks" Brenda mock pouted

" I think you will find another way to wake up my brothers" Ginny said with a knowing smirk

Brenda and Angelina smiled

" Ok, give me an idea on how to wake up Ron, because I am not going to wake him up like Fred and George are going to be woken up" Harry said wrinkling his nose

Hermione smiled, " I'll wake Ron up, you and Ginny go downstairs... this will be fun"

The girls started giggling as they headed upstairs and Ginny was giggling when she and Harry headed downstairs

" Good morning Ginny, come sit down for breakfast" Mrs. Weasley said and set a plate of a hot breakfast in front of her only daughter

" Good morning Mum, good morning Mr. Potter" Ginny said sitting down

" Did you wake them up?" Mrs. Weasley asked

" Brenda, Hermione and Angelina are taking care of it" Harry said turning a little red

James couldn't help but chuckle at that

When Angelina and Brenda got to Fred and George's room they just stood there with smiles on their faces

" They're so cute when they're asleep" Angelina whispered

" Yah" Brenda whispered with a smile

They stared at their boyfriends for a few moments longer

Angelina sighed, " Come on, lets wake them up"

Brenda smiled

They tiptoed towards their sleeping beauties but before they could do anything to wake them up, both Fred and George opened their eyes, grabbed their girlfriends and in a blink of an eye, got them lying down on their backs, pinned their arms to their sides, got on top of them and started kissing them, all within five seconds

Brenda and Angelina were first shocked then they started giggling

" You thought you could surprise us again didn't you?" Fred asked looking at Brenda with a smirk

Brenda mock pouted, " I tried too, but you ruined it"

" I don't know, I kind of like this" Angelina said

" Now we surprised you" George said

" And this time no firecrackers" Fred said with a wink at Brenda and then he started kissing her again

" Your mum said no firecrackers anyway, all I was going to do was kiss you until you woke up" Brenda said

" Ha, then you would have never gotten me up, I wouldn't want you to stop kissing me" Fred said, " Now enough talking"

They made out for a few minutes but Brenda really had to break it

" We have to get ready for the Quidditch game" Brenda said between kisses on the neck, " Mmm this is nice"

" Do you want me to stop?" Fred asked

Brenda shook her head

Fred smiled and continued

A few minutes later Brenda finally got out from under Fred, " Really we have to go"

Fred groaned

" Brenda's right" Angelina said getting out from under George

They both went to the mirror that was in the boys' rooms and they concealed the hickeys on their necks and rearranged their clothes and hair until they looked presentable

" You two get dressed and we'll meet you downstairs" Angelina said and both she and Brenda walked out of the room and shut the door behind them

Fred and George looked at each other with grins and they hi-fived

When Angelina and Brenda walked into the kitchen they said, " They'll be down momentarily"

" What have you all been doing up there? It took you ten minutes" James said

Angelina and Brenda blushed bright red at that

" Dad don't embarrass them" Harry said

" You know perfectly well that they had a make out session up there" Ginny put in with a teasing smirk

Five minutes later Fred and George emerged from their bedroom and down into the kitchen

" I don't know about you George but I want to be woken up like that more often" Fred said with a smirk and a wink at Brenda

" I'd like to be woken up like that too Fred" George said with a smirk and wink at Angelina

" Oh honestly you lot, can't you see you're embarrassing these poor girls? They're as red as cherries" Mrs. Weasley said

Finally things settled down

A few minutes later, Lily came through the floo, " Good morning everybody, are you all ready to go to the game?" Lily asked with a forced smile, it looked like she has been crying

" Mum what's wrong?" Harry and Brenda asked

" Nothing is wrong you two" Lily said with a smile

" Is Severus coming?" Brenda asked

" I'm afraid not Rosebud" Lily said

" Is that why you were crying?" Harry asked

" I'm fine" Lily said with a smile, " The floo powder just got into my eyes is all"

" Yah right" Harry and Brenda thought but didn't say anything

They waited a few minutes until Sirius and Lupin arrived and then they all touched a portkey that would take them to the Quidditch game

When they got to the area where the match would be held, it looked crowded but not as crowded as the Quidditch World Cup they went to

" Wouldn't it be cool if we saw Oliver Wood again?" Angelina asked

" It would be sweet if he was playing Keeper today" George said

Everybody laughed and joked around while they were waiting for the Quidditch game to start

They found their seats, they didn't sit in the bloody nose section like last time, they sat in the very middle of the stadium, not too high up and not too close to the ground, the best view

" I'm so excited, this would be the first professional Quidditch game I've seen in almost 17 years" Sirius said jumping up and down like a happy dog greeting his owner

James and Remus laughed, " Calm down Padfoot"

Finally the Quidditch game was announced and the teams players were recognized, and to every bodies surprises, Oliver Wood was the keeper for his team

The group cheered very loudly for their former teammate and housemate

They noticed that Oliver Wood was very good, he was even better then he was at Hogwarts, he learned knew moves to block the quaffle from getting into the hoops

After three hours, the score was tied 50 to 50 and about fifteen minutes later, the score was 50 to 70 with the Puddlemere in the lead, Oliver Wood blocked three tries to score from the other team

This has been a very exciting and close game

Another hour passed and the scores were getting higher and higher and still no sign of the snitch

" Blimey, four hours and still no sign of the snitch" Ron said surprised

" This is nothing, sometimes these matches take days" Sirius said laughing

By this time the other team was winning, the score was 100 to 120

Finally the seeker from other team spotted the snitch and they started going after it, that got the Puddlemere's seeker attention and he spotted the snitch as well

There was a lot of cheering right about now, this game has gone on for hours and it was heating up

Oliver blocked another player from scoring and the Puddlemere fans started to cheer

The Puddlemeres scored again bringing the total to 110 to 120, the seekers still haven't caught the snitch yet

Fifteen minutes later, the crowd roared, the Puddlemere United seeker has caught the snitch bringing the score to 260 to 120

The Puddlemere fans all shot blue and yellow sparks out of there wands to celebrate the victory

" Come on, lets see if we can congratulate Wood in person" George said with excitement

" I don't think we are aloud to do that" Hermione said

" Oh come on, they'll let us, he was our captain at Hogwarts, they have to let us see him" George said

" We can try, I think it'll be fun" Brenda said with a smile

Getting out of the stands were taking a long time since there were a lot of people, it took a long time at the World Cup as well

There was somebody flying over to them and when the person got closer, they saw that it was Oliver Wood

" I thought I recognized that red hair and those voices" Wood said, " How are you all doing?"

The teens all started talking at once congratulating him on the win

Wood laughed

" How long have you been Keeper?" Fred asked

" A few weeks now, the other Keeper just wasn't... right after the war was over" Wood said, " It's the coolest though, I love it... so what have you lot been up to since there's no more war?"

" Taking our NEWTs and graduating" Hermione said, " I had to erase my parents memories of me last year and I finally got them back, they are very relieved we are all ok"

" Yah, I think I heard about that, I'm glad you found them Granger" Wood said, " What about the rest of you? Figure out what you want to do with your lives? Any future Quidditch stars?"

" That would be cool, I still have a year left though" Ginny said

" I hear you're a really good Quidditch player" Wood said

Ginny smiled and nodded, " I'm hoping to be captain"

" Really" Wood said lifting an eyebrow, " You know, I was captain when I was at Hogwarts, maybe I can give you some pointers... here's one, you need to toughen up your team, pump them up with talks in the lockers, always find ways to beat the Slytherins..."

Oliver Wood went on and on about that until Arthur changed the topic and invited him for dinner which he accepted

" Molly loves company" Arthur said

During and after dinner, Wood was still talking about Quidditch and he was reliving the good days at Hogwarts

" And the first snitch you caught Harry was in your mouth, I thought for sure you were going to be sick" Wood said, " I think it surprised everybody that it was the snitch you had in your mouth"

Finally it was late and Oliver had to get home

" We have to watch the game tomorrow, our captain will tell us what we did that was good and what we did that was bad, he says there is always room for improvement" Wood said, " Thank you for coming to the game and for inviting me to dinner... it was a great surprise, we should catch up again sometime"

Wood apperated out of the Burrow

" I swear, Quidditch is the only thing Wood thinks about" Hermione said shaking her head

Later that night, the Potters went home and Hermione went back to her house

Severus was still down in the Potions lab

" What is Professor Snape working on?" Harry asked

" He works when he's upset" Lily said

" What is he upset about?" Brenda asked, " He's been acting funny all week now"

Lily sighed, " Now isn't the time, why don't you go down and tell him we're back"

" Severus said now isn't the time too, well when is the right time to know what is wrong with him?" Brenda asked

" Not right now, just go down and tell him" Lily said

Brenda nodded and headed downstairs to the lab

" Dad we're back" Brenda said when she was coming down the stairs, she didn't want to sneak up on him in case he was in the middle of an important potion, " What are you brewing?"

" Just sleeping potions" Severus said not taking his eyes off of the potion

" Need any help?" Brenda asked

" No thank you, I'm just about finished, how was the game?" Severus asked

" Puddlemere United won, the score was 260 to 120. The Falcons were in the lead for a while" Brenda said

" Did you see Mr. Wood? He plays for the Puddlemere United right? He's reserve isn't he?" Severus asked

" Yah, he isn't reserve anymore, he played Keeper today, he got a lot better since he went to Hogwarts" Brenda said with a smile

" Did you all get to talk to him?" Severus asked

Brenda chuckled, " Yah, he flew up to us when we were trying to get out of the stands, he said he recognized all of the red hair. Mr. Weasley invited him for dinner and Mrs. Weasley was delighted to feed another mouth... All that Wood likes to talk about is Quidditch"

Severus nodded, " Yes, he was like that in school too"

" How come you didn't go to the game?" Brenda asked, " You had a ticket"

Severus sighed, " I didn't feel like being surrounded by so many obnoxious Gryffindors"

Brenda rolled her eyes, " What's the real reason?"

" I just didn't feel like going" Severus said a little defensively, " I don't have to have an answer for everything you know"

Brenda sighed, " Are you sure you don't want any help?"

" I'm sure, I'm about ready to bottle this up then head on upstairs" Severus said, " Why don't you go do something with Pot... James, or with Lily"

" Or you and I can play chess" Brenda suggested

Severus sighed, " Just go on upstairs Brenda"

Brenda sighed and nodded and without another word, she went upstairs, still wondering what was wrong with her dad

Another week passed and Brenda started her Apprenticeship with Severus. Their first potion they worked together on was to create the Dark Mark remover but make it so it didn't take so long to brew, that actually took a lot of research and experimenting but after a week of almost nonstop working, they had it made, vialed, and documented

The next potion Brenda wanted to make was Felix Felicis, but Severus wouldn't let her make that

" But why?" Brenda asked

" You already know that answer Brenda, that potion is too dangerous to make, it's not for an apprentice" Severus explained, " Why do you want to make it anyway?"

Brenda shrugged, " Well, it did help in the war... saved a lot of peoples lives... including Fred's... and... I kind of wanted to brew it since I read about it in the other lab"

" I see" Severus said lifting an eyebrow, " Maybe when you're older"

" When? When I'm 18?" Brenda asked excitedly, she and Harry would be turning 18 in a few weeks

" No, older than that" Severus said

Brenda groaned

" So what are we going to brew now?" Brenda asked

" Now, we review what all you have learned in your years at Hogwarts, starting with the Forgetfulness potion" Severus said

Brenda lifted an eyebrow, " You're kidding me right? That's a first year potion"

" It's just a review" Severus said, " All apprentices have to go through it"

Brenda sighed, " Fine, I will brew that very easy potion and explain what it does"

" Very good" Severus said with a nod

The reviewing went on for two more weeks and that was the only time Brenda got to spend time with her adopted dad, the other times he was shooing her out of the lab to spend time with her parents, and godfather

Lily tried talking to her best friend every day during those weeks, she told him to not be sad and that he should spend time with everybody while he can

" I can't Lily, you know I can't... it's just... too hard" Severus said one night while everybody else was asleep

Lily sighed, " I wish I didn't tell you about what will happen, I wouldn't have if I knew you were going to act like this"

" You should spend the time you have with your children" Severus said

" But you need to spend time with them too, Harry is still very uncomfortable around you, and Brenda is worried about you" Lily said

" Harry and I... have a lot of hostility towards each other... and Brenda... well she'll get over it once she knows everything... you are planning on telling them right?" Severus asked

Lily sighed, " Yes... soon... I just wanted to see my babies happy for a little while... but... it is almost time to tell them"

" Tell us what?" Harry and Brenda asked coming down the stairs

Both Severus and Lily looked startled

" What are you two doing out of bed?" Lily asked

" We heard you two arguing again" Harry explained

" And then you started talking about us, now, we know something is going on and nobody is telling us anything" Brenda said

" You said you're going to tell us... well now is as good a time as any" Harry said

Lily sighed and just looked at her babies, she only got to spend a few precious weeks with them

" They're right you know" James said coming down

" James what are you doing up?" Lily asked

" Couldn't sleep" James said, " Another day that has gone by... there really are not enough hours in a day"

Lily nodded in agreement, " Not when there is so much to do"

" Why don't the two of you sit down and we will... explain everything" James said

Harry and Brenda gave each other worried glances

" Minnie" Severus called

Minnie popped into the room with a smile on her face, it didn't look like she was tired at all from sleep

" What can Minnie do for yous Master Severus Snape?" Minnie asked with a smile

" Please get everybody some hot chocolate" Severus said, " The non caffeine kind"

Minnie nodded and with a pop she was gone

" Lets all go sit down" James suggested indicating the sofa and chairs

After everybody was situated and had a cup of hot chocolate in their hands, Lily and James looked at each other then at their children

" You both know that we love you with all of our hearts right?" Lily began

Harry and Brenda nodded

" You sacrificed yourselves so we could live" Harry said

Lily and James nodded

" The only reason why we kept this secret is because we wanted to see you both happy for a while, you two sacrificed so much. I love seeing your happy faces" James said

" Mum, Dad, what's going on?" Harry and Brenda asked worried

James and Lily looked at each other and then at their children

" We are leaving" James said

" Leaving? Leaving where?" Harry asked

" Aren't we going with you?" Brenda asked

Lily and James just looked at their children with sad faces

Brenda gasped, " Wait a minute... when you say you're leaving you mean..."

" We're going back to the other side" James said

" WHAT?" Brenda and Harry cried, " YOU CAN'T"

" WHY CAN'T YOU STAY?" Brenda asked with tears in her eyes

" We died years ago" Lily said

" We know, but you're back, why can't you stay with us?" Harry asked with tears in his eyes

" We knew this wasn't permanent" James said, " This was just a way for the deceased to experience a Voldemort free world before we had to go back"

" But that's not fair" Brenda protested

" Life never is fair" Lily said

Harry sniffled, " How long do you have left?"

James and Lily both sighed and looked at their children regrettably

" You leave on our birthday don't you... When the seventh month dies... so do you" Harry and Brenda said

They were correct

There was no way that anybody was going to get any sleep that night, but Lily at least made them try, she tried giving everybody including Severus a dreamless sleep, but everybody was being stubborn

" Look, everybody is really emotional right now, we all could use a good nights sleep" Lily said

" It isn't fair" Brenda said with tears in her eyes, " We can't lose the two of you again... it... it's going to be even harder now that we know you"

" I know Rosebud, but... you two have to be strong, you still have a lot of people who love you down here" James said

" There has to be a way to save you from death" Harry said, " What about the invisibility cloaks, you can hide from death"

Harry and Brenda started getting their invisibility cloaks out but their parents shook their heads

" We don't want to hide from death" James said

" Don't you want to be with us?" Brenda asked

" Of course we do sweetie, we love the both of you with all of our hearts, it's just... it's just our time" Lily said

" No it's not, you were murdered" Harry said a little angry, " Voldemort murdered you, so it wasn't your time"

" But we chose to protect you" Lily said, " I chose to die for the two of you, it was my choice... it was our time to die... you need to accept that"

Brenda stood up from her seat and glared with determination, " Never" She walked out of the room and towards the Potions Lab

" Where are you going?" Harry asked

" There has to be a way to save them... even if I have to create an impossible potion to do it" Brenda said

That got everybody else up from their seats and Severus made it to Brenda first

" I wouldn't advise that, that could be too dangerous" Severus said

" Then help me" Brenda said, " You're a Potions Master... one of the best there is... we have to find a way to save them"

Severus glared, " Don't you think I've been looking? During all of my free time, I've been trying to find a way... There isn't a way... I even went to Hogwarts to look... there is no way to keep them alive"

" What about the Elixir of Life?" Brenda asked, " That would save them"

" We don't want to take the Elixir of Life" Lily said

" Why?" Harry asked

" You guys please... it's our time... it's just how things are" James said

" How can you be so calm about this?" Brenda asked, " You're going to leave us again"

" We're not leaving you, we will always be right here" Lily said pointing to her heart

" It's not the same" Harry said

" We know it's not Prongslet, it's just the way things have to be" James said

" Is everybody who died just so... accepting about this?" Brenda asked

James and Lily nodded

" Does Remus, Tonks and the Weasleys know about this?" Harry asked

" Remus, Tonks, Molly and Arthur do, we haven't told the children yet" Lily said, " Now it's late and we all really should go to bed"

An hour later, everybody was very sad and they were all in bed

Brenda could not sleep, she kept tossing and turning, she didn't want to be alone in her room right now... nor did she want to see her parents because that would just make her cry even more

Brenda got out of bed, wrapped her night robe around her and put on her slippers, then she tiptoed down the stairs and walked outside and kept walking until she got past the wards around the grounds, then she apperated to the Burrow

The wards let her in and she walked up to the door

She knew it was a bad idea to just break into somebodies house even if the family is like another family to her, but she didn't know what to do. She stood outside for a few minutes, and then decided to just go back to Snape Manor, it would feel wrong to walk inside uninvited

Just when Brenda turned to walk back to the apperation point, the door opened and in the doorway was George

" Brenda?" George asked

Brenda jumped and turned around

" What are you doing here?" George asked

" I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Brenda asked

" No, I was getting a midnight snack... you didn't answer my question though" George said

Brenda shrugged, " Couldn't sleep... didn't want to take a potion or be alone at home"

" So you decided to come here?" George asked

Brenda shrugged again, " I didn't really think the whole plan through... I was just about to head back home"

George sighed, " You apperated all the way here... might as well come on in and stay here for tonight"

" Are you sure?" Brenda asked

" Yah, I'm sure... though I don't know what you mean about being alone at home, you got your parents, Harry and Snape there... oh and Minnie" George said

" It's... complicated... I... don't want to talk about right right now... I might start crying again" Brenda said and already she could feel the tears prickling her eyes

George sighed again, " Ok... well you look like you could use some sleep... hmm, Ginny's room isn't spelled for you to stay in her room... that just gives us one option" George smirked at this, " Follow me"

George led Brenda to his and Fred's room

" By the way, why did you open the door?" Brenda asked

" Your picture pointed from Snape Manor to the Burrow" George answered

Brenda nodded at that

" That's why I didn't shoot now ask questions later" George said with a grin

Brenda wasn't in a grinning mood

George walked over to Fred's bed and woke him up

" Huh? Wha?" Fred asked still half asleep

" We have company oh brother of mine" George said

Fred rubbed some of the sleep out of his eyes, " What time is it?"

" About 1:30 in the morning" George said

" Why did you wake me up then?" Fred asked and he put his blanket over his head

" Brenda's here" George said

Fred sat up and saw Brenda standing in the doorway

" Brenda?" Fred asked, " Is something wrong?"

There was a lot wrong and Brenda couldn't take it anymore, it has been a half hour since she stopped crying and new tears just started coming down

Fred got out of bed and hurried towards his girlfriend and wrapped his arms around her

" Brenda, honey what's wrong?" Fred asked

Brenda just shook her head

Fred looked confused at his brother

George shrugged in confusion as well, " She didn't tell me anything either... she just said she didn't want to be alone and she apperated here"

" Should we wake Mum and Dad?" Fred asked

George sighed, " I say we just go to bed, apparently she's too distraught to talk about whatever it is... and it's not important enough to need our attention right this moment"

Fred nodded and looked down at Brenda, " Brenda just tell me this, is anybody hurt or in danger right now?"

Brenda shook her head no

" Is it safe to go to sleep?" Fred asked

Brenda nodded

Fred nodded, " Ok, come with me"

Fred took Brenda's hand and led her to the bathroom, where he had her blow her nose and he wiped her face with a warm washcloth

" Everything will look better in the morning" Fred said as he led her back to his and George's bedroom

George was already asleep when they got back in the bedroom

Fred tucked Brenda in his bed and then got on the other side of the bed and got in himself, then he wrapped his arms around Brenda and kissed her on the forehead

A few minutes later, they were both asleep

That was the first night Fred and Brenda ever shared the same bed

The next morning Brenda opened her eyes. At first she didn't know where she was until her mind cleared from the sleep fogginess, then she remembered last night and her running away to the Burrow

Just thinking about last night made her eyes prickle a little bit and she had to wipe away stray tears

Before she could wipe all of them away, the arms around her grew tighter and Fred kissed her on the neck since she was facing away from him

" Good morning beautiful" Fred whispered

" Morning" Brenda mumbled, " Thank you for letting me stay here"

Fred smiled, " No problem"

They just laid there for a few minutes

" Do you want to tell me what is wrong?" Fred asked

Brenda sighed and turned over so she was facing Fred, " Not right now ok?"

" Ok" Fred said

" What time is it anyway?" Brenda asked

Fred cast a tempus charm and it was 10:00 a.m.

" We slept the morning away" Brenda said with a sigh

Fred turned over and saw his twin brother still sleeping and he chuckled, " We're not the only ones"

" I better go" Brenda said standing up, " Everybody will be worried because I didn't leave a note or anything"

" Well, can't you just... talk to Harry from here?" Fred asked

Brenda chuckled, " Fred, I got to go home and change anyway"

" We have clothes here you can borrow" Fred said with a smile

All of a sudden there was the sound of apperating onto the Burrow grounds and it was the Potters, Severus, Sirius, and Lupin

" This is the last place I can think of where she could be" James said as they went up to the door and knocked

Mrs. Weasley opened the door, " Good morning everybody, what an unexpected surprise, would anybody like some breakfast?"

" Molly, is Brenda over here?" Lily asked worried

Mrs. Weasley looked confused and she looked up at the clock that shows where everybody is at and sure enough, Brenda's picture was at the Burrow

" Well, apparently so" Mrs. Weasley said, " I don't know when she came here though, why don't you all come in and I will call her down?"

Everybody sighed with relief

" Would anybody like something to eat or drink?" Mrs. Weasley asked

After Severus asked for tea, he called up the stairs

" BRENDA LILIAN POTTER IF YOU'RE UP THERE YOU GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW" Severus yelled

" Severus, you don't need to shout" Molly scolded

Severus's student and former students who heard, cringed at Snape's harsh tone

" I think we need to go downstairs" Brenda said up in the bedroom

" I think you're right" Fred said

They both got out of the bed and Brenda put her robe on and they both headed down the stairs

" This is going to be awkward" Brenda whispered

Fred put his arm around Brenda, " Don't worry, I'll protect you"

Brenda smiled and gave him a kiss

" RIGHT NOW BRENDA" Severus yelled again

" I'M COMING" Brenda yelled down

" Give her time to come down the stairs Snape, there are a lot of stairs" Sirius said

" She shouldn't have been here in the first place" Severus said with clenched teeth

" And she will explain why she came here once everybody is finished with breakfast" Mrs. Weasley said, " Brenda would you be a dear and wake Fred and George for me?" She called

" I'm awake Mum, George is..." Fred started

" I'm up... Being woken up by Professor Snape is the scariest wake up call ever... even worse than the firecrackers" George said coming out of the bedroom dressed and ready for the day

James and Sirius chuckled at the firecracker comment

Brenda and Fred made it down the stairs and it was quiet

" Morning everybody" Fred said to break the silence

" Brenda why did you?" Lily started

" I had to get out" Brenda said as an explanation

You... slept with him?" Severus asked

" Hey, it's not what you think, sleeping is all we did, I swear" Fred said

Severus lifted an eyebrow, " Uh-huh right" He glared at both of them

" Hey I'm a witness to that, we share a room remember, that's all they did" George said coming down the stairs

" I said that would be discussed later, right now, let them eat" Mrs. Weasley said placing a light breakfast in front of the sleepy heads

Ten minutes later, they were done eating, kind of lost their appetites when Snape was glaring at them the whole time

" Ok, you're done, now explain your actions" Severus said

Brenda sighed, " I couldn't sleep after last night, I didn't want a potion, I didn't want to be alone, I didn't want anybody's company at home, I had to get out so I came here"

" And you decided to spend the night in Mr. Weasley's bed" Severus said lifting an eyebrow

" Actually I didn't think everything through, once I got here, a few minutes later I was turning back to go back home but..." Brenda started

" I stopped her and I let her in, I led her to our room and gave her permission to sleep in the same bed as Fred" George said

Fred rolled his eyes at the way that was phrased

" You gave her… permission?" Severus asked

" Yes sir" George said, " You should have seen her last night"

" She was miserable" Fred said, " Couldn't stop crying"

" She wouldn't tell us what was wrong" George said

" And all we did was sleep, nothing happened" Fred said yet again

" Snape you seem to be more upset about this then James and Lily are" Sirius said, " Leave them alone, she just spent the night... they said nothing happened so, nothing happened"

" And you really expect me to believe that" Severus said to Sirius, " Tell me Black, what were you like when you were a hormonal teenager of 17... or an adult of 20?"

" Ok, this is getting embarrassing, can we please drop this topic?" Brenda asked glaring at Severus, " Nothing happened, I just spent the night, I'm of age and I can take care of myself, stop with the interrogation"

" What I want to know is, what happened last night that you had to get out so bad" Ron said

" I had to get out too" Harry said, " Not by coming here, too late in the night for that, but... I left and took a walk for a while to clear my head"

" What happened?" Ron asked again

It was silent and Harry and Brenda started tearing up again

" You told them?" Mrs. Weasley whispered

Lily and James nodded

" Told them what?" Ginny asked confused

By this time Brenda was shaking in Fred's arms trying to stay in control of her emotions

Harry was having better control over his emotions, but he was breathing heavier than usual

Sirius sighed, " We're dying"

All the kids who didn't know, " WHAT?"

" We're dying... all of us coming back was not permanent" Lily said

Everybody was stunned, some started crying

Fred was trying to comfort Brenda and Ginny was trying to comfort Harry, but it wasn't working

" It's not fair" Harry and Brenda whispered

" What?" James asked

" IT'S NOT FAIR" Harry and Brenda screamed, " IT'S NOT FAIR THAT YOU WERE KILLED WHEN WE WERE ONE AND THEN COME BACK AFTER WE DEFEATED VOLDEMORT ONLY TO GET TO KNOW YOU LONG ENOUGH FOR YOU TO LEAVE US AGAIN"

All through that outburst, uncontrolled magic was happening, the dishes were rattling, there was static electricity in the air and the hairs on everybody's arms were standing straight up, it wasn't as effective as Harry blowing up his aunt before third year, but it was still impressive

After their outburst, they stormed out of the kitchen and ran to a tree and sat next to each other and cried

It was quiet for a few moments and things were calming down

" Um... should we go after them?" Ron asked a little worried

" No, leave them be for a while... they're grieving" Lily said unhappily

Harry and Brenda were silent for a few minutes, trying to calm down

" You know... it won't be so bad, we lived without them most of our lives, we'll just... go back to the way things were" Harry said trying to stay positive

" At least we got a chance to get to know our parents" Brenda whispered

Harry nodded and smiled, " You know, we are having such a fun time with them, I think Dad and Sirius are very funny together"

Brenda chuckled, " They act like children... I thought it was very funny when Mum put Dad and Severus in timeout"

Harry chuckled at that, " I thought it was funny how Sirius dyed Severus's hair red and gold during class"

" And Severus got Sirius back by dying his hair green and silver" Brenda said and they both started chuckling

" We had some very happy times with our family" Harry said with a smile

" We shouldn't ruin our last days with them by crying and being sad" Brenda said, " Or being out of control with our magic"

" And we don't want them to remember us like that either" Harry said

" We should go back inside and apologize" Brenda suggested

Harry nodded

They both stood up from where they were sitting, gave each other comforting hugs, and together they walked back to the house to apologize for the display

Everybody forgave them of course, it was only natural to lash out like that

" You two must be very powerful to still display uncontrolled magic though" Sirius said with a grin

" That shouldn't be praised Black, it could have gotten dangerous" Severus said glaring at Sirius

" Yes, but, you should be proud of them, they could have done more damage but they controlled it well enough" Sirius said

This was making Harry and Brenda even more embarrassed, they were 17 for Merlin's sake, they should be able to control their magic

" Don't be embarrassed, it's natural to sometimes have bursts of uncontrolled magic" Mrs. Weasley said

" Especially when your very emotional" Lily said hugging her children, " We know your uncontrolled magic could have been worse with your emotions like this, but I'm proud of the two of you for controlling what you could"

Harry and Brenda smiled at their mother

" Lets go play Quidditch, that will calm everybody down" James suggested getting to another topic, preferably a topic that didn't revolve around his embarrassed children

Everybody agreed, but first, Brenda had to go home and change

Harry and Brenda spent as much time as possible with their parents and godfather. Brenda and Severus even decided to stop the apprenticeship for a while so Brenda could have more time with her parents

Fred and George liked spending time with the Mauraders as well and the three marauders were telling stories of their time in Hogwarts and after Hogwarts

It was also funny when James and Sirius were in their animagus forms and they were playing with the kids. They mostly did this at Hogwarts where there was a lot more room to run around in. Dumbledore let them. James told stories about how he would turn into Prongs and had Harry and Brenda ride on his back, he wanted them to ride on his back again but Brenda didn't like that idea of both of them getting on his back

" Don't worry, you two are not heavy" James said with a laugh

" But we weigh more now then we did when we were babies" Brenda said

" Rosebud, I can carry five times my own weight if I wanted to when I'm Prongs, come on, it will be fun" James said with a happy smile and he turned into the magnificent stag

Harry and Brenda looked at each other and shrugged

Harry got on first and waited for his sister to get on

" I don't know" Brenda said

Prongs rolled his eyes, stomped his foot and looked at Sirius

Sirius laughed and with one swift motion, picked Brenda up and sat her on Prong's back behind Harry

" Don't be such a spoilsport Rosebud" Sirius said with a laugh

" M not a spoilsport, I just don't want dad to get hurt" Brenda said

Prongs rolled his eyes again and turned his head as far as he could to look at Brenda and lift an eyebrow and looked at her like 'are you kidding?'

" Now, he couldn't run very fast when you two were babies because Lily didn't let him, but now you're older, so now you can experience how fast your dad can really run" Sirius said with a smirk

Prongs smiled at that

" Hold on tight kids" Sirius said with a smirk and he turned into Padfoot

" James you be careful with them, I don't want them hurt" Lily said

Prongs rolled his eyes again, both of his girls are worrywarts

" I mean it" Lily said sternly with a little bit of a glare

Prongs nodded his head, he understands

After Sirius turned into Padfoot and he barked once, Prongs started running and gaining speed

There was a lot of cheering coming from the Potter twins

Prongs turned around and looked at his children and he was smiling, well as much as a stag can smile

Prongs started going faster and he wasn't even breaking a sweat

Sirius was barking with laughter keeping up with Prongs and his godchildren

They headed into the Forbidden Forest which made both Harry and Brenda gasp

" Dad we shouldn't be in here, it's forbidden for a reason" Brenda said worriedly

Prongs rolled his eyes and just kept running

Prongs and Sirius were running for an hour longer until they stopped at a clearing in the forest with a large sparkling pool of water in the middle of the clearing

Prongs knelt down and Harry and Brenda got off

Sirius and James turned back into their human selves

" You have got to relax" James said while chuckling, " Everything was under control"

" I didn't know we were going into the Forbidden Forest" Brenda said a little worried

James just chuckled

" It's not funny" Brenda said, " What if we get in trouble?"

" You won't" Sirius said with a smile, " We got permission from Dumbledore to take you here"

" This place looks, nice, I didn't know there was a clearing like this here" Harry said looking around

" We're smack dab in the middle of the forest" Sirius explained

" This place is really pretty, I like how the sun hits the water like that" Brenda commented

" That's not the sun" James and Sirius said

Harry and Brenda looked at them weird

" It's actually the light from the other side" James explained quietly

Harry and Brenda still looked confused

" We talked to Dumbledore and the Powers That Be, and they gave us permission to show you this place" James said still in the quiet tone

" What is this place?" Brenda asked

" Only the worthiest of people know about it" Sirius said seriously, " It's a communication pool between the living and the dead"

Harry and Brenda gasped

" Whenever you feel the need to talk to us, you can come here and just look into the pool, we will be there and we can communicate with you" James said in a serious tone

" Why did the Powers That Be give you permission to show us this?" Harry asked

" They thought that the two of you sacrificed so much, they decided to give you something, and this is what they give you" James said

" We know that our dying again is eating you up inside" Sirius said

" This way we hope will make it a little easier" James said

Harry and Brenda were speechless, they finally could have their parents and godfather, even though their parents and godfather were dead

" Only you two can find this spot, you are welcome to bring others here if they want to talk to someone, but they will never find this spot on their own" Sirius explained

" So, anytime we need to talk to you, we can come here and talk? What if you need to talk to us?" Brenda asked

" You will know if we need to talk to you" James said with a smile

" This is perfect... the best magical thing ever" Harry said, " Besides everybody coming back from the dead of course"

" We just wanted to show you it, we should probably be getting back" James said looking at the time

Harry and Brenda nodded

" And no more worrying that you're going to hurt me" James said with a chuckle and then he turned into Prongs

Harry and Brenda both got on their Dad's back, this time Brenda was in front and Harry was in back

Brenda hugged Prong's neck and whispered, " I love you Daddy"

Prongs looked at Brenda and nuzzled her cheek, it was the only part he could reach like that

Brenda didn't know what came over her, she just felt like she needed to say that to her dad and it felt right

The two Potter teens were very happy on their ride back to Hogwarts

That night everybody was in bed, except for Severus who was in the middle of a potion, he couldn't sleep and he didn't want to take a sleeping draught

Brenda couldn't sleep either, she had a lot on her mind and she needed a sleeping draught, she wasn't going to scare her parents and brother by going to the Weasley's again

Brenda got up, put her slippers and night robe on and quietly opened her door and headed down the stairs, she was going to go down into the potions lab for a sleeping draught

Severus gave her permission to go down into the lab whenever she wanted to since she was of age and his apprentice; but she still felt kind of awkward going down there without her dad with her

When Brenda got to the door that led to the lab and she opened it, she saw that her dad was down there, Brenda lifted an eyebrow and chuckled softly to herself, " Like Father Like Daughter"

Brenda headed down the stairs, making sure Severus knew she was coming down

" You're supposed to be asleep" Severus said not taking his eyes off the potion he was brewing

" So are you" Brenda countered back with a smile, " What are you working on?"

" Calming draught" Severus said, " I'm sure a lot will be needed once everybody's loved ones who died... die again"

" Need any help?" Brenda asked

" You may assist me if you wish" Severus said

Brenda nodded and headed over to where there were extra protective robes since only wearing pajamas wasn't suitable for potion making, she then accioed her regular shoes and put those on

It was quiet for a few minutes while they worked side by side, Brenda was cutting up ingredients while Severus was stirring

" You know, you never said anything about us going into the Forbidden Forest today" Brenda said, " I thought you of all people would be a little angry"

" I was a little angry about that, nobody except for Hogwarts Personnel or students with permission with a Hogwarts employee are allowed into the forest, but your mother told me that you had permission from Albus" Severus said, " Why you had to go into the forest, I do not know"

" Nobody told you?" Brenda asked astonished

Severus shook his head no

" Huh, I was sure Mum would have told you" Brenda said

" What could have possibly been so interesting in that forest where you had to be gone for such a long time is beyond me" Severus said

" Oh, it was spectacular... we ended up in a clearing that had a pool of water" Brenda started with a smile

" Yes that's so interesting" Severus said sarcastically

" Oh it was... this pool of water had a light reflected in it... but it wasn't from the sun... it was from... well... the other side" Brenda said

That got Severus's attention

" Harry and I received a gift... a way to communicate between the living and the dead... that pool of water is the way... but only the worthiest of people know about it... That's what Sirius said anyway" Brenda explained

Severus was quiet for a few minutes

" What's also nice about the pool... is that... we can take people with us and they can talk to whomever they want too" Brenda looked at Severus seriously when she said the next part, " That means I can take you to the pool and you can talk to Mum whenever you want to"

Severus looked down at his adopted daughter

" I know how much Mum dying again is eating you up inside... it's eating me up inside too" Brenda whispered, tears were starting to come " I just hope this gift we are given, will help with some of the heartache"

Severus didn't say anything, he just opened up his arms and hugged his daughter

They stayed like that for a couple minutes before they resumed working

 

It was finally July 31, Harry and Brenda's 18th birthday

Dumbledore decided to throw them a birthday party at Hogwarts, it would also be a way for everybody to say goodbye to their loved ones

For Harry and Brenda, it was the most unhappiest birthdays ever and they had some pretty rotten birthdays in their lifetime

Lily, James and Sirius were on a shopping spree with Harry and Brenda

" This will be the last time we can buy you birthday gifts, we will buy you anything you want, just name it" Sirius said

They already bought them everything they could ever want; new brooms, clothes, a new owl for Harry, potions supplies and jewelry for Brenda,etc... they were becoming as spoiled as Draco Malfoy or Dudley Dursley

" We don't want things, we just want you" Harry and Brenda said at the same time

" We know that... but... hey listen, don't be sad, we can still talk any time you want" James said with a smile... it was kind of sad though

" It's good... but it's not the same as talking like this" Brenda said and she gave her dad a hug

James sighed and petted his daughter's hair, " I know Rosebud"

" So what store will we go to next?" Sirius asked, " We're burning daylight"

Harry and Brenda looked pained, they didn't want to shop anymore, they had enough nice things already

" We are going to Godrics Hollow next" Lily said

That got everybody's attention

" There are two stuffed animals there that haven't been played with for almost seventeen years" Lily said

Sirius and James nodded in understanding with smiles, Harry and Brenda just looked confused

" When you were born, you two were gifted with a pair of teddy bears that your mum and I made together for you" James explained

The five of them apparated to Godric's Hollow and both Lily and James gasped at the destruction to their once beautiful home

" We don't know if its safe to go inside" Brenda whispered

" It'll be safe, we won't let anything happen to you two" James said and he touched the gate like Harry did during Christmas

Like before, the sign with the golden letters came up

ON THIS SPOT, ON THE NIGHT OF 31 OCTOBER 1981, LILY AND JAMES POTTER LOST THEIR LIVES. THEIR CHILDREN, HARRY AND BRENDA, REMAIN THE ONLY WIZARD AND WITCH EVER TO HAVE SURVIVED THE KILLING CURSE. THIS HOUSE, INVISIBLE TO MUGGLES, HAS BEEN LEFT IN ITS RUINED STATE AS A MONUMENT TO THE POTTERS AND AS A REMINDER OF THE VIOLENCE THAT TORE APART THEIR FAMILY.

" That was nice of them" Lily said with a thoughtful smile

You four go on ahead, this is a Father, Mother, Daughter, Son moment" Sirius said standing outside the house

James and Lily nodded in understanding and thanks and the four Potters walked into their house that neither of them have been in for about seventeen years

The first thing everybody did when they went inside was gasp

It took them a few minutes to get over the shock at the ruined house

" Well... let us give you the tour" James said

The family spent an hour on the tour of the house, every time they stopped into a room, James and Lily would go into story time and tell their children stories of the childish things they did or that James and Lily did

Finally there was only one room left to walk into... the nursery, where Voldemort was destroyed and the Potter Twins' lives were changed forever

Everybody was quiet for a few minutes lost in their own thoughts

" Look, the teddy bears are still here" Lily said breaking the silence and she walked over to the old toy box and lifted the lid where the teddy bears were at

They were brown bears and were wearing matching red shirts, the only way to tell them apart were the gold letters on the shirts, one had HARRY on it, the other had BRENDA on it and Brenda's had a red bow on it's head. On the bottom of the bears' feet were the date of births of Harry and Brenda and how much they weighed at the time. On the bears paws were two little pictures of James and Lily

" Those pictures are buttons, press them and you'll hear what they do" Lily said

Harry and Brenda pressed both paws on their bears at the same time and the bears started singing a song in their parents' voices, " WE LOVE YOU HARRY/BRENDA, OH YES WE DO! WE LOVE YOU HARRY/ BRENDA YOU BET IT'S TRUE, WHEN YOU'RE NOT NEAR US WE'RE BLUE! OH HARRY/ BRENDA WE LOVE YOU"

" Now press only one of the buttons" Lily said

Brenda and Harry nodded and they pressed Lily's button only and only Lily's voice started singing, "Come stop your crying it will be all right, just take my hand hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you, I will be here don't you cry. For one so small you seem so strong, my arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken, I will be here don't you cry. Cause you'll be in my heart, Yes, you'll be in my heart. From this day on, Now and forever more. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart always... Always"

It was quiet for a few minutes

" Now press my picture" James whispered

Harry and Brenda did, "6lbs and 9oz. lookin' up at me Like I have all the answers I hope I have the ones you need I've never really done this, now I know what scared is. Sometimes I'll protect you from everything that's wrong Other times I'll let you just find out on your own. But that's when you'll be growin', And the whole time I'll be knowin. You're gonna fly with every dream you chase You're gonna cry, but know that that's okay Sometimes life's not fair, but if you hang in there You're gonna see that sometimes bad is good We just have to believe things work out like they should. Life has no guarantees, but always loved by me You're gonna be. I'm afraid you'll have to suffer through some of my mistakes Merlin knows I'll be trying to give you what it takes What it takes to know the difference Between getting by and livin.' 'Cause anything worth doing is worth doing all the way Just know you'll have to live with all the choices that you make So make sure you're always givin' way more than you're takin.' You're gonna fly with every dream you chase You're gonna cry, but know that that's okay Sometimes life's not fair, but if you hang in there You're gonna see that sometimes bad is good We just have to believe things work out like they should. Life has no guarantees, but always loved by me You're gonna be. Someone's everything You're gonna see. Just what you are to me. You're gonna fly with every dream you chase We just have to believe things work out like they should Life has no guarantees, but always loved by me You're gonna be Always loved by me"

It was quiet for another few minutes, there were tears in everybody's eyes, these bears were made out of love

" You pushed all of these buttons at least once a day and we sang you these songs before you went to sleep each night" Lily said with a smile

" There's one more song... you might know this one" James said with a chuckle

" Press on your names" Lily said

Harry and Brenda did and their parents were singing, " I love you, you love me, we're a happy family. With a GREAT BIG HUG and a kiss from me to you. Won't you say you love me too"

The Potters ended up in a group hug

A few minutes later they walked out of their old home with smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes

" Oh, good, the bears didn't get destroyed" Sirius said with a smile, " You two used to love those"

Harry and Brenda just nodded and squeezed their bears tighter

" We should get going... lots more shopping to do" James said

" Dad, please" Harry and Brenda started, " No more shopping... lets just enjoy each others company while we can"

" But we want to give you everything you ever wanted" James said

" You have... just being here... this is what we wanted" Harry said

" We're just making up for lost time and presents" Sirius said

" And you have given us more than enough" Harry said

" Lets go back to Hogwarts and check out the decorations for the party" Brenda suggested

They all apparated to Hogsmead and walked towards Hogwarts to check on the decorations in the Great Hall

" Why don't you go help your friends with those things Fred and George made?" Sirius suggested

Harry and Brenda nodded and headed over to where their friends were at

Both Fred and Ginny hugged their girlfriend and boyfriend when they got close enough

" Hello Beautiful" Fred whispered in Brenda's hair

" Hello Handsome" Brenda whispered with a smirk

" What do you have there Harry?" Ginny asked after she and Harry hugged

" We stopped by Godric's Hollow before we came here" Harry said looking at his bear, " Mum and Dad said these were our favorite toys when we were babies"

Harry and Brenda showed their friends the toys

" Mum and Dad made them for us" Brenda said and she pushed one of the buttons, " Each button has one of our parents or both our parents sing us a song"

" Oh that's so sweet" Hermione said with a smile

" They're the best present they could have ever given us" Harry whispered

Harry and Brenda played the rest of the songs and the girls were in tears and the guys were just smiling

" That is really nice of them" George said

A couple hours later it was now time for the party to start

Everybody was getting nervous by the minute, they didn't want to see their loved ones leave again

" Do you think Cedric Diggory will show up? We haven't talked to him yet" Brenda thought to Harry

" Maybe he's too upset with us to even want to talk to us" Harry whispered

" What?" Ron asked, he only heard Harry's half of the conversation

" Oh... sorry, we're talking about Cedric... maybe he's too upset with us for getting him killed to want to talk to us" Harry said

" Now where would you two get an idea like that" Cedric said from behind the twins

Both Harry and Brenda spun around in shock and surprise, " Cedric"

" Sorry I haven't come to talk to you two sooner... my father wouldn't let me leave his sight all this time" Cedric said rolling his eyes, " He's over by the refreshments trying to drink himself into a stupor, it's the only way he can cope with me... leaving again... what makes you think I'd be upset with the two of you?"

" Well... we couldn't save you in the graveyard" Harry said

" It wasn't your fault" Cedric said

" But if I didn't..." Harry started

" It... Wasn't... Your... Fault" Cedric said nice and slow, " It was Wormtail's fault... Pettigrew... Whatever his name's is fault... he's the one who cast the spell not you... I want the two of you to stop feeling guilty over my death ok?"

" Easier said than done" Brenda said, " If it wasn't for us, then the cup wouldn't have been a portkey, you wouldn't have been portkeyed to the graveyard and Wormtail wouldn't have killed you, Voldemort wouldn't have been resurrected and a lot of people would be alive right now"

Cedric lifted an eyebrow, " Do you two even listen to yourselves? If it wasn't for you... Seventeen years ago Voldemort would have never been destroyed, there would have been 13 more years of killings from him and his Death Eaters"

" Diggory does have a point" Ron said

" The two of you have felt guilty long enough... I'm not angry at you and you shouldn't be angry at yourselves" Cedric said and he patted both of them on the shoulders and walked away

Both Harry and Brenda felt a whole lot better knowing that Cedric didn't blame them

The party was in full bloom, everybody was having a fun time talking and laughing with loved ones

James and Severus were for once, not at each others throats, they were actually in a very serious looking conversation

" YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS" Sirius burst out who is listening to the whole conversation

James gave Sirius a look

" HE'S ALREADY BRAINWASHED BRENDA" Sirius yelled

Severus glared at Sirius and was about to say something scathing

" Sirius, shush, you're creating a scene" Lily snapped

Severus said something that nobody could hear, it probably was along the lines of, " I did not brainwash Brenda"

Sirius glared at Snape and started to pout by crossing his arms and stuck his bottom lip out

James and Severus's discussion continued

" Wonder what they're talking about" Harry thought

Brenda shrugged

The party resumed and people ended up on the dance floor, Harry and Brenda liked watching their parents dance, James was actually nice enough to let Lily dance with Severus a couple of times

" Didn't know he could even dance" Ron whispered as he and Hermione danced on the dance floor

" Brenda would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" Fred asked and he mock bowed

Brenda chuckled and curtsied, " It would be my pleasure"

Fred grinned, took her hand and led her to the dance floor

Harry looked at Ginny

" Don't do the bowing thing Fred did... Yes I'll dance with you" Ginny said with a smile

Harry grinned and took her hand and led his girlfriend on to the dance floor

Everybody had a fun time at the party, finally it was 11:00... an hour until midnight

Harry and Brenda wanted to spend the last remaining hour with their parents and godfather

" Harry... Brenda... there is something we need to talk about" James said seriously

" I still don't like it" Sirius said

" Be quiet Sirius, it isn't your decision" Lily scolded

" What's going on?" Harry asked

James sighed, " How do we explain this?"

" The beginning is always a good place to start" Lupin said

James rolled his eyes at that, " I don't know what the beginning would be yet"

Lily sighed, " I'll explain it then"

Everybody in the small group looked at her

" We told you that after we died, we were watching you all the time growing up right?" Lily asked

Harry and Brenda nodded

" My sister was not the right choice of guardian for either of you, nor were the Williamsons" Lily said

" They didn't last very long" Brenda whispered

Lily nodded, " I know, horrible accident... I didn't like you being in an orphanage either, you don't know how relieved I was when Severus became your guardian"

" Like Snape was even better" Sirius scoffed

Lily and Brenda glared at him

" I don't want to be angry at you Sirius" Brenda said

Sirius sighed, " Sorry Rosebud, I'll behave"

Brenda smiled, she really liked that nickname

" We didn't have any of those choices in our will if we died before you two were old enough to be on your own" James said

" I knew my sister hated magic, and I haven't seen Christine since we were children, I wouldn't know what she grew up to be... no, we had two others who were in our will if something happened to us" Lily started

" Me" Sirius said with a smile, " Would have taken you two in, if... Wormtail wasn't a rat... literally"

" We know you would have Sirius" Harry said with a smile then frowned, " Who else was in the will to take us in? Remus?"

Remus sighed, " I would have loved to take you two in, but I wouldn't be able to because of my... Problem"

" The Ministry wouldn't let us anyway, we tried" James said

" So who is it then?" Brenda asked, " The Weasleys?"

Lily smiled and shook her head no, " Too many children themselves"

James chuckled, " Probably a good thing we didn't have them be you guardians, since you're both dating a Weasley... wouldn't that be weird... dating your own sister and brother"

Harry and Brenda looked at each other, " Eeew"

That got the Marauders and Lily chuckling

" No, after many arguments with your father" Lily said looking at said father, " We came to an agreement... we put Severus Snape into the will to become your guardians if something happened to us"

Both Harry and Brenda gasped in shock

Then Brenda smiled

" Of course nobody knew about us putting Snape in our will for safety reasons... it would be a last resort if Sirius couldn't take care of you two" James said, " I really didn't trust him but your mother insisted he was good"

" Mum was right" Brenda said with a smile

James nodded and sighed, " So... talking about Snape is bringing us to our next point... Harry"

" Yes?" Harry asked

" We know you both are of age... but... it's still good to have a guardian... a father figure" James said, " Since neither I or Sirius will be around"

" Remus will though?" Harry said kind of not liking where this is going

Remus nodded, " And I'll always be there for the both of you, but I still cannot be your guardian"

" Harry's getting a new guardian? Even though he's 18?" Brenda asked

James and Lily shook their heads no, " He's being adopted"

" By who?" Both Harry and Brenda asked

Then they thought about the conversation they just had, they were talking about Severus Snape

" Snape?" Harry asked

James and Lily nodded

" Snape is... adopting me?" Harry asked shocked, " And you're ok with it?" He asked James

" That was a long conversation" Lily said

" And a lot of arguing" James said

" But I won the argument" Lily said with a smirk

" The papers are all filled out... it just needs your signature Harry" Severus said from behind the twins

Severus startled the both of them and they turned around

Harry just looked wide eyed at Snape

" Are you ok with this?" Harry asked

" Harry, I've been watching out for the both of you since you came to Hogwarts, I let you live in my home... yes I'm ok with it" Severus said and rolled his eyes

" What do you think?" Harry thought to Brenda

Brenda smiled, " I think it's a wonderful idea" She thought, " You already have a room and you already feel at home at Snape Manor, what is there to think about?"

" That's true... but... I don't think I can live by that bloody schedule" Harry thought

Brenda chuckled and the adults gave her questioning looks, they were waiting for Harry's answer, but they kind of figured those two were thinking to each other

" It's not going to be forever, someday you will marry Ginny and want to live somewhere else, Severus will always be there for you if you need to talk to him or anything, it's always good to have a few adults to talk to" Brenda thought

Harry blushed at the marrying Ginny part, " So you really think I should sign? We're going to drive each other insane living together"

Brenda chuckled, " I wouldn't expect anything less" She thought, " Seriously Harry, it's a good idea"

" I can't believe Snape is ok with it" Harry thought

" I'm sure he thought about this long and hard" Brenda thought, " Please Harry, just sign the paper"

Harry sighed and nodded, " Ok, I'll sign"

Severus handed Harry the paper and Harry signed where he needed to sign

Once the papers disappeared to be documented everybody let out a big sigh

" It's done" Severus said

" You better take good care of them Snape" James said sternly

" I will" Severus said, " I will treat them like they were my own flesh and blood"

" No more insults" James said

" No more" Severus promised

" And they need the care and love of a father" James said

" I know... I have been a father for a good few years now" Severus said lifting an eyebrow

" I know and you've... done... a better job then I probably ever could do" James said hating to admit it

" Thank you... coming from you, that... means a lot" Severus said

Harry and Brenda spent the remainder of the hour with James and Lily, everybody was crying

Finally dreaded Midnight approached, there was a clock somewhere that started to ding 1, 2, 3,

James, Lily, Harry and Brenda were in a group hug, then individual hugs

4, 5, 6

Lily hugged Severus while Harry and Brenda hugged Sirius

7, 8, 9

Ginny, Fred, Ron, Hermione, George, Mrs and Mr Weasley hurried over to the group and gave them support

Fred put his arms around Brenda from the back of her

Ginny hugged Harry from the side of him

10, 11, 12

Everybody who died simply dissolved into nothing, it was like they weren't even there

There were a lot of anguished screams and everybody was crying

Brenda turned around and started crying into Fred's shirt

Harry was crying and hugging Ginny tighter

Vials of calming draught started floating around the room and everybody was meant to take one

Some people took the calming draughts willingly, some people had to be forced to drink them, everybody eventually had a calming draught in their systems

A few minutes later Severus went up to Brenda and Fred

" I'm going home" Severus said

" You want me to go with you?" Brenda asked

Severus shook his head no, " I wish to be alone right now... if it's alright with Arthur and Molly, you should stay with them for tonight"

Brenda understood and nodded

Severus began walking away

" Dad" Brenda called

Severus turned around

" Please... please don't do anything irrational" Brenda said

Severus shook his head, " I'm not going to... Minnie will be with me the whole time"

Brenda nodded

Mr and Mrs. Weasley didn't mind having Harry and Brenda over, they fully understood how Severus Snape was feeling

They got Ron and Ginny's bedrooms ready for their guests and everybody pretty much went to bed when they got to the Burrow, everybody was exhausted from the party and crying so much

Harry and Brenda weren't doing much sleeping, they kept tossing and turning, every time they closed their eyes they kept seeing their parents and godfather disappear

" I have an idea" Brenda thought, " You come in here and sleep with Ginny... and I'll go sleep with Fred, that helped me that night we found out about..."

" I don't want to wake Ginny up" Harry thought

Brenda looked over at where Ginny was sleeping, she was wide awake with tears running down her face

" She's wide awake and she's crying... I think it would do you both some good to comfort each other" Brenda thought

" Ok, tell Ginny I'm coming... Hermione's not going to think it's bad right?" Harry thought

Hermione sighed allowed and sat up in bed, " I can't sleep... I'm going to go see Ron"

" Is Ron awake?" Brenda thought

" Yah" Harry thought

" Hermione's coming to see him" Brenda thought

Harry told Ron

" Ginny, Harry's going to come in here and sleep with you, is that ok?" Brenda asked

Ginny nodded

Brenda sat up and put her slippers on

" You going to see Fred?" Ginny asked

Brenda nodded

Hermione and Brenda walked out of the room together and on their way to their boyfriends' rooms ran into Harry and Ron

" I was just coming to see you" Hermione said

" I know... I didn't want to be up there all alone right now, not even for a minute" Ron whispered

The other three nodded, they understood perfectly

The Golden four hugged each other in comfort and went their separate ways to their destined rooms

Brenda knocked on Fred and George's door

Fred answered it and when he saw that it was Brenda, he opened his arms and embraced her then led her to his bed

" I had a feeling you were going to show up" Fred whispered into Brenda's hair

" You don't mind do you?" Brenda asked

Fred shook his head no, " Not at all"

" Good, because I'm probably going to sleep with you a lot" Brenda whispered

" That's fine by me" Fred said and he kissed his girlfriend

They fell asleep wrapped up in each others arms


End file.
